Left the safe but rolly anchorage at dawn with some brisk wind from the northeast. We should have raised the main in the protected area as the waves were big once we got past the tip of the island. When I brought the boat upwind, the bow was bouncing up and down and David was riding the see saw to put up the sail. Water was coming over the bow.
We got the sail up and then sailed briskly around New Providence. It was much calmer in the lee of the Island and we sailed by Nassau. Several other boats were also traveling. We sailed on a beam reach and then a close reach. We had various stages of reefing through the day and averaged about 6 knots sailing. The sail blocked our solar for the morning but we got some power generation in the afternoon.
We reached the entrance to Highbourne Cay around 3:30 pm and anchored. We probably could have gotten closer to the island but we were chicken. It was windy but we were in the Exumas and put Fat Tuesday in. David rowed us to the beach which we had all to ourselves. We watched our first Exuma sunset.
I think of David throwing frisbee discs across our yard to the basket all last year. “If this one goes through, we will make it to the Exumas,” he would say. Usually they would hit the crepe Myrtle trees with a thud or a shearing of leaves. But sometimes they would soar and be in range of the basket. Those frisbees saw a way. We made it here. It is hard to believe.
The beach here has some lava rock but the sand is white and fine and the late day sun makes it difficult to photograph the beauty of the water. There are baby palm trees here which I fell in love with.
Tomorrow is supposed to be calmer with a chance to go ashore near the little town. There is a grocery, a place to take trash for a fee and a restaurant. We will also try to snorkel tomorrow and possibly more beach. So many lovely options.
