We got up just before dawn so we could leave our beloved Hope Town before the tide got too low to leave and anchored outside. We dinghied back in to take one last walk on our beach and visit the farmers market (I scored some delicious-looking mango jam and we bought donuts that we really didn’t – but really did –need). On the way back to Windara, we came across a fellow cruiser whose dinghy motor died, so we towed him in and raced back to the boat to get underway before low tide made it challenging to depart. We weren’t a moment too soon – we saw 6’4″ on the depth sounder as we departed.
This was the first time we ever got to daysail Windara. I know that sounds crazy, but with the repairs we needed to do over the summer, and our need to get south, we haven’t had a chance to just sail with no destination in mind, no need to push or slow down for tides. We were so excited to be able to take a lazy, relaxed sail to wherever the wind took us. Since we were headed “somewhere” downwind, we just rolled out the jib and kept it easy – still making 5-6kts.
Originally we planned to stop at Mermaid Reef to snorkel, but the sailing was so good that we decided to just keep going. Between the incredible blues of the Sea of Abaco, good tunes thanks to Sirius XM (our actual stereo is so old that it still plays CDs – which we don’t have – and doesn’t have bluetooth or even a hardwired connection for our phones), and a perfect breeze, we couldn’t think of anything we’d rather be doing.
Chris found a perfect, quiet little anchorage farther north with only a couple homes nearby and only one or two other boats that were anchored well away from us. I’d tell you where it is, but we’re keeping this gem to ourselves. There was a beautiful deserted island – before Dorian, there was a house out there and as we walked around the back side of the island, we found butter knives, plates (some still fully intact), and even a kitchen sink fitting. It was a sobering reminder of Dorian’s devastation.
We’d hoped to have our morning coffee and make a fire ashore, but an early morning squall had other plans. Sunrise was stunning, and the approaching storm was beautiful to watch. Thankfully the wind wasn’t too intense and the squall passed quickly. We’re only a short hop from Great Guana Cay, where we have a slip reserved for the week, and we look forward to getting to explore.
