Friday, May 1, 2009
1 May - Day 59. After a quick morning walk through Elbow Cay's Hope Town, we weigh anchor for points south. A Moorings catamaran shadows us out. Last night we saw this same cat aground in the Hope Town entrance. As we head south the cat closes in on our starboard quarter. Suddenly two guys, out on the cat's bow, wave and yell to get our attention. Fearing there's something wrong with Nellie we do a quick once over but find nothing. By this time the cat's abeam. In italianized english we hear "luva yu bot. Whata ish e?". With heart rates returning to normal we recite the LNVT monologue. With the Italians continuing south we turn to the west and cross the Sea of Abaco towards Sanke Cay. An unappealing name but supposedly an interesting place to visit. We arrive to find the winds blowing hard and the anchorage unprotected. Plan B is to head towards the southern terminus of the Sea of Abaco. The southern cays get very low and narrow and the Atlantic waves penetrate through in many places. The strong east winds have made big waves. Our curise is like being in an elevator that can't make up its mind. The approach to Little Harbor is hair raising. While Nellie pitches and rolls we are funneled into a narrow entrance over a shallow bar. About 100 yards to leeward the big seas crash on sharp limestone cliff walls. Once inside Little Harbour all is calm and quiet. I fear Nellie's crew won't be able to resist the siren call of Pete's Pub which lays dead ahead. On a mooring in Little Harbour, Abacos. 19nm today: 1380nm. DBH
