I guess we are learning to be flexible but would like to live more day to day. We have to live by the weather to some extent to make sure we have a safe option when it is bad. But checking the weather a week out is problematic because it frequently changes. Sunday is the next predicted cold front with expected west wind. Our plan hinges on being in a safe place for west then north winds Saturday and Sunday.
We thought we had some nice weather after Sunday and had planned to stay at Great Harbour Cay and explore but today’s weather reading shows persistent east winds after Sunday. Since we have to go east to get to the Exumas, we decided on a plan that would involve moving to Highbourne by Saturday night. At that point, we would be in the Exuma chain where east wind is great for hopping down the chain. Highbourne is best a three day trek.
Our initial plan was to go to Bird Cay which would have taken most of the day and would be a longer trek to west bay the next day. We would not really have time to explore. We opted instead to move around Great Harbour Cay to the anchorage there. This would give us time to explore the beach a little and have a more reasonable trip tomorrow. Tomorrow we would head to West End, New Providence and then to Highbourne on Saturday. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be light winds but so far today is still windy.
We headed out of the marina. We liked the marina there and would return. The journey took us around the Stirrup Cays which have been turned into cruise ship posts. The cruise ships dock at Little Stirrup and the island is set up just for them. it looks like they have a roller coaster or a large water slide. Many people from Great Harbour Cay are employed by the cruise ship industry. They go by boat to the island each day.
We got to the anchorage around noon after a little sailing and more motoring. We anchored easily off the beach, launched Fat Tuesday and headed to Hawknest Cay to explore. We walked most of the way around the island but there was no way to get all the way around so we had to back track. We found some sea biscuit shells and when I was wading, I found live ones. I tried to take a photo but the water was too rough for good focus. I stopped wading when I saw a shark swimming in the distance. He was not at all interested in me but I decided to head to the beach.
It was a little chilly for swimming with the wind so we opted to spend the last part of our trip on a dinghy exploration of Shark Creek. David spotted some large bonefish and we saw several wary turtles there. We got back from about a 3 mile excursion still with 50% battery on our outboard.
As we returned to the boat, a paddle boarder came over to speak with us. It was pretty wavy in the harbour so he was very good with balance. He came from one of the houses on the beach that his family owns. They have been coming to Great Harbour for 50 years. His grandparents originally went there. He likes to meet the boaters and know where they are from. His name was Caleb and he was in a yellow cottage on the beach with empty land on either side. He talked with us for a bit, all the while standing on his paddle board in the waves. Then he paddled back to the beach to “have time to catch the sunset on the other side of the island.”
