Moving on out of the ICW

Our last night on the ICW - a short one for Jens and I as we wanted to be sure to arrive at West End, Grand Bahamas during daylight.  We set out at 2 AM .... yes, 2 AM!!!   It was a beautiful, clear night with no wind and a fantastically bright moon following us from behind.  The sea was calm until we hit the Gulf Stream where it takes on a life of its own.  Swells of 4 to 5 feet and movement in all directions.  Needless to say, this sailor turned a little green again and had to lay down for a bit.  Or was I just a little tired from our early rise?  No, I'm pretty sure my stomach doesn't like the turbulent seas.   I was able to get a nice sunrise shot of our first day in open water - no sign of land in any direction!

I can imagine how difficult this crossing could be in high winds.  Not to mention rain and cold.  We had to motor all the way, but I think we have to consider ourselves lucky that our crossing was as smooth as it could be.

Our crew, Eric and Liz, also felt it.  This was the first time in any kind of waves for both of them.  Luckily it wasn't too bad, just a slight feeling of being nauseous and the more you think of it, the worse it gets.   They are both getting quite comfortable on the boat and are good at getting us anchored, moored and ready to set sail.  It's nice having the company and I have to say we have been eating some very nice meals.  Now we have to test our fishing skills.  We have lures and line and are hoping for a bit of beginner's luck and start adding fresh fish to the menu.
We reached the Grand Bahamas around 1PM - much earlier than anticipated so it gives us an afternoon of chilling out, enjoying the beautiful clear aqua coloured water and perhaps a wee nap.  LIz and Eric were in snorkelling and they have already found a treasure.  A fantastic conch shell which has since been sent back to it's ocean home.