Turning our thoughts toward Cuba.

It’s Wednesday morning and we are anchored off of the “pig beach” here in Big Major Spot, near Staniel Cay in the Exumas.  This island is famous for it’s resident pig population.  How odd is that?  Pigs?  We have been here before and I wrote about one of those visits.  Another front is headed our way, although it’s not going to be a particularly strong one, unlike some of the ones that hit earlier in the season with such annoying westerly winds.

Our plan is to hang out here until Friday when  the winds shift to the north so we can have a good sail for the 55 mile run down to Georgetown where we will begin our preparation to make the jump to Cuba by mid March.

Although the front isn’t going to be all that strong, it will bring a westerly component wind for a day or so until it shifts back to a northerly component later in the week.  As we don’t want to be on a lee shore, with those westerly winds, we will be moving behind the island nearby to get shelter and also be in a convenient spot to begin our run south to Georgetown.

Once we are in Georgetown, we will be able to do some re-provisioning prior to leaving for Cuba.  As there are so many boats in Georgetown, more than 350 at last count, I expect that we will find some folks that we know.

We are also hoping that we will be able to hook up with another boat or two that are headed to Cuba so that we can “buddy-boat” with them on our run south.  It will be nice to have some company on our long run south.

I know that Brenda is anxious about our multi-day run south to Cuba so by extension, I am too.  It’s important that I make this as comfortable as possible for her as the run of 350 miles is about twice as long as her furthest run to date.

It’s nice to be back on the hook again as the boat rides much more comfortably when she’s pointed into the wind as opposed to being blown onto a dock by wind on the beam as was the case at Over Yonder Cay.  However, it’s tough to have left behind the comforts, and great WIFI of Over Yonder Cay.  This photo of the pavilion where we had our last lunch prior to leaving a few days ago certainly is a good illustration of how beautiful the spot is.
Oh yeah, I should mention that when we left OYC the other day we did so at dead low and promptly ran aground as we headed out onto the banks.  It’s amazing how much of a difference 6″ of draft makes when compared to our “old” Pandora.  Being stuck on the bottom for about two hours as we waited for the tide to come up was an ample reminder that we were indeed “not in Kansas any more” as we left OYC in our wake.

And even though it took almost three hours to go the 5 miles from OYC to where we are now, with 2+ hours stuck on a sand bank, we were rewarded with a nearly full moon rising spectacularly as we enjoyed dinner in the cockpit. Oh yeah, when it comes to running around, there are two types of boaters, one that runs aground and those who lie about it.   Me, I  don’t lie…on a regular basis.

So, while it’s a week or two until we head south to Cuba we are both looking forward to the trip with a mixture of anxiety about the unknown and excitement about the possibilities.

And, boy, do I ever wish I had taken Spanish when I was in highschool.  Perhaps Brenda’s study of Latin will help.  Hmm…

Well,  I guess that’s about it for now.  Time to move to a more sheltered spot.   Along the way today we hope to have lunch at the newly renovated Staniel Cay Yacht Club.  They have a very nice addition to their dining room and that will be fun to enjoy.  No, it’s not a “yacht club” by U.S. standards but it’s pretty nice never the less.