Photos below are from Chubb Cay:
Just a small boat that could not make it into the marina - I think it was 300+ ft....and if you look on the deck, it looks like he brought is sailboat along!
And here's a treat for any of my Engineer friends catching up on this - a photo of a Bahamian Power Plant:
Basically a diesel engine! Yes, 98 percent of power in the Bahamas is generated by diesel
We had studied the weather - at least what we could reasonably get a hold of - we were faced with a dilemma: (i) cross on Saturday with conditions that looked like favorable winds; or (ii) wait, but the weather and wind direction seemed like it may not be good for up to a week!.
We got up early Saturday......winds seemed OK, but we could see a thunderstorm passing close by. We decided to wait out the thunderstorm and see what conditions looked like. The skies cleared and decide to cautiously set off. Going through Gun Cut, we made the turn and were faced with breakers...not good, but we got through OK. We thought the seas would flatten, but they didn't the seemed to be building. it was not comfortable but it was bearable. We managed to get a few miles offshore and then a thunderstorm hit us. We were in the middle of it. The wind howled, the seas were like a washing machine with waves from all directions. As a result we were thrown around quite a bit - but the boat did just fine. I estimated wave heights at 12 feet - but kept that to myself. In the troughs, I cold not see above the waves from the cockpit; when we hit a crest, we slipped down the face of the wave. These conditions lasted for about 2 hours, but it seemed like a day. The photo below was actually from a coupe of days earlier when we approached a storm from a distance.
Why no photos from this storm? Basically the last thing you think about is getting a camera out!
We made it back to Miami by about 5pm. We were relieved to see the Miami skyline.
So now it is back to reality - stocking up at Walmart in "little Cuba". And yes, en in the glamour of Miami, there are still "people of Walmart", and most of the check-out girls don't speak English!
Today, I made a trip to West Marine as I had not donated an $$ to them in a couple of months. We also met up with Cindi from our Boca office who brought me the replacement transmission cable I had ordered. Incidentally, my temporary repair is still holding up well!
Future plans are to head for the keys, starting tomorrow. Now we have real internet again, so I have the best of intentions to try to keep up with the blog. Also, Salty is healing up well from his encounter with a stingray - his leg has been dressed twice daily and is looking much better.
Owls made by JR on Little Farmer's Cay - a reminder of the wonderful time there!
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