Stormy Weather, and Turnaround

All good things come to an end. All bad things come to an end.

This trip, so far, has had goods and bads—stingrays and purple coral fans; worn crankshaft and rusted iPad chargers. The further south we ventured, the warmer the water and less populated the beaches.

                                                                                                                                                                                    

But the electrical and plumbing systems on Echo II are protesting the continued assault of salt spray and other not-to-be-mentioned chemical substances, and frankly, I am not entirely comfortable being in a floating tub. I’ve stayed fit with swimming and rowing, but my body is bruised and battered from being knocked around on the rocking boat.

Right now, boats are pouring into the Farmers channel--sandwiched among three islands--to wait out an impending storm, predicted to hit in the wee hours Thursday morning and diminish by Friday morning.  (We, of course, got here first; they are encroaching on our anchorage!)

George Town, our original destination, boasts a lively social scene—and ALL the cruisers are either there or on their way—but it is still a fair distance south and requires an ocean passage.

We rested comfortably for a few days at one of the out-islands en route to George Town, Little Farmers Cay, and in the lee of one of its harbors, endured a cold front that brought 25-mph winds and white caps. Trips to the tiny yacht club by dinghy offered cold beer, electrical outlets for charging computers, and bathrooms with running water.

We used some of the time at Farmers to discuss our motivations and schedule, and decided this was a good spot to turn around and begin the long journey north toward home. Pope began studying the charts north of the Exumas, seeking the shortest ocean crossings and most protected anchorages between the Exumas and Florida.

 

Along the way, we hope to stop in Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park for some more snorkeling and marine-mammal-spotting.

First, we have to get through the storm. As I write, the wind is rising ominously and black clouds are hovering. Could be good (being in this semi-protected anchorage) or bad.

 

Stay tuned as we continue our journey, in the northerly direction, and join us in hoping that the coming weeks will be nothing but fun, frolic, and good traveling.