You Can't Have A Rainbow Without A Little Rain

Norman's Cay to Rock Sound |  7 Hours  |  45.8 Miles  

My mind was active last night and I did not sleep well. I reviewed the many wonderful days with great friends that we'd enjoyed in The Exumas then switched to pondering the crossing to Eleuthera and the beginning of a new phase of our voyage. Added to the mix were concerns for friends and family, missing the upcoming Easter holiday, and all the spring blooms at home that will fade before our return. I was far from bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed as we hoisted the dinghy to the upper deck then raised the anchor, all before 8:00. With almost perfect timing as we pulled out of the anchorage, our friend Neal (Harvest Moon) crossed in front of us on his way north. It is always good to see friends. We exited the Exumas through the very calm Wax Cay Cut and set a waypoint for the southern tip of Eluethera. By 10:00 the clouds had thickened and our radar had picked up rain showers. The darkening continued, but we never passed through more than a sprinkle. As the water shallowed close to our destination, we passed two men out conching. The pink shells of their harvest were piled in their small boat. In the distance the familiar stone beacon marked our arrival into Davis Channel. The heavy cloud cover had effectively muted all the water's characteristic brilliant blues.

As we pulled into the anchorage at Rock Sound we were witness to a spectacular rain shower just to our north. With the anchor set, Barry and I each relaxed in our own way. For me, I took advantage of a strong cell signal to check in with Aunt B in North Carolina. It had been several weeks since we had last spoken so she caught me up on all the comings and goings. While she sat on her front porch and watched the butterflies in her creeping phlox, we spoke of Easter and how all of her flowers were in full bloom. I'm loving all the blues here, but I do miss the pinks and purples of early spring.

Showers continued to threaten for the remainder of the afternoon so we never lowered the dinghy. We'll do that in the morning. Mother Nature's show continued with a small rainbow over town to the east. As the sun dropped lower in the sky, the eastern clouds assumed a yellow tint while the rainbow remained vibrant. Off to the west, the sky turned a bright orange as a low cloud bank absorbed the final rays of the day.