Betsy Ross
In order to gain admission to some kind of yacht club/sailing club/commune thing, Tom just passed a seamanship test back at home. So it was with great authority that he advised us our Bahamas courtesy flag was flying from the wrong side of the boat. When Ellen and I brought the flags down to switch sides this afternoon, we decided all the flags needed some TLC. So Ellen got all Betsy Ross and hemmed the flags back to some sort of respectability. Crisis averted.
This morning we woke up early and were all in the dinghy by 7am to take Tom & Delwyn to the airport to catch their flight back home. We all agreed that the commute to the airport was about as excellent as such things go: it was a 10 minute dinghy ride across the spectacular clear waters. Tom & Delwyn were the only passengers on their flight, so it took off as soon as we arrived…an hour early. Imagine.
Our week with the Canadians was wonderful. The weather was perfect, we got some magnificent sailing and snorkeling and hanging around and dining with them. They are welcome back on Cupcake any time.
Getting ready to put our sign on top of Boo Boo Hill on Warderick Wells.
After two nights at Warderick Wells we went for one last snorkel before leaving the park. How jaded have we become? We rated the swim a 7.0/10, tops. Because all we saw was a little 4’ nurse shark with a remora, a big triggerfish, a barracuda, a bunch of reef fish, and a big ugly lobster. Yawn.
Bell Rock at Cambridge Cay.
We enjoyed a night at Cambridge Cay, as I mentioned in the last post. Went for a nice walk ashore where Moss and I built another voodoo catamaran. Voodoo Cat V was launched in the mangrove swamp, the source of the midges and mosquitos. We will see if she does any good.
Moss with Voodoo Cat V.
Sailing from Cambridge to Sampson Cay under a double-reefed mainsail and full jib was another fantastic ride. We were cruising at an easy 6.5 knots, topping out at 7.2 through magically clear, calm seas. Fantastic stuff.
Sampson Cay proved, once again, to be a safe calm spot to ride out stiff breezes from the east.
Our last night with guests was passed near Thunderball again. Curiously, we had a hard time getting the anchor to set because we kept finding thin sand over limestone. When Ellen and I dove on the anchor to see what was going on, I spotted a scuba tank on the bottom. No sign of the diver, just a pile of bones with a mask and snorkel. (Kidding about the bones and snorkel.) So now we have a scuba tank but no regulator.
Nicest laundromat we know.
After Tom & Delwyn departed, we filled up on diesel and gas at Staniel Cay then scooted down to Black Point to take care of laundry and tank up with water. Hit the grocery stores, dumped the trash. We are fully loaded and ready for the next adventure.
Tonight we are anchored south on Great Guana Cay, our southernmost point on the whole trip.
Look it up:
N 24* 4’ 25”
W 76* 23’ 4”
BIG YACHT. tiny cupcake.
Look at the long legs on that child!
Found art.
From the top of the hill at Cambridge Cay you can see the Sound on the left, the brown mangrove swamp in the mid ground, and the Banks in the background.
Happy happy.
It’s not a selfie, it’s a picture of what we call Ellen’s OCD fries.