January 7, 2014
Well, we are finally at Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos!
A travel window opened up over the weekend. Planning the 100+ mile trip was complicated by a strong cold front arriving on Monday and the fact that you need a high tide to enter our planned destination of Black Sound at Green Turtle.
Saturday looked doable, but featured moderate winds right on the bow (not good) so we decided not to go then. It is a bit nerve racking watching most of the other boats leave when you don't, especially when the travel window ends with a strong cold front!
Our plan was to leave Sunday morning when the winds were forecast to clock south and more on the beam; anchor at Great Sale Cay for dinner and a few hours sleep; leave Great Sale at around midnight on Monday and travel while the winds clocked further west to arrive at Green Turtle for a late morning high tide.
Despite the nervousness of Saturday, our passage plan worked great. We had moderate winds and seas off the beam for the whole trip. The wind was not strong enough to sail, but provided a very manageable motoring/motor-sailing. In fact, we beat some of the boats here that left on Saturday and beat the cold front by about 12 hours.
Early Monday morning was very dark, however, with the moon setting before departure. The moon light does not really help a lot with navigating at night, but it makes you feel better.
Unfortunately there were no mooring balls available in Black Sound, so we took one in nearby White Sound for a few days. We prefer Black Sound, which is near the settlement where many of the locals live, and hopefully we will move over there when the winds die down and a ball opens up.
Tom
Moored in White Sound
Green Turtle Cay
Abaco
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