Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Return to Black Point

Day 317  | Lee Stocking Island to Black Point  |  4.5 Hours  |  30 Miles

We have certainly enjoyed our few days at Lee Stocking Island. The early-morning view from the flybridge captures the beauty of the area. There are so many more things to see and do that will just have to wait for our next visit. Today we needed to head north. We pulled up the anchor and headed around the corner to Adderly Cut. This narrow passage links the Banks (shallow and protected) and Sound (deep, open water) was placid. We picked up a nice 2.5 knot boost from the current going through and felt like we were flying at 9.7 knots. We settled in for a four-hour trip through very calm water with very little wind.


Several possible destinations were on our list and we tossed them around while also looking at the bigger picture and places we want to visit before we must depart the Bahamas. During today's trip our engine came due for an oil change and that helped sway us back to the nice anchorage at Black Point. A rock formation called the White Horses (I don't see the equine resemblance) marked the entrance to Dotham Cut. Again, the passage was smooth through the narrow opening with the assistance of another helpful current. We even hit the magical 10 knot mark. As I stood on the bow preparing to lower the anchor, the view was breath-taking. In 12-feet of water, every ridge of sand, rock, and mass of sea grass is visible -- boating in a swimming pool. The afternoon was still young, so we lowered the dinghy and cruised over to the Rockside Laundromat with a load of dirty clothes.


While waiting we walked down to Emerald Sunset View (new sign since our last visit) and enjoyed a beverage and some conch fritters on the deck overlooking of the harbor. A few large rays glided along the rocky bottom a short distance from shore. On our walk back, we passed several school children on their way home. A little girl stopped me and asked me how old I was. She told me she was six and wished I had brought some kids to play with her. Very sweet and well-mannered. Inside the school, band practice was going on. Our timing was good and we returned just as the dryer cycle was finishing up. Barry watched a few rounds of Chain Reaction on the television as I quickly folded the clothes and packed up our bags. Mission accomplished, we returned to the dinghy dock where several gulls were boisterously standing guard.


On Crossroads the clothes were put away and I searched for a shady area to do a little reading. With the lack of breeze, it was a hot and sweaty day. Any complaints were tempered when I found out that snow was falling on my North Carolina family. On second thought, warm is pretty good. We had grilled lobster tails for dinner as the sun set over the glassy-smooth water.






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