Ready Steady Go

We were itching to get away from Georgetown, with so many miles ahead of us we just wanted to get started, our plan was that although we could not see the ideal weather window we would get the boat ready and it would then be easy once the weather appeared.  We thought we would have one last walk Stocking island  from Sand Dollar anchorage before anchoring closer to Georgetown.  Our lovely walk ended in a small disaster, Amanda sprained her ankle and was unable to walk, so progress was then limited with Amanda hobbling around the boat. But we managed to move Magnum closer to Town and Mark ferried back and fore in the dingy collecting warred, fuel and food.  We then moved back to our favoured spot in Monument anchorage.

The amazing beach on Stocking Island

We then sat and waited, things were even more frustrating with Amanda unable to get off the boat and walk but after 3 or 4 days we were able to venture to Stocking Island for short walks providing they were reasonable flat.  We kept a close and very frustrated eye on the weather and saw a possible opportunity just over a week later.

Mark heading through the undergrowth on Stocking Island

Magnum at anchor in a anchorage with less and less boats

During this time he weather was quite unsettled and we often had strong north easterly winds and although we had good shelter it made dingy rides to Georgetown difficult with us both being soaked on the journey but it was nice to venture over and see a little of local life.  We enjoyed watching the school kids playing football, the children in the UK do not know how lucky they are, here there was no proper football pitch, it was marked out with a few cones scattered in the public green area/park in the middle of the settlement. This included playing around cars and dodging any people that decided to walk across the field and all of this often with no trainers just socks! But  they were as competitive and enjoyed as much as any kids.

School kids playing football in Georgetown

The approaching weather showed 20-25 knots easterlies which although not ideal would allow us a few days heading north and then the wind looked like it would swing slightly south or east so we could then head easterly. We bought enough food to last us for 4 weeks at sea just in case we had to head further south than Bermuda and straight to Azores. We did engine checks, rigging checks, grab bag at the ready, boat packed so nothing would move a sea, dingy packed away, we were as ready as we could be.  Mark woke up in the very early hours and did one final weather check. It had changed! Yep winds were forecasted to be stronger particularly overnight and potentially with some north, we could not leave.

Another week passed in much the same way, we tried to enjoy our time although getting increasingly stressed.  We walked every path on Stocking Island, the wild life seemed to be changing with the move into May we saw amazing hummingbirds, butterflies the size of birds and lots of Bahamian Mocking birds doing their mating ritual dance.

Those 3 little birds are hummingbirds, will be ever manage a good close up photo of one, they are just too quick!

We did not enjoy the weather so much during that week and walks were often taken dodging the showers and the evenings often had squalls rip through the anchorage.

Marks shorts holding onto the rails as a squall rips through the anchorage

As the next either window arrived all the same preparation took place.  On the 15th May we upped anchor and headed out of Georgetown, the wind was gusting 20 knots as we motored from the harbour, the sea was a little rolly but it felt good to be on the move.  We knew we had to make progress so we sailed hard on the wind making of 6+ knots in around 15 knots or wind, making good progress.  As we approached Cape Santa Maria on Long Island the winds started to build along with the seas as they often do at a headland.  We kept ploughing on but we were beating into the swell and it was quite unpleasant.  The seas continued to grow and the motion got worse, the wind was not swinging south easterly as forecast so we could not bear away so we maintain our course hard on the wind.  As dark approached we started to question whether we wanted to continued with potentially another week at sea in these conditions, its was not much fun.   We the. made the very difficult decision that we did not which meant that we really needed to change our plans for heading to Bermuda and the Azores.  We turned and headed back to the Exumas, we were running with 25 knots of wind and the motion became much more bearable, you then question have you made the right decision, it may have been ok, should we have carried on?  We sailed overnight and by the morning arrived in Blackpoint, Great Iguana.