Some say you can buy a new 2-stroke outboard in Marsh Harbor. So far, I am oh-42. Many of the shops were destroyed and never reopened. No selection at the car parts store and National Marine closes @ 2pm. So, I’ll give it a shot tomorrow. The motor from Lynyard Cay was twisty and turns and has a different vibe when compared to the Exumas or Eluethera I hear the Jib Room is the place for dinner and drinks!

Too much of a good thing is the old adage? I enjoyed my stay in Eluethera but left plenty to discover on our next trip south. I was thinking the Abacos trip was going to be a quick drive by but Mother Nature is thinking differently. Let’s find out what the big deal is with the Abacos, shall we? Near perfect beam reach run from Spanish Wells to Little Harbor Cut. The old girl was rolling from beam to beam with the heavy swells rolling in from the east. I was planning to go through the North Bar Channel but all the cool kids were making tracks for Little Harbor. Anchored off Lynyard Cay in 17’ of water with wind rising from the south. Time for the anchor alarm to earn its keep.

Repositioned after a truly restful evening off Current Settlement. I went from 10-12 Knots true to about 20 knots in a mile or so. All in the right directions I might add. The south anchorage at Spanish Wells was fairly open but rocking and rolling. I dropped in 9’ and put out 90’ of chain and followed up with 20’ of 3/4 nylon as a snubber. The wind has moderated a bit and luckily 1 foot swells do not bother good, old Redshift.

It’s time to head home. It is pretty clear 50 mile jaunts will take me forever to get home. I hope to jump from Marsh Harbor into the stream in the next week or so. I took advantage of the winds from the east to make a pretty straight shot to Current Cut from Rock Sound. It was a bit lumpy and rolly at times but overall a beautiful 50 mile deep broad reach. Current Cut was thankfully uneventful even though I arrived somewhat late. The Current Settlement anchorage to the west of the cut is one of my favorites with an east wind. The skies were perfect for viewing after the thunderstorms throughout the day seems to settle the skies. I slept like a baby with two anchor alarms on watch. Spanish wells is in my sights today.

Decided to break from the Exumas for Rock Sound. Weather suggested it might be a beam reach but ended on the nose all day. The close hauled sailing was great with a reef in the main to flatten her out then another as the wind piped up through 18 knots. I did motor through Davis Channel all the way to RS as the wind was one the nose and I was done for the day.

I Splurged and stopped at the Marina at Emerald Bay. Nice folks but there was a significant surge bouncing around the marina. I thought I figured out how to back my drunkin elephant of a boat. Well that did not happen. I was lucky I did not crease any expensive yachts. Seas were near flat so I raised the main and unfurled the Yankee. I had 7-10 knots anywhere from SW to NW. I trimmed the sail for 50 degrees apparently and set the autopilot windhold. It was a fun ride up to Rudder Cut Cay. My course oscillated with the wind. I thought I timed slack tide but found about 2 knots against me. Dropped anchor is 9 feet of water ML and put out 90 feet of chain as we may have gusts to 15 knots. Overall, nailed it today and nobody got hurt.

I set an artificial goal to cross the TofC this winter and went out of my way to cross. It’s time to start heading north! I’ll mosey my way north to the Abacos then jump for the USA.