Marsh Harbor 
Great Abaco Island
Bahamas
26.32.859N
77.03.453W
9.4 NM
1.56 Hrs.
4.8 Kt. Avg.
7.0 Kt. Max
Current Odom: 7923.7
Another rainy, gray day dawned but we hoped that since we were waiting for a high tide at 2 pm before leaving, that perhaps it would clear out by the time we had to move. No such luck came our way. We ended up lifting our anchor about 2 hours before high tide so that we would have a rising tide in case things didn’t go as planned. We hoisted our skirts, thought light thoughts and tippy toed through the shallow areas to the “deeper” water leading to Marsh Harbor. We found 10-12’ depths and thought we were in hog heaven and even let out our jib to look a little more sailorly on our transit. Toucan Dream was right behind us as Annabelle II had left a couple of hours before (they have a 5’ draft as opposed to Toucan Dream’s and our 5.5-6’ drafts.)
We were half way there when the skies really opened up and the visibility closed to about a half mile. We furled the jib, slowed our speed and once again hoped that the rain would clear away before we entered the channel. Although the rain did ease, it never let up completely. We rounded the point and followed the commercial channel in until we passed the small islets to the southeast before turning again out of the commercial channel and into the yacht channel leading to the anchorage.
We spotted Annabelle II anchored nearby. Toucan Dream peeled off to anchor in the general vicinity but we continued on until we spied the fuel dock in the mist. We radioed ahead to let them know we were approaching, then made our way in to line up to the dock and finally to secure ourselves to it. We took on 80+ gallons at 3.85/gallon. It’s a good thing our credit card is paid off.
It continued to rain for the rest of the afternoon at varying intensities. Toucan Dream’s mail hadn’t arrived and since Marsh Harbor isn’t one of their favorite spots, they lifted anchor and moved over to Fisher’s Bay. We called Annabelle II over the radio and suggested that we modify our plans of going to the Junkinoo parade. It’s a hike to get to the park where the parade was to be held and neither crews were interested in hiking in the mud and rain. We decided to go to Snappa’s instead, where they advertised free appetizers between 5-7pm.
Snappa’s is another seaside bar & grill overlooking Marsh Harbor. It’s well built and had a nice dinghy dock on the harbor side. The appetizers were plentiful and delicious. Bob & Karen and Dale & I spent the late afternoon enjoying the food, the people watching and the conversation.
The skies finally cleared and although we couldn’t see the space shuttle lift off or soar overhead, we were mesmerized by the resulting brilliant white vapor cloud that hung in the air for hours. The pictures don’t really show the detail of the intricate swirls and drifts that the cloud displayed.
We heard from Gerry & Nicky on Orpailleur today. They say that they are sailing at 7+ knots and should be in the Galapagos on Sunday. Thank heavens things are going well for them.
Great Abaco Island
Bahamas
26.32.859N
77.03.453W
9.4 NM
1.56 Hrs.
4.8 Kt. Avg.
7.0 Kt. Max
Current Odom: 7923.7
Another rainy, gray day dawned but we hoped that since we were waiting for a high tide at 2 pm before leaving, that perhaps it would clear out by the time we had to move. No such luck came our way. We ended up lifting our anchor about 2 hours before high tide so that we would have a rising tide in case things didn’t go as planned. We hoisted our skirts, thought light thoughts and tippy toed through the shallow areas to the “deeper” water leading to Marsh Harbor. We found 10-12’ depths and thought we were in hog heaven and even let out our jib to look a little more sailorly on our transit. Toucan Dream was right behind us as Annabelle II had left a couple of hours before (they have a 5’ draft as opposed to Toucan Dream’s and our 5.5-6’ drafts.)
We were half way there when the skies really opened up and the visibility closed to about a half mile. We furled the jib, slowed our speed and once again hoped that the rain would clear away before we entered the channel. Although the rain did ease, it never let up completely. We rounded the point and followed the commercial channel in until we passed the small islets to the southeast before turning again out of the commercial channel and into the yacht channel leading to the anchorage.
We spotted Annabelle II anchored nearby. Toucan Dream peeled off to anchor in the general vicinity but we continued on until we spied the fuel dock in the mist. We radioed ahead to let them know we were approaching, then made our way in to line up to the dock and finally to secure ourselves to it. We took on 80+ gallons at 3.85/gallon. It’s a good thing our credit card is paid off.
It continued to rain for the rest of the afternoon at varying intensities. Toucan Dream’s mail hadn’t arrived and since Marsh Harbor isn’t one of their favorite spots, they lifted anchor and moved over to Fisher’s Bay. We called Annabelle II over the radio and suggested that we modify our plans of going to the Junkinoo parade. It’s a hike to get to the park where the parade was to be held and neither crews were interested in hiking in the mud and rain. We decided to go to Snappa’s instead, where they advertised free appetizers between 5-7pm.
Snappa’s is another seaside bar & grill overlooking Marsh Harbor. It’s well built and had a nice dinghy dock on the harbor side. The appetizers were plentiful and delicious. Bob & Karen and Dale & I spent the late afternoon enjoying the food, the people watching and the conversation.
The skies finally cleared and although we couldn’t see the space shuttle lift off or soar overhead, we were mesmerized by the resulting brilliant white vapor cloud that hung in the air for hours. The pictures don’t really show the detail of the intricate swirls and drifts that the cloud displayed.
We heard from Gerry & Nicky on Orpailleur today. They say that they are sailing at 7+ knots and should be in the Galapagos on Sunday. Thank heavens things are going well for them.
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