Happy Pi day.
We loaded the dinghy early to head to Sanctuary Creek. Winds and seas were calm. We met Jeff and Deb in Patunk and travelled north to the southern entrance of the creek. We first had to cross over a bar between two small islands that is completely exposed at low tide. We made the crossing well. We entered the creek and no one else was there yet. Our electric motors were very quiet. We had some current with us so we barely had to use any battery to travel.
We wound around mangroves in a fairly wide passage that was deep enough at this tide but could become problematic later in the tide cycle. The blues and greens were amazing. We saw a heron, a lemon shark, and another type of shark. The tide was high so most creatures were likely in the mangroves. Before we reached the middle lagoon, we started to see some turtles. Some were swimming actively, others just maintaining a position in the current. We could spot them as dark circles under the water. Sometimes we were mistaken and we would come over to a “not a turtle rock.”
We reached the main lake that was filled with mangroves with a deep channel moving through. Then we took the turn to lead out to the ocean side. There were several boat masts that had anchored at the opening in the calm conditions. The rapids were just starting to move out. We anchored the dinghies on the beach before the outlet.
The rapids picked up as we were there. We were able to jump in and float out into them. It really was like a washing machine. Eddies on either side of the rapid pushed you the back toward the beach. the beaches on either side were beautiful with tropical birds flying high. We were the only people there for quite some time.
We swam the rapids several times and explored a bit. Other dinghies and boats and drones started to arrive and we wanted to make sure we did not let the tide drop too much, so we packed up and headed back. We took the north route back which was the deeper of the two routes. We saw many more turtles as the tide dropped. At one point we circled a mangrove island and saw multiple turtles in one place.
We made it back to the boat without draining our dinghy motor battery even though we were against the current most of the way back. The bar we had crossed to get in was still navigable and we passed over it without difficulty. It was about a 6 mile spectacular trip.
Once returning, we readied for departure. Our destination was Highbourne Cay. We had opted for a marina stay there to resupply with some fresh produce, fuel, water, and the first fresh water shower for quite some time. Xuma restaurant was also a possibility.
The entrance to the marina was fairly straightforward. We called and were granted permission to enter the harbor and proceed to the fuel dock. David had to maneuver around a large yacht and parallel park in a space along the dock. There was another piece of dock coming out perpendicularly in front of us so we had to pull in and then stop quickly. Valdez was there to help us and we did beautifully. We filled with fuel, no mistakes. We took 20 gallons, a third of a tank. We then waited for another large boat to dock. There was a crunching noise as a dinghy got caught between their stern and the boat behind them. Luckily everything was ok.
Our slip was number 14, where they put smaller boats. Jeff and Deb had a slip you could pull in directly but we had to round a dinghy dock and then make a sharp left into our slip. Luckily wind and current were not in play. Steven guided us in and caught our first line. Jeff came down to serve as our second dockhand and grabbed our bow line. We were secure. David did a great job maneuvering the boat. We tried to stay focused in the moment and not worry about how we would get out.
We filled the water tanks, checked in and paid for fuel, did a brief run through the little store and then found the showers. We then met Jeff and Deb at the restaurant for dinner. They were full but Deb and Jeff have befriended the bartender DeCoda (“the only one in the Bahamas”) and he arranged for us to eat at the bar. The little birds were flying all about. It is such a lovely setting. There was no pie but we shared a guava treat that was like a pie and then returned to the boat for Chauncey. Deb won. She has a wicked two handed roll and a lot of Yahtzee experience.
We watched turtle video again before bed. Amazing day.
- One nice thing about traveling with others is the picture sharing. Deb has been a great contributor to our pictures, particularly pictures of our boats that we cannot take ourselves. She is also the most reliable sunset photographer. We will continue to give her credit by marking her pics with an *