May 13-14

May 13

We left Lee Stocking Island this morning after we talked to the “Canadian “ boat. They were concerned to report the weather to them. They were concerned about going  "outside” because of the waves but we were staying on th4e Banks because we could and because Rick isn’t so scared of shallow water anymore.

As we were leaving the harbor a dolphin was dogging us trying to catch the fish we were moving. It was a slow trip because we were trave

Tug and Barge Rock... cool eh?

ling through 3-7 feet of water, which was kind of eerie since there was nothing visible in most directions for miles then all of a sudden a large rock appeared. The one beside us this morning as we left was called “Tug and Barge”. It looks more like a tractor and hay wagon to me but the locals have no idea what those are!

We arrived here at Rudder Cay around 2:30 only to find ‘no trespassing signs’ on the beach so we anchored off the beach and didn’t go out of the water. We went to the airstrip where they neglected to put signs and snorkeled there. And I took pictures of the secret house on the other side. I really hope it wasn’t a drug lord’s house but we seemed to have gotten away.  Lol.  The strip runs along a very shallow bay and the water at the shore was HOT. If we had brought soap we could have had a bath!!

So we had a shower on the back deck instead. There are two more boats but they are far enough away that they couldn’t see us without binoculars, and anyway who cares. Too much information??

Anyway tomorrow we will head up the bank and stop at Staniel Cay. The on reason I am looking forward to that is…going out for dinner!!! YAY.

Unfortunately you won’t see this post until May 14 but hopefully the @ #*+ pictures will up load!

ttyl

 

Water was 8 feet deep... CLEAR!

May 14

Last night was amazing…there was no light pollution and the sky was clear. There were so many stars they all blurred together and made the sky glow. It was amazingly quiet… no on sh0ore generator working all night…no dock noise from across the harbor.

The only noise was our slurping dinghy! When it rocks in the waves its sounds like a big old dog licking and it drives me crazy! Whether we hang it off the side or at the very end of its tether, I can hear it. And we had enough big dogs so I know what that sound s like.  Sometimes it sounds so real, I find myself ready to yell at it to stop licking!

Today we head for Staniel Cay. Apart from dinner at a restaurant [I’m pretty sure I will regret that…very expensive] there are the famous swimming pigs. Not sure we’ll get to see them. Rick doesn’t sound impressed.

SO we blew the windlass again today. We managed to get the anchor down by hand at Staniel Cay. I don’t trust the anchor any more … not since we dragged that stormy night and came very close to the Jasmine City. And no matter what I say, he always seems to put us near other boats…even though there’s a whole freaking ocean out here, and we are in the trade winds that never stop blowing 15 knots. This bay is about 6 square miles of 4-foot deep water.

So we went to the Yacht Club and had lunch. I had a mahi-mahi sandwich that came ON the bread even though I said no bread… I am allergic. Rick had a burger. It wasn’t as bad as dinner would have been but it wasn’t great either. We walked to the store and paid $13.00 for two boxes of cereal and a couple of snickers bars [dessert]. The guy in the marina told us the bank was just “out there”, meaning outside the gate f the yacht club. Turns out there are NO ATMS and NO banks on the island. What planet was he from??? I don’t like Staniel Cay and I haven’t even seen much of it, although the lady running the Pink Pearl grocery store was very nice. I probably don’t like it because it seems to be overrun with snotty European owners telling snotty European tourists that “this is cool place because this is where all the money is.” The price of liquor here is 4 times what we paid in Georgetown for the same stuff. Oh well…

Rick tired to tell me we will be in Allen’s Cay tomorrow. It’s only “about 20 miles” so we checked the chart and it’s actually 43 miles. I don’t know what to do with him!!!

Hopefully we can sail most of the way. I am SO sick of the motor noise and we need to change the oil soon but there is nowhere here to get rid of it. 

secret hideaway...and a private airstrip in foreground where I'm standing to take picture

So tomorrow…crack of dawn and get moving. If we have to go back to Canada I want to get it over with. I’m not looking forward to calling Homeland Security ever freaking day when we’re n the states again. We may just decide to do as much if it outside as we can manage until we get close to the Chesapeake. Of course that depends on whether we can find a yard to lift us out. Apparently we are a bit too wide for most places. Grrrrrrr  

the Goose sitting in about 12 feet of water

Don’t count on pictures today. A] we hardly took any the last few days and for some reason this PC or the internet does not like my pictures and refuses to load them. THis is the best I can do and it only took an hour! ttyl

Water so clear there is no colour