Beautiful Beaches

Sunday
March 29, 2015
Hawksbill Cay
Exhumes, Bahamas

Beautiful Beaches

Today the local weather lady said it would be good to cross the Gulf Stream Wed. & Thurs. so as Lee & I were discussing it might be a good idea to head north today to get in position for crossing, Mark called on the VHF to say he thought that too. So 30 min later we were heading out of Warderick Wells to Hawksbill Cay. About a 3 hr trip.

We were battling 15 to 25 knt winds varying from almost on our nose to almost a beam reach. We put out our jib then added the main reefed and made 5.7 but the wind kept shifting and the sails needed constant tweaking. It was heeling a lot at times too. I talked Lee into bringing in the main and turning on the motor to motor sail. Our jib started luffing so we brought it in too. But we were almost to the mooring field by then.

We ate lunch then all 4 of us took a long dinghy ride to a beach on the other end of the island to hike up to some ruins of a hide out from around 1800. The trail was steep and buggy. I provided lunch for several bugs. I seem to be a favorite flavor. The summit had a beautiful view and the numerous beaches here at Hawksbill are some of loveliest we have seem and the water is a light topaz blue, stunning. Lee sat on a rock and sat in something gelatinous and sticky. I tried to wipe it off, then tried to wash it off in the ocean, it would not come off and the sticky stayed too. Those shorts will be isolated until we get back home.

Mark dropped us at the boat and went to pay for our mooring balls. It is the honor system. There is a box you put money in. The Bahamian people just assume everyone is going to be honest. Very nice atmosphere, we have felt safe everywhere we have gone in the Bahamas.

Plans are to head north at 6:30 am tomorrow and decide after listening to the weather guru exactly where north we aim for.