Still….not much wind…but we managed to sail a bit of the short distance to the next cay. I supposed I should not complain. It is officially hurricane season, and it could go the OTHER WAY, and we could have much too much wind.
But, rest assured, I get the humans up at 6:30am every morning to listen to the weather forecast of the area. They are keeping a close eye on everything and looking for a weather window to cross over to the United States now.
I hate to be leaving the Abacos, but the humans have family commitments and need to fly home to England soon. They need to get the boat stored somewhere safe before they go.
Enough on that. We will talk later on this subject. For now we will enjoy the last of our visit here in the cays of the outer Abacos.
Our plan for the day was to travel from Great Guana Cay to Green Turtle Cay, the only problem is the Sea of Abaco is too shallow between here. We instead have to travel out into the Atlantic and back in through Whale Passage.
Whale Passage is a small, shallow gab in the reefs that protect the Sea of Abaco from the brunt of the Atlantic. Winds, tide and currents can funnel the fury of the Ocean through here and make sailing through range from uncomfortable to ‘down right’ dangerous.
We were already on the Atlantic side of Great Guana Cay, with light westerly winds and at the start of the rising tide so we went for it.
It was a ‘pussy cat’ and did not even interrupt my siesta time.
Pretty soon we had the settlement of New Plymouth, on Green Turtle Cay, in our sights.
We were lucky enough to find ‘enough water’ just off the town and dingy dock. We anchored in a mix of grass and sand with lots of other visiting boats.
99.9% of the boats we see now are American. Most are here on a short holiday from Florida. We appear to be one of the last foreign boats to be trailing behind on the route north. Oh well.
New Plymouth is another beautiful Bahamian town with pastel cottages and white picket fences. I will bore you with photos in a minute. I am forever startled by the drastic differences between the Southern and Northern Caribbean.
Most of the 500 or so residents of the settlement can trace their roots back to British Loyalists, escaping civil war in the States, over two centuries ago. If you are a history buff you will love the museum and sculpture garden.
If history is not your thing then the town itself is lovely to stroll through.
New Plymouth is a lovely little town with shops, restaurants, a little history, easy access and even a beach for me. If you like turtles, you can also find them munching on the grassy bottom of the anchorage. Not a bad place to stop.
