The latest from Green Turtle Cay.

Right now we are at the Leeward Yacht Club on Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos.  We have honest to goodness internet access, iced drinks, and a view of Black Sound.  Friday we had our first real rain since we've been in the Bahamas.  It rained for about two hours during the night and then in the morning.  In spite of the fairly heavy rain it wasn't enough to put out some brush fires that have been burning around Marsh Harbour for the past couple of weeks.  Around noon the wind built to about 30 knots so things pretty much came to a standstill in the anchorage, though we don't think anyone dragged.  By mid-afternoon we were able to finish getting diesel fuel, a seemingly simple project which we had started the day before.  On the way back with our fuel we stopped by an interesting boat.  (Non-sailors can jump ahead to the next paragraph.)  The boat was a Presto 30, crewed by the designer, Rodger Martin, and his wife Patty.  It is a thirty foot trailerable  Sharpie cat-ketch with unstayed carbon fiber masts and wishbon booms.  With board and rudder up it draws less than two feet.  The cruising accomodations are minimal but the double digit sailing performance and shallow draft could certainly make for interesting cruising.  For more information Google Presto 30 or Rodger Martin Design.

When we woke up Saturday morning there was a light fog layer in the harbor.  There was virtually no wind and a lot of the boats who had been wind bound Friday started leaving. By the time we left Marsh Harbour had fewer boats than we had ever seen.  We had a late start because we were only going about twenty miles to Green Turtle Cay.  Chris Parker, THE weather guru for this area, gives a weather forecast every morning on short wave radio.  He also gives weather advice for passages to specific destinations.  Most boaters won't move without a favorable recommendation from Parker.  Friday he mentioned that there is a possibility of 50 knot squalls on Tuesday, so most of the boaters are looking for places to hunker down to wait out the storms.  We ended up on a moring in Green Turtle because the anchorages in the area are not very well protected.

The settlement here is New Plymouth, which was settled in 1786 by Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution.  Since it is Sunday, all the shops and stores were closed.  We walked around town, then went to the yacht club to post this blog using their internet and our computer.  When we had the blog all written and went to post pictures we realized that we had lost signal almost immediately and none of the blog had been saved.  We are re-writing it from the boat with the Kindle and you won't be getting any pictures.   I know I should be describing pink sandy beaches, palm trees above crystal clear water, and 80 degree temps but I'm sure you don't like to be reminded about that when you look out your window and it's 35 and drizzling snow.

Bright and early tomorrow morning Sue will be up listening to Chris Parker on the radio.  If he says Friday's forecast was an April Fools joke and predicts three or four days of favorable weather, we'll be heading NW towards the Gulf Stream.  If not, we'll explore New Plymouth some more, possibly sharing a golf cart (the local vehicle of choice) with new friends from Maine.  (Mark, what do you think of a Morris 40?)