Hi All

We are in the Abacos in the Bahamas specifically anchored off Great Guana Cay near Marsh Harbor.  The weather has been really windy lately so we have stayed in the Sea of Abaco which is sheltered from the Atlantic.  Seas in the Atlantis were running 16 or more feet.  Since we didn't need to be anywhere special, we decided to stay put.  The next move puts us into the Atlantic through the Whale Cay cut which is experiencing a rage right now.  As we are on the Bahamas banks (shallow water 6-15 ft) which are open to the Atlantic in several small openings.  When the seas in the Atlantic are running, all this water tries to get onto the banks causing a rage which means breaking waves at 6-12 ft in height across the inlets.  Its nasty to get a small boat through the opening.  In fact in this area, one of the primary occupations of the residents was salvaging from wrecks on the reefs outside the passages.

We are leaving the Bahamas around May 15, 2006 (weather dependent) from Great Sale Cay and will head directly to Charleston, SC.  We had enough of the ICW on the trip down.  This is a trip of about 350 nmiles most of it in the Gulf Stream, which will give us a 3 knot boost in speed.  We calculate about 60 hours to make it to Charleston.  Needless to say, we are apprehensive (and excited) about our first long ocean passage.  There be no dragons out there (at least we hope).  After visiting my brother in Charleston, we will probably go to Beaufort, NC in the next jump.  Then we will stay on the ICW to avoid Cape Hatteras and go to Norfolk, VA.  We will probably skip the Chesapeake on the way north and go from Norfolk to Cape May, NJ in one jump.  Then on to Sandy Hook, NJ and then into the Long Island Sound via Hells Gate.  We are invited to a July 4th celebration at the Bristol, RI Yacht Club.

We will probably pull Island Time in New London, Ct in mid June to redo the bottom and other maintenance items.  Plans are to be in Maine sometime in July, hopefully the third week so we can get back to Vermont for the last week of July.  This will give us time to visit with Jack Drake in Southwest Harbor during early August.  Things are getting very busy after a leisurely winter in the Bahamas.

We are really looking forward to visiting Vermont in the summer to see our granddaughter and of course all our friends from MBBC.  We will keep you posted on our progress.

John & Genie