Manjack Cay
Bahamas
26.49.202N
77.22.139W

17.2NM
5.5 Kt Avg
6.2 Kt Max
3.07 Hrs.

Current Odom: 7953.0

This morning looked promising for a transit of “the Whale,” so Annabelle II and we lifted our anchors about 7:30am and headed out. It was a quiet trip with only a 1-2’ swell making its way onto the bank. We exited off the bank along Loggerhead Channel north of Great Guana and made our way north for about 15 minutes before turning back onto the bank again south of Noname Cay. Annabelle II took advantage of their shallower draft by taking the short cut across the bank when we got back into the protected waters. We were on an outgoing tide and decided that our extra weight warranted the more cautious deeper route.

Both crews stopped in Green Turtle. Annabelle II went into White Sound for fuel, while we anchored outside of Settlement Harbor to make a quick run in for groceries. Dale was even lucky enough to finally find a small coffee maker that didn’t require a second mortgage on the boat and fits into the space that we had allotted for the old one.

We stopped and knocked on Island Flyer a catamaran that we thought was the boat our friends, John & Cherry had e-mailed us about. Although it wasn’t the same boat, we had a nice visit with Mike the single handler who was on board.

We had made our way back to the Palace and had secured the dink when Annabelle II hailed us From their trip to Settlement Harbor and asked if we wanted to have lunch in town. Oops, a little miscommunication, so we ended up taking a rain check on the offer.

We hoisted anchors again and made the short hop up to Manjack. We selected a sandy spot near Toucan Dream to drop our hook and Annabelle II found another on the opposite side of the harbor. (Maybe it was something we said. We’re going to have to watch those smart aleck remarks.)

Bob and Caron from Toucan Dream dropped by shortly after we anchored. They told us about the gathering on the beach at sundown to offer a last toast to Marty, a single handler who favored the harbor we were in and who, they learned, had died today, succumbing to lung cancer.

At the appointed hour, crews from several of the boats in the harbor gathered under the little tiki hut in Marty’s memory though nothing was mentioned of his passing. I’m not sure if it was an oversight or if that was the plan from the beginning. In any event, I brought bug spray for the mosquitoes and Karen from Annabelle II brought a Thermacell to repel the little bloodsuckers but in the end, it was the incoming tide forced us all back to our respective boats.

RIP Marty.

Photo: Bob & Karen from Annabelle II in "Tink"