Skunked on Raggeds and Onward to Mayaguana

Brandy L

We managed to convince our buddy boat SV SeaBella to divert to the Ragged Islands before making the hop to the Dominican Republic via Turks and Caicos. Windy was looking promising—models lining up nicely—but of course, the weather had its own ideas. We made it to Water Cay and wow, what a stunner! Wish we had made the run south sooner, but that’s cruising life. After another look at the forecast, Adam and Rob decided it was time to start easing east while we had a south wind working in our favor. The first 8 hours were dreamy—we were flying along and the vibe was high. Then, off on the horizon, we saw trouble brewing. Our friends on sv Coin Toss, about 20 miles ahead, reported two fully formed waterspouts. We spotted one way off in the distance, but luckily didn’t cross paths. From there, it was a mix: some pleasant motor sailing, a few hours of the womps and swirling currents, followed by a sweet 1.5-knot push from the current—magic. As the wind picked up, we braced for a squall, but were spared with just a few raindrops. Adam crushed it on watch—stood about 97% of them. Meanwhile, I’m still working on adjusting to the motion of the ocean without wanting to toss my cookies. Sailing at night is pretty rad (when it’s flat), but once the seas kicked up, I turned into a bit of a nervous nelly. The kids handled it like champs. Aria snoozed outside under the stars, and Harbor claimed the whole couch like a boss. Near the end of the passage, *SeaBella* picked up a garbled pan-pan call. They worked hard to catch the details and alerted any boats in AIS range to keep an eye out for a power cat in distress. Everyone pulled together and kept ears on the radio. We’ve now dropped the hook in Mayaguana. The water’s crystal clear with massive starfish visible from the bow and vibrant reef surrounding us. We’ll stay the night and push to Turks and Caicos tomorrow—fingers crossed it’s a smooth ride and not a butt-kicker!

Boat & Crew

Kaikoa

Dolphin, 460

Adam

Owner

Harbor Reef

Child

Aria

Child

Brandy L

Owner