From the Abacos , we crossed 50 nautical miles of open ocean again , this time not as bad as the first
crossing . We now all have our sea legs and are adjusting to the up and down wave action with less difficulty.
The Eleuthera chain of cays are our weighpoint. In the very Northern section  we pulled into safe harbor
for our first night at Royal Harbour Island. It was too late to explore that evening but when we awoke the next morning we were surrounded by turquoise waters even more so then in the Abacos.

Pilings on Royal Island

The Current 

    About mid morning, we got underway  after a sizeable breakfast of pineapple pancakes that Courtney
cooked up. By early afternoon we moored at The Current . This cay is inhabited by Scottish settlers who were shipwrecked on the Devil's Backbone . The island is aptly named as the currents here are very very strong. In the middle of the night , we heard bumpity bump and next thing we knew we were stuck on a
sand bar . The tide had changed and shifted us . With head lamps on at 3:00 am we tried to illuminate the water as  Doug had to dive into the water and move the anchor by hand as it was pitch black and to dangerous to use the engines. After about an hour an a half we were floating again . I am learning that Murphy's Law seems to favor the sailor .

In the morning we dinghied to the island and walked around to give our legs a  much needed stretch .
walking along the gorgeous powdery beaches we came upon the motherload of Queen conches. Both Courtney and I grabbed a few..they were incredibly polished and an amazing pink color . The ones we
found  In the Abacos were quickly abandoned. On our final island loop we stopped into Durhams General store and purchased a $12 half gallon of vanilla ice cream..remote island prices but it was well worth it and we had it for lunch loaded with all the fixings.Only 100 settlers inhabit The Currant and the only industry is fishing. The men are gone for weeks at a time.

Viento off The Currant

 Early afternoon we set sail for The Exumas about a 23 mile crossing for the final leg of our Bahamian excursion. Winds were favorable and we settled into our anchorage on Highbourne Cay alongside several
Bahamian lobster boats . Hmmm!!  Lobster..after a short dinghy over to their boats we came back with
several sizeable rock lobster tails for dinner..What to make ?? Lobster Alfredo over angel hair pasta.It was delicious . What a nice ending to a perfect day !

Bahamian Lobster Boat

Rock Lobster Tails

The Bahamas are an amazing array of over 2000 islands and cays ( pronounced keys) scattered in the most
beautiful turquoise waters . Its been nice to shed our long sleeves and pants for shorts and tank tops now that we are further South. The Abacos , the most northern of the Bahamian chain has been our home for the
past three days . We re-provisioned and fueled in Marsh Harbour the first day then off we went to
Elbow Cay , home to Hope Town our destination.  It was a fairly short distance over the open waters
and still early in the day as we set the mooring and plenty of  opportunity to relax and enjoy this picturesque
harbor before nightfall. Caribbean  colored cottages , shops  and restaurants dot the waterfront . The colonial feel and gingerbread architecture is reminescent of  Nantucket or Martha's Vinyard.

Caribbean Colored cottages

Candy  striped lighthouse in Hope Town

  The dinghy sprang to life as we skipped across the harbor to Captain Jack's for the 2 for 1 margarita
special. Mango was the unanimous choice . After a few rounds,  I needed to visit the ladies room but  had
a bit of difficulty deciding which one to choose...which one would you have chosen ?

 The next morning Doug surprised us all with  a delicious breakfast of french toast and fried ham . This certainly gave us the energy required to climb the spiral staircase consisting of 91 steps which takes you to the top of the lighthouse from which a spectacular view awaits you .

Sugar sand beaches

It also  gave us the opportunity to orientate ourselves and decide in  which direction to head out for exploring. On the East side of the island , we discovered pristine  beaches with  sugar  white sand and much to my delight I was able to collect  a bit of seaglass some of which  are jewelry quality . The weather was perfect for a long leisurely stroll.






 By mid afternoon , our legs grew weary and we decided to finish our tour of the island in a golf cart. With Scott at the helm and Courtney in the rear we headed West to the very tip of the island which really wasn't too far as  Elbow Cay is approximately six miles long and 1/4 wide at its widest point.

Scott and Courtney in the cart

Evidence of the recent hurricane was much more noticeable on this end of the island . Boats were beached , palm trees and fronds were strewn about  and beach sand literally covered the road and walkways.










The day couldn't have ended on a better note.  As we rounded a corner Scott noticed a gorgeous pink lipped conch shell on the beach . I scrambled down the sand embankment and retrieved my newest treasure.
Let's hope it makes it back home thru Custom and Immigrations.

Landfall at last !! What an experience ! After much deliberation on weather forecasts that were favorable we set out late Thursday to one of the Outer Bank Islands about 10 miles out  that had a very protected cove

Outer Banks lighthouse

Sand dunes Outer banks

to be in a better position for an early dawn start across the Gulf Stream. Within hours of leaving early Friday am , we knew we were in for a long haul. Braving 30 knot winds and  6 foot waves that crashed over the bow I experienced what its like to be seasick...I won't go into details but it wasn't pretty...seas settled late the second day and I finally came around on the 3rd day. My bones are sore from laying in bed .

  Once I got my sealegs , I enjoyed the journey . Doug , the toughest one of the lot put fishing lines out
as soon as it was feasible and we caught 6 fish. A few came off  right at the boat , one large sailfish we
cut free and several small mahi mai were filleted and served up for dinner and several fish taco lunches.

Mahi Mahi

Billfish ( we think)

  On our final day we were joined by an adorable little bird , he flew right into the galley and landed on the teapot. He hung out for a few minutes looking for food but as soon as I got up to get him some bread he
took off in flight. Poor little thing..I hope he makes it to land.

Birdie on teapot

Taking off

Sooo  cute!!

At long last , we motor into Marsh Harbour in the Abacos , the most Northern part of the BahamasWe have to go thru Customs and Immigrations which goes smoothly. Tonight we are enjoying being off the boat and hitting a couple of the favorite island hotspots.

It's been a few days since I last posted. We've been at the dock in Morehead City, N.C. waiting for the seas to calm before we attempt to cross the Gulf Stream. Our thoughts are with all our friends and family who may have suffered any devastaton during Sandy .. we on the other hand didn't have it all that bad.

Yesterday we were visited by three adorable trick a treaters much to our surprise..thank God , Scott
had a stash of sweets.  You will all appreciate how small the world is when you hear that these kids recognized Doug . He actually took a family picture of them this summer in Seal Harbor Maine when
they were crusing by in their dinghy. The photo came out so well that he gave it to them and they remembered him from this kind gesture. The kids along with their parents are sailing for a year and are on their way South.

We had the opportunity to spend some time with our friends Maggie and Bob , whom some of you may know. Maggie was my neighbor in South Portland and has since married . They are following their sailing passions and are chartering in the BVI's. on the beautiful Silver Moon. They also got held up by Sandy and only happen to be a few miles across the river in Beaufort. For those of you who have had dreams of
sailing,  check out her link on Facebook ..Silver Moon Sailing Adventures.




The cupboards are full, laundry all done, new zipper on the bimini top, new pressure cooker overnighted
by Doug's wife..thank you , water tanks and fuel top off..we are ready.. just waiting for one more delivery
of the satellite phone  before  we cast off the ropes. Since we will not have access to phone or internet during the crossing , our next posting will be from the tropics in the beautiful Bahamas. Stay well my friends..till then!