Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Norman's to Nassau

We had a really nice day at Norman's. I took my first solo excursion on the dinghy! I was able to get it up on plane and didn't wipe out... With CJ's help I was able to get it anchored and everything - okay, not completely "solo" but still :) I went with CJ & Margie to walk the pups on a little cay with nothing but a palm tree on it. We noticed some Ocean Trigger fish and a sting ray coming in close to the shore of the island in very shallow water. Suddenly there was a shark and no ray or triggers. The shark came right up in only a couple feet of water! The current was really strong (we were at mid-tide) which was good because usually the pups go for a swim around the island - well not any more! We think it was a sand shark because it was much darker than the reef and lemons and definitely not a nurse.

The anchorage was very rolly from swell but Martin and I have definitely gained tolerance for the frwapping noise and roll. We woke in the morning and it was incredibly hot and humid. By 10:00am we had another big storm (see pic). We watched a barracuda that was hanging out under and around our boat, then waited for the thunder storm and rain to pass and headed to Atlantis.

The past week or so we've had very calm winds and we had a very smooth passage up to Nassau. We were able to maintain 2600 rpm and 14.5 knots. It's a bit slower than our normal 19-20 knot cruising speed but at least we can still get on plane. We got fuel and docked at Atlantis around 3:00, just in time for another incredible downpour. Once that was over I did 3 loads of laundry and then we had dinner at the buffet. The lull is over at Atlantis - it's absolutely packed. I think there's only one slip free in the marina and it's 2 over from us, hopefully that will be Pazzia's slip tomorrow!

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