April Fool's

I've never slept well the night before a major passage. This is mostly because I'm the provisioning guru and I'll lay in bed drifting around in that almost asleep mode while things pop into my head. Did I remember to do such-and-such? Then I have to get out of bed and check. And so it went last night.

We were preparing to leave West End this morning for a 1-3 day passage north depending on the Gulf Stream, the actual vs forecast wind/waves, and how we felt. Yesterday was spent preparing chicken salad and egg salad for sandwiches, making fresh ginger cookies and making a provisioning run on loaner bicycles to the local small store for milk and (hide your eyes, Amber) Captain Crunch. Tim says if he has Captain Crunch and milk he's good to go for a passage of any length. Well, that and ginger cookies. Sail Grib showed a mixed bag of wind directions and speed as the high passed over us and the low filled in to the northwest. Most of today would have been motoring, but the wind promised to steady into an easterly direction and 10-15 knots by Thursday morning, perfect for sailing back to the States. Thursday and Friday would be even better winds and direction but they were pinching the weather window a bit too tight on the far end, leaving us less than a day's cushion before the next cold front would pass through the area over the weekend. So prepare we did, and off to bed we went.

At 6:15 this morning I wafted out of some very odd dream to the singing in the rigging. Wind had been forecast on the gribs for 8 knots out of the WSW by 6:00 am. Instead, it was 18-21 out of the west. Oops. Just kidding. April fools says the weather man. I crawled out of bed just as the motors on the trawler in front of us purred to life. Watching him leave the channel from the marina was enough to convince us that we were staying another day. Five foot waves were crashing in the channel, sending white foam shooting into the air a good six or eight feet. I believe I might have heard the Westerbeast laughing from somewhere below the cockpit...

So while we sit, here are some pics from the last couple days for your enjoyment.

This one's for you Melanie. On our way from Crab Cay to Great Sale, winds 23 apparent.

Whenever we find it necessary to move to another boat, this will be the thing we miss most about Kintala. She will sail all day long with the cutter rig flying at 6 knots and only 30° off the wind. Try to find a boat that will  point like that. I dare you.

Been a while since we've had a hitchhiker. This guy rode a good bit of the way from Great Sale to West End with us.

Here's the beginning of a series of pictures of the sunset at Great Sale Cay

This picture is for my grandson Christopher who has recently taken up chess. They added this outdoor chess set at the Old Bahama Bay marina since we were here last year.

Lots of boats enjoying the calm water in the anchorage north of the marina.

Still the best feature of this marina.

Last night's sunset here at West End. Weirdest shot my Fuji has done yet. No filters.

Old Bahama Bay Marina from the breakwater