It’s Friday morning and we are back in Thompson Bay Long Island (that’s the southern LI, not the one in the USA and it’s a LOT different). Yesterday we had a ROUSING sail back to Thompson Bay, hard on the wind from the north end of the island where we had spent Wednesday night with our friends on Nati.
On Thursday morning Dick, from Nati, and I went snorkeling on a very nice reef near where we were anchored prior to heading back here. I have to say that the reef was one of the nicest I have seen with a great variety of fish and coral. The water wasn’t terribly clear but with about 30’ of visibility it was quite beautiful. The prior afternoon we had gone into the mangrove swamp to do a bit of exploring and on our way back to Pandora we ran into a cruiser who had been fishing with a spear on the same reef.
We asked to see what he had caught and were impressed with the very large trigger fish he had speared. We were also blown away by two beautiful large shells he had collected. I am not sure what type they were but they were beautiful and about a foot long. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the presence of mind to get a photo. Oh well. Both Dick and I just had to find one too so that’s why we decided to go for a swim. Unfortunately, no luck but the views on the reef were terrific. Actually, the variety of coral, sponges and fish were the best we’ve seen. Very nice.
Our run back here was a bit too exciting as the apparent wind was gusting into the mid 20s and we were hard on the wind really heeling over. However, the seas were calm so it wasn’t that bad. I’d love to have a run that isn’t quite so windy which hasn’t happened in a while. Have I mentioned that this winter has been particularly windy? Thought so. We might get lucky as Sunday, as we will be going down wind and it’s supposed to be lighter then. I think we will head back to Georgetown to avoid the exposed harbor here when the winds clock ahead of the cold front that is expected early next week.
The Bahamas are primarily arid with the only rain that falls being from squalls, usually associated with a frontal passage, or during tropical storms, hurricanes, in the summer months. That means that water is in pretty short supply much of the year. As a result, the islands only have vegetation that can stand extremely dry conditions.
As much of the Bahamas are very shallow (you can be miles from shore and still be in less than 10′, or less, of water) mangroves are fairly common. Mangroves grow in water that is very shallow and can pop up wherever there is fairly sheltered thin water. These areas often dry out at low tide and have miles of winding shallow channels running through them. When we anchored in the northern part of Long Island we were just offshore of a large area of shallows and mangroves. This shot shows how shallow the water is and just how insignificant Pandora looked anchored off of the lee of a small island with Nati. Pandora’s on the left. 
We took our dinks up into the shallows to do a bit of exploring. Here’s Dick and Anne in their dink.
I am always so fascinated with the change in color of the water depending on the depth. Generally speaking, the darker the water the deeper it is, but not always. You can be sure that water that is very light in color is very shallow. The contrast of the blue of the water to the blue of the sky is so dramatic. 
As we were sailing back south to Thompson Bay I got some great shots of Nati. Dick and Anne have lived aboard full time for the last 6 years. While Nati is only 38’ long, she has three times the room of Pandora. And, as we were sailing along, heeled on our ear, they were sailing flat and even a bit faster than we were. Doesn’t Dick look relaxed? He was.
I have to say that the idea of a catamaran is getting more appealing every day. However, sailing in Maine with two engines and props in the water, one in each hull, is a bit daunting with all those lobster pots to snag. It’s worth nothing that while there are loads of cats here in the Bahamas there are very few in New England. However, it seems that catamarans are becoming more popular every year. To step aboard one tells the story as they are very comfortable and have so much more room than boats like Pandora. We’ll see…
However, right now I have to figure out how to round up crew for the trip north in May. Unfortunately, while I thought I was all set a month ago, changes in schedules and a bit of lack of clarity on my part mean that I am back to ground zero with no crew. Oops.
While having a full month till I leave may sound like a long time to recruit crew, it really isn’t as most of the folks I know have made plans already on other boats and can’t join me. I have sent out more invites and am hopeful that I will be able to fill in for the run north.
Getting things squared away for a long run in the crew department is always challenging and I am particularly stressed out now. Hopefully, it will all work out. Brenda says so and she’s not even that optimistic usually. I am trusting her on this.
Want to go sailing?