We awakened to calm at Marsh Harbor and did some early morning chores prior to leaving. David helped Nautilus with lines and they got out safely. We then had some help pushing off the dock. We motored through the maze of boats and out of the harbor.
The next step was to motor to the Whale Passage. This route takes you out one cut, around Whale Cay and then back in Whale Cay Cut which is a very narrow cut between two reefs. We were trying to get there just before high tide. The passage bypasses a very large sand bar crosses the Sea of Abaco. Before the bar is a rock called Don’t Rock.
There was a parade of boats traversing the Whale Passage as it was the first calm day in awhile. The biggest issue for sailboats was wake from large motor vessels. Most boaters were very courteous but a sailboat behind us was passed by a big motor yacht in the Whale Cut. There were choice words on the radio as the boat wake almost rolled the sailboat into the reef.
The wind picked up after the cut and we were able to sail for an hour or so. We sailed past Green Turtle Cay. We took the sails down as we approached Manjack Cay and anchored in a nice area off a beach in grass and sand.
We were going to explore a bit when a thunderstorm came through. It passed fairly quickly and we were able to head to the beach. We went to a beach near the mangroves and saw several turtles and a large nurse shark from the dinghy. We met Patrick, Rheny, and dog Fajita on the beach. They are first time cruisers on sailing vessel Neverland. They are from Asheville and Brevard.
Turtles were popping up in great numbers in the lagoon. The light was not great but Patrick went to snorkel with them. Fajita watched him intently. Neverland is a Bristol center board boat that draws 4 feet. They had a similar route to ours except they went to Andros and loved it there. They did a lot of spear fishing there and found the people very friendly. One of their favorite places was Morgan’s Bluff.
We headed back to the boat for birthday leftovers and sunset. Tomorrow we go with Jeff and Deb on a dinghy adventure into the lagoon at high tide. We are hoping to see turtles.
