Bound for Highbourne Cay, 4/19

Left Cambridge at 7:30am headed north to Highbourne Cay.  It was a downwind sail all day….with a few hiccups.  First of all, we blew out the jib sail, about a 6 foot rip.  We are wishing now that we would have replaced both sails before we started this winter season.  Oh well.  No more sail tape, and very little duct tape.  Matt offered his sail tape when we got to Highbourne Cay. We are really ghetto rigged now, the last of the rip I had to use duct tape (that doesn’t stick), then sewed the duct tape on with fishing line!  We’re going to have to baby that sail if we want it to get us home. I worked up a good blister on my thumb trying to force a needle through duct tape- ouch.

Second mishap, we were in the tongue of the ocean, so deep it wouldn’t even register.  Time to go fishing!  No sooner than Donnie cast out the line, within 15 minutes he caught an amberjack- but too small.  Back in the drink it went.  About an hour later he got a HUGE hit from something BIG.  It was so big that when it struck it pulled the rod and all right out of the holder.  We looked up just in time to see it hit the water off our stern.  No more trolling rod on the boat.  After choice words and the gnashing of teeth, we could only surmise that something big is down there trying to figure out how to get rid of the rod he’s swimming with. 

We crossed the cut into Highbourne and found a good anchorage right away.  Donnie made sure we were hooked good.  He swam down with the brass mallet and beat it into the sand!  And then he piled more sand on top for good measure.  That Mr. Fix-It, always thinkin'!   :)

We filled the diesel tanks from our jerry jugs, then hopped in the dinghy to go to the Highbourne Cay marina for some diesel and gas for the dinghy. The syphon works great, by the way.

This was another marina that clearly does not welcome ‘small boats’ as it is a high class operation all the way, including the 100’ plus mega yachts in the harbor. Matt needed to get on to WiFi just briefly to follow up on an important email, and they would not oblige.  It was ridiculous.  The only good thing to come out of the trip to shore was we got the needed fuel, and saw this ray swim by.

After a dinner of smoked sausage, dirty rice and hominy (a southern meal!), we read for awhile, listened to two men discuss the weather in the coming days (it’s getting bad again after Saturday night), and then altered plans for Andros Island.  It was our intention to sail across the tongue of the ocean to Fresh Creek, Andros.  Andros is known for its scuba diving as a 100 mile barrier reef is all along the western side of the island.  It looked like a good place to hole up for the weather, but given the weather, there would be no diving most likely.  After the front moves through, the winds are to change out of the north, so after much discussion, we are headed back to Nassau tomorrow.  We will recheck the weather tomorrow evening and decide from there.