Making The Cut

Goulding Cay to Russell Island |  3.4 Hours  |  20.1 Miles  

Our anchorage off Goulding Cay remained calm all night. The southerly swell never intensified to oppose the easterly wind. Calm was quite a change from our previous experience in this spot which we still refer to as our worst night ever on the hook. I slept well until 5:00 when my bioclock startled me awake to make sure I didn't oversleep the livestream of the 251st Sunrise Service from Old Salem. I grabbed my laptop and settled into the pilothouse and watched as the sky through Crossroads' windows matched the brightness of the sky in Winston-Salem. The emergence of the sun above Eleuthera's hill was not too much before it rose in the North Carolina foothills.  

In the few hours before our departure, I enjoyed sharing Easter greetings with family and friends. Barry indulged me and hid the eggs that I had brought along. He got extra marks for creativity and color coordination. I asked for help on the final few, but soon I had hunted down all of the eggs and filled my mesh bag. At 10:00 we began our departure procedure. There were rain clouds to the north and south of us, but we were traveling west and enjoyed bright sunshine. 

We were fifth in a parade of six boats all going to the same waypoint -- a narrow channel that bisects the northern tip of Eleuthera. As we approached Current Cut I spotted a large turtle off our port side. Off of starboard, the water was much shallower and provided a nice view of the sandy bottom through multiple hues of blue. Our departure time was set so that we would reach this point at slack tide. We centered up on the opening and went right through. We made the cut, easy peasy. Success is all in the planning. We turned right around the point and enjoyed the final leg of the trip from the flybridge. 

We passed familiar small islands Lobster Cay and Meeks Patch under a bright blue sky. Our destination was the south side of Russell Island in eyeshot of the the St. George's Cay Power Plant. A strong front arrives tomorrow morning and the island should protect us from large wind-generated waves. We're hoping that the weather calms down by Wednesday morning so we can pick up some diesel from the power plant before moving into Spanish Wells. The clouds mounted and hid the sunset, but did provide a small rainbow to finish the day.