Tues, April 1, 2014 –
A bit before noon we raised the anchor, said good-bye to GeorgeTown, and headed south out of the harbor. The weather was heavier than we would have liked with a forecast of 20 kt winds from the NE turning to E and 7-8′ seas, but it was only going to get worse at the end of the week and we had guests meeting us in the Turks and Caicos in a week. That old schedule thing again.
We motored to the northern end of Long Island pretty much right into the wind. After rounding the tip of the island we set the sails, turned off the engine and sailed all night and the following day. The current against us cut from .8 to 2 kts off our speed over ground which was a bit frustrating. The winds were 20-25 kts and later gusting to 30 kts. The seas were a consistent 7-8′ close together. Fortunately they did not cause much rolling of the boat, but the noise between the wind and the seas was relentless.
By mid-afternoon on Wednesday we decided to go into Mayaguana and give ourselves a break. We would have reduced sail, but wanted to make the cut between the coral reefs into Mayaguana before dark. The boat speed for the last 4 hours of the 32 hour run was over 8 kts, occasionally exceeding 9 kts. We found that we were managing the boat as we would in an ocean race. The boat handled beautifully in spite of the high winds and seas. Windscape would not have handled this as well. All of this has been a good test before we take Quintessa across the Atlantic to the Med.
We managed to reach the opening to Mayaguana just after the sun set and get the anchor down as it got dark. It has been a long time since it felt that good to have the anchor down after a passage.
Seven years ago this week we also sailed into Mayaguana, that time after a 24-hour run from Rum Cay. Neither time did we go ashore. It is about a 4 mile dinghy ride to the town. Last time there were about a dozen other boats anchored around us. This time we had the place to ourselves. The bottom is mostly sand and good holding.
We find it interesting to see the planned development in the Bahamas – that is the planned vs the actual development. In a number of Cays – Crab Cay, Rum Cay, and Mayaguana, the chart books talk about the planned marina and resort developments that are under construction. Our chart books are now four years old and none of those cays has the resort. It seems that the poor U.S. economy of the last few years has had a major impact on the Bahamas.