Calabash Bay to Conception Island | 3.1 Hours | 21 Miles
The sunrise on departure day was as dramatic as we've seen on this year's journey. I watched from the pilothouse as a blaze erupted in front of Paradigm Shift. Just before 7:00 we began checking off the To-Do List -- remove the sun shades, bring up the dinghy, and raise the anchor. Glenda caught the shot of me on the bow raising the hook. Even though I had on my headset to communicate with Barry, I could still hear Cooper's barking serenade as the chain clanked through our windlass. Good boy! I gave one final wave, thankful for the opportunity to travel with Paradigm Shift and Asanté for a few days. We exited the anchorage and turned to north. We rounded the northern point of Long Island and spotted the Columbus Monument atop the steep cliff face. Very quickly we went front turquoise 15-foot deep water, to 3,000 feet of dark blue water. What did Columbus think when he approached this beautiful island so many years ago?
Our destination was Conception Island, part of the Bahamas National Trust (like the United States' national park system). It is an uninhabited sanctuary for birds and turtles. It also has no cell tower, so going in we knew that were would be off the grid for a few days. We spotted land seven miles out and took advantage of the last moments of connectivity to check emails, make a few calls, and to resolve the most pressing topic of the day: What is the easternmost point that Crossroads has visited -- Conception Island, Burlington (VT), or somewhere in Canada. Our thoughts turned to a classic West Wing episode and an alternate map using the Gall-Peters Projection for a more accurate representation of the earth. Since degrees of longitude are closer together at the poles, Vermont is technically our furthest point east. Shortly after that we lost connectivity and eyed the lightening blues ahead of us that signified shallow water. We pulled into the anchorage and dropped the anchor in time for lunch. We lowered the dinghy and spent the afternoon walking up and down the entirety of West Bay Beach. There were a few signs ashore that occasionally caught our attention, but the view of the water was hypnotizingly beautiful.
Again, I took way too many photos. Each one, however, captures something a little bit different. There were 18 boats in the anchorage, including one mega yacht and the National Geographic cruise ship Sea Lion, but our footprints were the only ones in the sand.
The crescent beach became narrower and we eventually turned around to ensure even tanning, front and back.
With our walk complete, it was time for a little fun in the water. I found a sea fan in the surf. The park is a "No-Take" Zone which prohibits collecting shells and other natural specimens. I was perfectly happy just soaking up the sun and floating in the incredible warm and calm water. Back on Crossroads, I watched the activity of dinghies, kayaks, and paddleboards moving about and made plans for tomorrow. Large inflatable boats from the Sea Lion were shuttling passengers ashore for cocktails on the beach. On his way back to a large Kadey Krogen close to us, Steve stopped by in his kayak to say hello. Another small world moment followed. He and his wife Kate are on Off Trail whose home port is Norview Marina in Deltaville. Plans were quickly made for appys aboard their boat. We chatted for a few hours about all the commonalities in our stories. The sun set and the moon rose with Jupiter and Venus in tow. It was quite a celestial sight, but I did not have my camera. We returned to Crossroads for the night under a black ceiling dotted with the glowing stars of the Milky Way. Views like this are only available by getting away from civilization and we're thrilled to be here (even if its not our easternmost point).
No comments:
Post a Comment