Spanish Cay to Florida

We dropped the lines at Spanish Cay at 9 o'clock on Wednesday morning and set off on our long journey home. Our goal for the day was a forty five mile trip to Great Sale Cay where we would stay overnight before going on to Memory Rock on the Bahama Bank. We arrived mid afternoon and dropped anchor in the cove close to the shore for protection from the building wind. Bill and Linda on Ceili arrived shortly after us and anchored next to us. Before dark there were 12 boats in the anchorage. Great Sale is a jumping off spot for boats coming from the US to the Bahamas or on the way back from the Islands. Bill and Linda dropped their dingy and joined Jane and I for a steak dinner on board Kinvara. We were celebrating a wonderful few months in a beautiful area of the world and our good fortune to be able to enjoy it on our boats.
We woke on Thursday morning to inclement weather and after talking to Chris Parker my weather router we decided to stay in Great Sale for another day. We spent the day reading and listening to our trusted Sirius radio.  No one should own a boat without it. We got a perfect reception all through the Islands for the past 3 months.

The Captain



The Admiral



Friday morning we departed at about 8 o'clock for the anchorage at Memory Rock which is on the Banks about 10 miles north of West End on the North West end of Grand Bahama. The conditions deteriorated during the day and by the time we reached the anchorage we were been tossed around in 4 foot seas and blown by 15 to 20 Kt. winds. Not good conditions to anchor in but we had no where to go and no land in sight so we dropped the hook and settled in for the night. Ceili and one other boat joined us before dark. One boat could not deal with the conditions so they decided to get underway during the night and cross the Gulf Stream back to the US. Their boat was smaller than ours and they had two young children on board. Why should we worry when you see that kind of bravery?  Our night was not pleasant. First we slowly dragged anchor at about 10.30 and we had to re-set the anchor in adverse conditions. Neither of us slept well. We slept in the cockpit most of the night fully dressed in case we had to get underway quickly. We got through the night and hauled anchor at 6 o'clock and headed out into the Stream. The conditions changed for the better and for the next six or seven hours we had a very pleasant motor sail westbound to the good old USA. The last few hours in the Stream got a little bumpy with seas getting up to four feet with winds to 18 at times. We hit 10 knots about an hour before we exited the Stream! We were flying! What a sight seeing the buildings on the US coast gradually showing up on the horizon at mid afternoon. By 3:30 we were motoring into the Fort Pierce Inlet and on our way up the ICW to Vero Beach.

We picked up our mooring at 6PM and made a few quick phone calls to the girls and to the US Customs and Imigration Dept. to check back into the US.  We showered and quickly dropped the dingy and motored over to a shore side restaurant for a Guinness and some Corn Beef and Cabbage to celebrate good old St. Patrick. Sleep came quickly when we returned to the boat and we forgot all about the challenges of the previous night.

It is good to be back in the US. We had a wonderful adventure and we appreciate every day we have together in beautiful places. We have lost some very close friends over the past few months and we understand every day how precious life is and how we should not waste even one minute of it. Al, Frances, Kendra, Betty, Paul and our precious Pretzel we will never forget you. Sleep well.