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Travel

A Slow Start

We spent a few nice days West End, and it was a nice way to kick off our season in the Bahamas. Saturday was supposed to be rainy and crappy, but it ended up being sunny and warm, making it a great beach day. We met Chris, one of the resort guests who was there […]

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Ashore Travel

Arrival

We had a slightly rolly, very rainy (at least on my watch) but otherwise uneventful crossing, and I had to slow down to keep us off the coast until sunrise. We anchored to set out fenders and raise the quarantine flag. It sounds silly, but I’m always excited to raise the Q flag – it […]

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Travel Under Way

USA or Bust (For Real, This Time)

With a short weather window to get to Saint Augustine, we were up well before dawn and hauled anchor just after 5am. As the sun came up, we popped the chute and took off. With 8-10kts of breeze, Windara ate it up, and it was fun to see how she performed under spinnaker and main […]

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Ashore Travel

Grand Cay

Since we still didn’t have a weather window thanks to continued northerly winds, we decided a sail to Grand Cay would be a fun way to spend the day, plus we’d get a chance to visit a new place. Our sail was beautiful, and Windara loved the conditions. We flew along at 7-8kts and were […]

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Travel Under Way

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The day started with a beautiful sunrise, and we enjoyed a peaceful morning. Little Sale Cay is beautiful and appears to be a tropicbird rookery – I saw several of them flying around. We could see cumulonimbus clouds in the distance, and it was obvious the weather wouldn’t remain nice for long. We check forecasts obsessively […]

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Travel Under Way

Turn the [Boat] Around

The day started with a muted but beautiful sunrise, and we hauled anchor around 0830. We had a warm, sunny day but barely any wind so we found ourselves motoring most of the way up the Sea of Abaco. I would have loved to be able to stop at Allans-Pensacola or Powell Cay, but there […]

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Travel Under Way

To the Whale and Beyond

It’s finally time to cast off the lines, and I’m sad that another incredible cruising season has come to a close. Spend enough time in a place, and it’s amazing how deeply it touches you, changes you, invites you to grow. Letting the lines slip is hard – you feel the pull of the place […]

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Ashore Travel

The Final Stretch – Preparing for Departure in Marsh Harbour

We left Man-o-War pretty early in hopes of getting in some sailing before we dropped anchor to snorkel Mermaid Reef and wait for the tide to rise. We sailed about halfway there before deciding it would be better to just get fuel and get into our slip – the afternoon weather was forecast to deteriorate […]

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Ashore Travel

A Brief Stop at Man-o-War

Man-o-War was a favorite of ours last year, and I looked forward to seeing how the island had changed. As with everywhere else, there were far more boats, both at anchor and in the more protected inner mooring field. Marina reconstruction has progressed well, and it looks like they’ll be ready to start taking boats […]

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Ashore Travel

Great Guana Cay

In all our time in the Abacos this year and last, Great Guana was one of the places we didn’t really get to explore. We spent a day anchored in Fishers Bay and came over with Chris’s parents last year, but both visits were brief and we only got to see Nippers and Grabbers. We […]