ANA + KRIS

Nassau to Spanish Wells – 40 nautical miles sailed, 6 miles in dinghy

The anchor was lifted at 9:30 and we began the 40 mile sail to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera, maneuvering east out of the Nassau harbour then northwards around Athol Island, Blue Lagoon Island, Rose Island, and Chub Rock, being careful to avoid the many reefs and dozens of tourist boats zipping around at speed. The area around Nassau is very, very busy with boat traffic at all hours of the day so diligent attention is needed. Once out of the frenzy, we set a course for Spanish Wells which took us across an open stretch of the ocean where depths plunged into the thousands of feet. I set my fishing line in the hopes of finally landing a worthy game fish…but none took the bait. We did succeed in finally seeing a pod of dolphins, which Ana spotted far off our port side, right in the middle of the deepest water, which was surprising as we had become accustomed to seeing them closer to shore in shallower and busier areas of the ICW and coastal areas of the US. We also saw dozens of flying fish and managed to capture a short video of a few of them flying around. These fish are truly incredible and able maintain flight for far longer than one would expect. I was hoping one would fly up and land on our deck so we could have a closer look, but they kept their distance.

Around 3:30 we arrived at an anchorage at Meeks Patch, an island just south of Spanish Wells that provided good protection from the still strong southeast winds. Along the way one of the upper shrouds in our rigging had come loose and was banging around for a while but finally got wrapped around the mast and lodged itself tight. I must have forgotten to attach cotter rings to this turnbuckle when I assembled the mast back in the spring at Niagara-On-The-Lake Sailing Club, which felt like three eternities ago. Fortunately, we had been sailing with just the jib and not the main, which would have added much more stress on the rigging, so I wasn’t overly worried about it and expected to be able to go up the mast and fix it once we were in settled waters.

Ana had received a message on Noforeignland from a couple we had met way back in North Carolina – John and Catherine on sailing vessel Adventure. They were docked in Spanish Wells and invited us over for a visit. After a quick swim, and after getting hit with a huge wake from a dumbass and careless powerboater who rapidly deaccelerated his boat right beside ours, creating the largest wave possible, we got in the dinghy and started the nearly three mile crossing. Once rounding Meeks Patch we were hit with large waves built up over the stretch of the bay to North Eleuthera and it was a splashy ride, but we did manage a selfie and spilled our drinks and nearly swamped the dinghy in the process of capturing it.

John and Catherine welcomed us aboard their lovely Hans 40’ and we spent a couple of hours chatting over drinks and snacks as we watched the many turtles in the channel bobbing their heads up and down. Though we’d only met them once before, they felt like good friends, and we had an amazing time as we caught up on each other’s movements in the preceeding months. So amazing in fact, that we hatched a plan to travel together in SeaLight to Harbour Island through the dreaded Devil’s Backbone passage the following day. We left their boat around 8:30, vowing for us to all think on the plan then reconnect tomorrow to confirm if we wanted to proceed. By the time we reached the boat, after cruising at top dinghy speed over surprisingly calm waters beneath the light of a full moon, we’d already heard back from them saying they’d love to go. We were thrilled at the prospect of a new adventure as we’d been reluctant to undertake this passage on our own. Eight eyes are better than four.

As we were eating dinner, Ana showed me a message and photo she had just received from Marie, Corey, and Alice, our friends who were still in at the mooring field in Fort Lauderdale. Marie and Alice had been going through some of their trip photos and found an interesting one they had taken in a lock in the Erie Canal, months before we had met them, but shortly after we ourselves had passed through that same lock.

ANA + KRIS