Time Will Tell

Williams Cay to Black Point |  4.5 Hours  |  31 Miles 

I woke up before dawn and watched from the pilothouse as the sun's rays announced the arrival of our last morning in Williams Cay. Mixed feelings ran through my mind. I chose to focus on one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I'll certainly have a huge smile on my face for a long time as I think back on all the great adventures shared with Paradigm Shift during Bahamas Trip 2022. At 9:00 and just past low tide, Barry fired up the engine signaling it was time to bring up the anchor. We had an audience as Greg, Glenda, Jaxon, and Cooper all came out to send us off. All I needed to do was get the anchor up quickly while looking like I knew what I'm doing. Of course nothing goes as planned. The anchor came up loaded with sand and grass. It took several minutes of travel through the water to wash it enough to bring in and secure it. I think I even missed waving a final goodbye. Since we were just past low tide, Barry crept along just above idle speed until we got a comfortable amount of water under our keel. At this slow speed, I had the opportunity to appreciate all the beautiful crescent beaches of Lee Stocking Island one more time. I sure plan to be back to this incredible spot next year. Time will tell.     

Past the monument and out through Adderly Cut we went into Exuma Sound. Southeast waves and wind combined for some good size swells. Crossroads was surfing and gave us a comfortable ride. As we passed along the back side of Black Point we noticed a large new structure under construction. We ducked into Dothan Cut and turned south toward the Black Point anchorage. Heavy equipment was busy moving dirt on the point. We joined a good number of other boats in the rolly anchorage, made so as a result of wind and waves traveling in different directions. We chose not to lower the dinghy because of the roll. That left me to read on Fiberglass Beach while watching dump trucks take away loads of earth from the construction we'd seen earlier. The new building looms even larger over the harbor. I fear Black Point will be another favorite area that will be forever changed by development. Time will tell.   

Around 6:00 I went to start the generator prior to preparing dinner. Oh, no. There was no water pumping. I quickly transitioned from cook to sous mechanic as we checked a few things before raising the floor to check the impeller (a wear item). Sure enough, we were missing quite a few fins. Thankfully everything was put back together and running like a champ in about an hour. With the generator pumping a steady stream, the microwave and freezer were back in operation and we were back on track. It is still rolly tonight, but we're hoping for a better tomorrow. Time will tell.