Double Head Sail

On our passage south out of Little Harbor to Royal Harbor, we had winds directly on the stern at 10-15 knots and 4 ft seas.  So, this was one of our first chances to use the new tri-reacher pole to hold the clew of the jib sail out so it would not flog.  Wing and wing with the main prevented out, we were doing OK with speeds above 5 knots until the wind died down below 10 knots.  Well, with Mason aboard, we just had to haul out the spinnaker.  Rather than furl the jib, we discovered that we could attach the spinnaker tack to the headstay with the jib deployed.  The result was a double head stay arrangement which got our speed back up above 6.5 knots with less rolling.

Just had to share the panorama picture taken from the stern.  This is Gypsy Queen with maximum horsepower!

Little Harbor 2

Some pretty nasty squalls while Little Harbor, but thankfully short lived.  Mason had a great idea to create some dams on the deck to divert rain water into our tanks, so now squalls are actually welcome.  It means less time running the water maker and thus less fuel consumed.  At $4.50 a gallon, we have been much more conscientious about running engines.  With extra crew aboard, we now even sail onto and off the anchor if we have working room.



The old lighthouse at Little Harbor.  Watch your step or you fall into the basement!

Little Harbor

We snuck in to Little Harbor which is the SW most protected harbor in the Abacos anticipating a passage South to Eluethera.  On the Atlantic side of the harbor, there were some nice beaches, but they were covered with plastic.  The sea is able to break down virtually anything to the atomic level, but plastic seems to be its nemesis.

In only 20 minutes of looking we found 6 sandals in the correct sizes lying on the beach. We had hundreds to choose from..

Bahamas (finally)

Well, we have finally made it to our first non-US offshore destination.  A short hop from Florida to the Bahamas where we met our good friend Mason Baker who flew out from Oregon to join us for January cruising.


We are starting in the Abacos and have visited Great Sale, Green Turtle, Marsh Harbor, Man of War and now Hope Town.  It has been a bit wet and blustery with several fronts moving through.  First time we have broken a 5/8" thick bridle in 30knt winds in Marsh Harbor. Good thing dad always remembers to double up with a brake on the anchor chain!

The water here is just beautifully clear allowing you to see the anchor as it sets and is freed from the bottom.  It is also quite shallow with 12' considered deep, so it can be a little unsettling with the depth alarm seeming to always want to go off and squawk.  Only gone aground briefly once and that on a rising tide, so we were ok.

Today finds us a Hope Town with some final shopping to do for some fresh produce and treats for David's 5th birthday which is tomorrow!

Later today we will head South to Pelican Cay and the marine sanctuary there for a little snorkeling before continuing on to Little Harbor which will be our furthest point south in the Abacos before making our 55nm passage to Royal Harbor on the island of Eleuthera.