Cruising Season #4.....Its On!

We've been in the Bahamas for a week now. We had a great crossing initially. The first 7 hours through the Gulf Stream we were doing between 7 & 8 knots with the engine off. Just sailing.... We got to the Bahama Banks within those 7 hours.....50+ miles in 7 hours on a sailboat.....that's pretty fast. Especially for our boat, an Island Packet.....they don't call them Isalnd Piglets for nothing. ;) then things slowed way down. It still took another 10 hours to get to the 1st stop, Great Sale Cay. By the time we reached Great Sale we had been traveling for 26-27 hours. We were tired. At 2am I was at the helm on my shift, Scott was sleeping. All of a sudden something whizzed by my face & hit the the plastic of our enclosure. I thought at 1st it must have been a bird, but we were too far away from land for that. Then I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. That happens sometimes when you're exhausted in the middle of the night at sea...but then, I heard flopping. I woke Scott. Sure enough, a flying fish had flown into our cockpit. We had a laugh & sent him on his way & just kept plugging along.

So the 1st leg went great. We got some sleep & the next morning, anchors up....headed for Green Turtle Cay.

As we're plugging along to Green Turtle our bilge started acting up. We were taking on water...not a lot but enough to warrant concern. We still had hours to go. (The bilge is the vital organ of your boat....it pumps out water that shouldn't be there in the first place....at least on our boat) So we trouble shooted different scenarios of what could be causing it & we decided it was the engine. So we turned it off & just sailed. The bilge emptied out. We haven't had any trouble with it since but it was a little scarey. As the bilge was filling....a squall was moving in. Of course.

We managed to put sail the worst of the storm & get tucked in to favorite little island in Abaco, Bahamas...Green Turtle Cay.

Our good friends Matt & Lindsey from s/v Kindred Spirit are here too. So glad!! We've been having lots of fun. Lindsey & I are learning to crochet & Matt & Scott work on whatever little project they can think of.

Matt & Scott sewing some canvas

Jib's sailing buddy Oliver. Jib likes Oliver more than Oliver likes Jib.

 

Yesterday's view at the beach

 

Jib trying to make friends

 

The weather has been crappy so we are not able to move south until Saturday. Then we will go to Marsh Harbor & get some fresh veggies & do laundry before heading south.

Love & miss everybody

Michelle, Scott & Jib

 

 

 

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