Voyage 2009: Chapter 4

17 Mar 2010, Highbourne Hiatus, 24 42.58 N/ 076 49.36 W

Nice to stop rocking and rolling for a while. It is surprising how it can turn you mood sour. We were lucky that Steven was working the dock that day. He gave us all the local scuttlebutt and also where to go when we headed for Rock Sound in Eleuthera. Nice guy. We had plenty to do for the next couple of days. Of course Ann had to go to the gift shop and Bob had to cart the jerry cans for more diesel. But we were not rocking and rolling.

Last night a motor yacht arrived with a damaged stabilizer and tied up near us. We met Michael, Harry, and Kim of MY Nikita, a particularly attractive aluminum boat. The folks were very friendly and very happy that the boat was not seriously damaged. The mail boat came in later and made an interesting Jule sandwich; two really big vessels and little Jule. We are used to it. Our 38' boat gets smaller every year.

Today we head for Rock Sound but will stick around here until mid morning and wait for slack water. We talked to the crew of MY Magic, checked out the local shark community, walked the beach and continued to unwind. Ann collected some shells and of course went back to the gift shop.

Before we left, we said farewell to 'Cheap Charlie', the provider of ice and other essentials. He has been around for quite some time and he is also a fountain of information. Around 1000 ET, we slipped our lines and headed out of the marina towards the cut and Rock Sound. No surprises and no rocking and rolling. Not bad.

19 Mar 2010, Rock Sound for a couple off days, 24 51.90 N/ 076 11.30 W

Once through Highboune Cut, the Exuma Sound welcomed us with calm seas and little wind. Still a refreshing change from all of those westerlies. However, the westerlies did return yesterday while we were in Rock Sound but we were prepared and anchored in the lee of the western side of the bay. Bob was anxious to check out Dingle Motors, the Internet hub and cruiser friendly store for almost anything you could need. Getting there was the challenge. Yep! We had a 1.5 mile dinghy ride whose return trip was exceeding wet.

SV First Edition was there but we never had a chance to visit as the dinghy trip would have been too wet. However, we did make it to Sammy's Restaurant which had been recommended by Highbourne Steven. We were served by Sammy, a gentleman from times past, with a great meal. The outside of the restaurant was quite modest but the inside was quite fine.

We met Lord Josh at Sammy's! Lord Josh is the self professed best fisherman in the Bahamas. He was also recommended by Highbourne Steven. A very interesting gentleman indeed. We listened to his stories of adventure for nearly a half hour before we all had to leave. If you are ever in Rock Sound, look up Lord Josh. Afterwards, we explored the settlement which had very nice places and some not so nice area. But NO tee shirts! Today we prepare for departure back to Highbourne. Many of the others, including First Edition, are heading for Spanish Wells. We are heading for Nassau.