The best part of our return trip was the week we spent poking around the anchorages north of Whale Cay. Usually, we just pass by these spots either on our way into Green Turtle Cay to clear Customs or on our way to Great Sale Cay to position for a crossing.
It was a week of great weather, pleasant sailing, swimming and fruitful beach walking. Definitely would have stayed longer, but a change in the weather was predicted, and we needed to either cross or go back in search of a protected anchorage.
So we crossed. And our week of bliss was followed by our worst crossing ever! That "wee bit" of north swell that was predicted was actually quite a strong north swell that frequently covered our bow with white water. Coupled with the SE swell coming up our stern, the result was the dreaded "washing machine action" where the boat basically bounces from one set of swells and is rebounded into another. Up/down...side/side ... rinse and repeat. 8 hours to cross the Bahama banks with hopes that conditions would improve once we hit deep water. They didn't. 12 hours into the crossing even had Captain Dan wondering if we should turn around!
But we didn't. Dan was at the helm for the next 12 hours as I crawled around in the cabin wondering how so many things could get loose from their secure places. And of course, things could get worse ... and they did as squalls and lightening could be seen in this distance north of us. Such fun in the dead of night. Just where in the hell is the do-over button?
But, as it always the case, dawn does come. And at least then we can see the nasty coming our way!
Land Ho! It's always my favorite part of every crossing. It seems like we always cross with Cape Canaveral or even Jacksonville as our destination ... only to keep pointing the bow further and further south searching for a more comfortable ride. This year we cleared US customs in Ft Pierce and traveled on to Vero Beach for a lonnnnnnng night's sleep.
We still had to get to Jacksonville, so up the ICW we went with the hope of exiting off shore at Cape Canaveral. Alas, that didn't happen either as they are doing construction on the canal and lock you need to transit, and the operating hours were something we could not make. So, once again, the Ponce Inlet was our friend. A lot of people don't like this inlet, but fortunately we have done it several times so no surprises for us.
Clouds above us ... but clear ahead.
We made great time under sail....16 hrs to Jacksonville Inlet. However, we had planned for 20 hrs, so we needed to anchor outside the inlet and wait for daybreak. There is something very nerve-wracking about approaching the coast in the black of night, aiming for a spot you can see on the GPS and everything ahead of your is just dark.dark.dark.
But, as always, daylight never disappoints!
JAX skyline.
Jacksonville Landing.
We usually stop at JAX Landing because they provide a free dock, and who doesn't like beer and wings at Hooters? But this time we headed straight for Ortega Landing Marina, one of our favorite marinas
And there we would relax! By the pool!
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