Port #63: Great Sale Cay…Beginning the Trek Home

Great Loop II Date: 05/08/2015

Day #280 (Friday) 59 miles (3683 total miles)

Locks: 0 (30 total locks)

Bridges: 0 (4 total bridges)

Port #63:  Great Sale Cay, BS

Anchorage: Tom Johnson Harbor

Although there was more to see in the Abacos, we knew we needed to get OB back to the states and on toward Lake Erie if we wanted to enjoy any summer at our home dock.  Todd’s best calculations had us getting to Lake Erie and Bay Point by the first of July.  To keep that schedule, we had to head OB back through the track we had taken to get to Green Turtle.  Also, that schedule didn’t take in any weather delays.  Were we to take more time in the Abacos, we probably wouldn’t get back to our Lake Erie dock until late August giving us only 6 weeks or so before we’d store OB on shore and drive back to Cape Coral for the winter.

We waved goodbye to our new found friends and had OB underway at 6:30AM.  There was a mass exodus of sailboats both ahead of us and behind us all day long.  We listened to them discuss where they planned to anchor, changing their plans as the wind changed and generally happy because they could maintain sailing all day long with no motoring.

We watched thunderheads grow around us but never threatened us.  OB arrived at her anchorage early afternoon.  Her anchor set well and I followed it with adequate chain to allow for wind.  Once we were settled, Todd, Charlie and I took to the bridge to watch the sailors go to different parts of the island to anchor.

The clouds began forming into thunderheads, as they did everyday.  Rarely were we caught in the rain.

The cloud formations were always interesting.

The evening was delightful until sunset when the bugs came out to dine.  We put all of the screens in place and retired to the inside for the night.  The winds died after sunset and the night’s sleep began humid and warm.

Our anchorage for the night...Tom Johnson Harbor.

Even with the ripples from the breeze, the waters were so clear we could see everything on the bottom of the aquarium.  Even a small black tipped shark came by to invest us.

This was our position on the chart.

One of the thunderstorms that formed to the south of us.

Another storm to the east of us.

A great sunset.

Reflection of the sunset on the thunderheads to the east of us.

Around 1AM the burgee (flag) on our bow started to rattle.  I got up to check our anchor.  The winds had picked up and we were taking 1 foot rollers from the east.  It was interesting to see all of the anchor lights on the sailboats in a circumference around the island.  I guessed there were at least 2 dozen sailboats dispersed between the north anchorage, Northwest Harbor (where we anchored 3 weeks before) and Tom Johnson Harbor (our anchorage for the night).

I went to bed satisfied that OB was holding fast to her anchor.  My sleep continued to be broken by the lurching and rocking of the boat.