11 May - Day 69. Our first challenge of the day is to transit the shallow passage known as 'Don't Rock'. As mentioned in an earlier log entry, this route not only saves about an hour but also means we avoid the 'Whale' passage altogether. Since it's strictly a high tide affair we have a few hours to kill here in Treasure Cay. Florence, the local bakery owner, makes a mean cinnamon bun. We know it's the best in town because that's where all the old men congregate. We learn from one of the guys that there is no property tax in the Bahamas but there is a 10% transfer fee at the time of purchase. The real killer he said was the 45% import duty. His new GE washer and dryer, available Stateside for $1000, cost him $1850 here. After a beach tour and grocery run (milk was $8.00/gal and we're glad to have it) we weigh anchor and head to the fuel dock. Diesel is $3.08/gallon, probably a buck more than Stateside, but with a several hundred mile, potentially rough passage upcoming, full tanks are cheap insurance. We leave Treasure Cay harbor in very settled conditions. At 'Don't Rock' we make a left and feel our way through. It's somewhat anticlimactic after all the thin water we've been doing lately. But it's another successful test of our water reading abilities (i.e. telling depths by water color alone). New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay, lies directly ahead. Yes it's pretty, the houses colorful, the water lovely shades of blue, the people friendly, blah, blah, blah. More importantly, the New Plymouth Liquor Store makes the best double bacon cheese burger in the Islands. It took several of them, french fries, and an order of conch, but we were eventually satiated. Bellies full we weighed anchor and headed for the bight on Allans-Pensacola Cay. The Cays are becoming more desolate and offer fewer anchoring options as we continue north. It's obvious that the well traveled cruising grounds are now behind us. The winds pipe-up at sundown and so we take turns during the night doing anchor watch. On a not-so-well-set-hook in Allans-Pensacola Cay, Abacos. 35nm today: 1587nm total. DBH
