Saturday, March 31, 2012

bahamas!

We're alive and safe after a long 500 mile trip :)
We left Puerto Rico late Sunday night and for the first couple of days, had pretty calm weather, mostly motoring with the sails out just in case. That was just fine with us, especially since we'd heard horror stories about the Mona Passage. We were glad it turned out to be a bunch of hype for nothing. There was a slight swell coming from the north, but overall pretty calm. We spent the first day crossing the passage and then the next day cruising up the coast of Dominican Republic. We were never within 20 miles of the "D.R." but we could just make out the lights of the bigger cities in the dark.
By day three, the wind definitely showed up and picked up to 20-25 knots. Just in time to head north toward the Bahamas. We spent the next 36 hours, through Thursday morning sometime after midnight, making great time. But as usual, when we're making good time, we all end up feeling pretty seasick :( We also had our share of beds wet from waves that made their way inside, and with Maggie, Levi and I taking the night shifts, we were trying to encourage each other to hang in there. The most wind we saw was just over 30 knots. Then the wind started to subside a bit , but it still took almost 12 hours for the seas to calm back down.
By late Thursday afternoon, we weaved our way though the southernmost islands of the outer Bahamas, and made our way to Acklin Islands. We also had a welcome from a pod of dolphins, which was very cool! and found an anchorage in 'Jamaica Bay' with a booming population of 80 people. Not the calmest anchorage, but we were all tired enough for it not to matter. We were all asleep VERY soon after sunset, with damp sheets flapping on the clothes lines.
This is a really remote part of the Bahamas and very few tourists make their way down this far(or anyone for that matter). Usually, the only people are cruisers either coming or going from the Caribbean. This makes for some very stark scenery. It feels like the absolute end-of-the-world. Miles and miles of empty beaches on low sandy islands with nothing but a few scattered bushes and scrubby trees. The water is crystal clear and every shade of turquoise and blue, green, aquamarine.........incredible.
We're still several days from Internet, so we'll try and post some photos of Bahamas in the next few days. Thanks for your prayers! We'll see you soon!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Woo Hoo the Bahamas! Awesome, can't wait to see the pics. Glad you guys arrived safe & sound. Praying for you! Love ya The Kirbys

Anonymous said...

So good to hear from you. Got update from John & Rosie. Sounds like you guys are doing great and are Old Hats at getting through the rough stuff. Love you, Mom

larry said...

By your description, I can feel the waves lapping against the boat as you sit back and relax from the long passage lookin out at the long sandy beaches.
We look forward to seeing you guys again.
Sullins

Marc said...

Taking in the sights. Lovely. There is a lot to see and do in the Bahamas. Enjoy!