Green Turtle Cay

Wednesday March 12, 2014
26 45.699 N
77 19.458 W

I think we are very happy to be here, in one piece.

The weather front arrived on time during the night and we bounced around, but Tide Hiker held well. We were up at about 6:30 AM and underway at 7:15AM. Recovering the anchor took a bit of work. It was really buried and the wind was still blowing, maybe about 15/20. Set off for our next destination – Green Turtle Cay. The wind has been a steady 20/30 all day, blowing the tops off the waves.

Our passages are all “waypoint to waypoint” now. There are very few aids to navigation. The various guide books suggest routes and we are following the suggestions religiously. It’s now about 1 PM as I write this and its really blowing, still from the south. Tide Hiker has quite a heel on her as she plows thru the blue/green water.

The wind got worse as the day progressed. By 3 PM it must have been 40 MPH from the south. Fortunately we were protected by Great Abaco island most of the afternoon, so the seas did not get up more than 4' or 5' but the wind was very strong. Tide Hiker was leaning maybe 10 degrees, which felt a lot. 

We had made a slip reservation via the internet from West End for tonight, and very pleased we had. It was in "Black Sound" on Green Turtle Cay, and the entrance and channel had a bit of a reputation, so I was a bit stressed, waves were breaking around us as we made the first markers, but we made it OK. The least I saw under the keel was 2 feet. We called them on the radio and they gave us a space on the "face dock" which made docking a bit easier. I just stopped the boat in line with the space and let the wind blow us in. The starboard side of the boat is crusty with salt.

Up by the pool, Tide Hiker in the background

We did not make it to town tonight. We got the bikes down and made a start, but it is further than it looked, the road was not so hot and it would have been a bit dicey to come back in the dark. So re returned and ate on the boat. The marina wifi seems to work OK. Pleased that the satellite TV is still working! The marina electricity seems a bit unreliable. I will have to run the gen in the AM.






Thursday March 13, 2014

Yesterday was our second anniversary on Tide Hiker. We headed into town on the bikes about 11 AM. "new Plymouth" was settled by Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. (Sounds a bit like Canada!) There was an interesting memorial dedicated to the refugees. Apparently all was not "beer and skittles" for the loyalists after Valley Forge!

Deidre riding into town (uphill!!)

The town had a pleasant Caribbean feel with just the right amount of shabbiness to make it authentic. Produce in the stores was almost as expensive as in Australia.

We ran into "Billie" (the lone sailor) in town and he bought us lunch. Turns out he is a "long line fisherman" and it was fun to hear some of his stories. (He reminded me of a mix between Adam Blackman and Nick Nicholas). I had fried conch for lunch, and asked Deidre to remind me not to do that again.


Friday March 14, 2014

Got up early to listen to the football, and now wish I had not. Still windy. Saturday still seems to be the best day for Whale passage, but will seek local knowledge.

Social day today. We met a Scottish couple on a nearby boat yesterday and invited them to "morning coffee". They were from Edinborough and had sailed in these waters for yonks. As they were leaving XXX and Charlotte from "Swede Dreams" turned up in their dink - another cup of coffee - soon followed by Billie (the lone sailor) in his dink. Talked plans for The Whale and dinner.

After lunch we explored the other side of the island on our bikes.

Dinner was arranged for a place in "White Sound" (we are in "Black Sound"). Too far to ride the bikes so we took the dink, hoping we could come back in some light. The wind was off shore so the near shore water was calm, and the couple of mile ride over and back was fast and uneventful. Back at Tide Hiker we prepped for an early departure. Electricity and water lines are back on board and stowed.

The beach

Loyalist Memorial