Farewell, George Town

George Town to Lee Stocking Island |  4.2 Hours  |  29 Miles  

Barry and I were both up before the sun, preparing Crossroads for our departure from George Town. When the sun rose above the clouds, the orange sky again transitioned to the familiar blue bird hue. Before we raised the dinghy, there was one last bit of business we needed to complete. We zipped across the anchorage to say our goodbyes to Paradigm Shift. We had a great visit, collected some smiles to carry us through the next two months, swapped a few photos from our previous days together, and captured one more shot for good measure. It has been a great pleasure to spend time with Glenda, Greg, Jaxon, and Cooper, but now we'll move in opposite directions. Paradigm Shift will continue south to the Raggeds and Jumentos while we make our way north to pick up our new heat exchanger in (hopefully) a few days. Our final crossing of Elizabeth Harbour was one of the smoothest we'd made this year. We quickly raised first the dinghy, then the anchor, and were on our way by 11:30, making a final trip by Monument Beach. Farewell, George Town. 

The shimmering bands of blue water led us out through Conch Cay Cut and into Exuma Sound for our short hop north. We had lunch underway then I moved to Fiberglass Beach for about an hour. The Sound was also uncharacteristically smooth with low wind and waves. There was not much boat traffic along the way. The stone beacon atop Adderly Cay grew larger as we neared the entrance to Adderly Cut. The transit was easy peasy with no noticeable current. We rounded the northern tip of Lee Stocking Island and caught a glimpse of a white sand crescent beach marking the beginning of another section of Bahamian paradise. The water shimmered in the high afternoon sun. We could see every blade of grass and rock as we moved toward the anchorage.

I went to the flybridge to read, but the lure of the water was too strong to ignore. Today was the first day that I really missed my paddleboard. In these conditions, I would have taken it all the way to the beach. Instead, I pulled out my floaty chair and bobbed in the water for an hour or so. 

By 5:00 I had a feeling the sunset would turn into something interesting. Although the sun was still high, it was behind a large cloud bank which prematurely darkened the sky to a golden gray. Currents in the water were illuminated and the sun's rays extended in all directions. As the sun continued to lower, shades of orange and blue (Wahoowa) returned.

Barry and I sat on the flybridge and watched the light disappear into the water. The sound of conch horns being blown echoed across the anchorage. This spot is so peaceful and is one of our favorites in the Exumas. Tomorrow we will explore both this area's land and the water.