With only a few chores to do prior to departure, we had a leisurely morning. Final checklist items included taking out the trash, topping off the water tank (again), and stowing (almost) all loose items to keep them from flying. We backed out of our slip just before 9:00 and fell into the middle of the parade heading south. We had spent the week in Great Harbour Cay with many of these boats. With a brisk wind blowing from the east, all the sailboats were enjoying a wonderful beam reach sail -- almost perfect conditions. We, however, were being harassed by a beam sea that had us tacking back and forth trying to maintain a smooth ride. The items we forgot to secure quickly made themselves known. We saw a lot of spray which kept us inside the pilothouse with the doors closed. Other than that, it was a beautiful sunny day. We found some relief as we moved into the lee of the Exuma chain. We turned east toward Norman's Cay and came upon the most beautiful blue water. In 10 feet of water, the bottom and our anchor upon it were both clearly visible.
Also very apparent was the heavy coating of salt spray that covered Crossroads, even on the interior cheeks. As we cleaned up the deck, Spartina took her spot beside us. The late afternoon passed quickly with messages and phone calls. Before we knew it, the sun was dropping quickly to our stern and turning the sky a deep orange. Only forty four miles from Nassau, we are truly in another world.
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