We made it to Turks and Caicos!
As mentioned in our last post, we anchored at Highbourne Cay in the Exuma Island chain. From Highbourne we spent a night at Norman’s Cay, which is exploding with development, then down near Farmer’s Cay to wait on a weather window to transit the Bahamas to TCI.
Very little wind Miami to Bimini Bahamas…
Sunset Highbourne Cay:
Beautiful mega yachts enjoying the Bahamas:
After a day or two at Little Farmer’s Cay we had a window to head east. Passing through Galliot Cut to the Exuma Sound:
Once through the cut, BAM, 15 kts of wind on the beam!!!!! We sailed for about the next 12 hours on a beam reach east past Cat Island. The winds began to clock to the southwest (yes, ahead of a cold front) which allowed us to head southeast almost directly toward TCI (Turks Caicos Islands). Somewhere between Rum Cay and Crooked Acklins the cold front rolled over us (in the middle of the night) like a freight train. The front was no surprise, we watched it and knew it was coming, we were using it for favorable wind direction to head east. We had 35 kts of wind, driving rain, lightning thunder etc. All this weather came from behind so we just buttoned up our cockpit enclosure and surfed Dea Latis down the waves. The worst of the weather really only lasted for about 30 minutes, it was really a non event, but it did rain for about the next eight hours. By the time we reached the Plana Cays the wind died, we motored the rest of the way to TCI.
South side of Providenciales TCI, the water is beautiful here:
We attempted to enter South Side Marina but the tide was on the way out, we ran aground about a boat length from the entrance. We backed off and anchored out for the night. Dea Latis waaaaay out at anchor, just to the right of center in the picture:
We made it into the marina at day break the next morning, got fuel and now we are tied up on a new floating concrete dock:
Bob Pratt, the owner, now has a great bar and restaurant on the hill over looking the marina. The food is excellent and reasonably priced! The local beer is excellent too!
We love to socialize but we also love to find that special place where we can just escape and enjoy ourselves. We took the dinghy, explored the area and found our private beach. The water is 82 degrees:
…from the last hurricane season:
We are heading to Panama, so we will be here until a proper weather window opens.
More to follow!