Walt & Dex on Manjack Cay

Anchorage at Manjack Cay overlooking the wildfires on Great Abaco  Island

Windspell in action

Shelling at Powell Cay

Sand dollars strewn along the beach at  low tide on Powell Cay

Cracking coconuts Dexter knocked down

Sailing on the Bahama Bank enroute nonstop from Powell Cay, Abacos, Bahamas  to Fort Pierce, Florida.  

Sunset as we approach the edge of the Bahama Bank before the Gulf Stream crossing

Arrival at Ft. Pierce, Florida requires removing the tattered Bahamian courtesy flag and raising the Q-flag

Lunch at Coombs Landing, Ft. Pierce prior to Dexter's departure

Sailing from Ft. Pierce to Cape Canaveral we had a songbird hitch a ride on the migration northbound.

Tuesday evening Dexter arrived at Green Turtle cay after a flight to Marsh Harbour, taxi to the ferry dock by Treasure Cay, and then a ferry boat ride over to Green Turtle cay where he was dropped off boatside!  We were re-living our time with  him when he joined us aboard our s/v Puff, thirty years ago!
We hauled anchor the next morning and sailed to Manjack Cay where we dinghied out to the reef to snorkel and try our luck looking for lobster.  We saw plenty of lobster, but only managed to snag one!  It was fun trying!  Later that afternoon we went ashore and walked the ocean beach.  From our anchorage that evening we could see the wildfires that had been burning for a week now on Great Abaco Island.  It's a natural phenomenon, and they do not try to put them out (no equipment?).
On Thursday we sailed north to Powell cay and hiked to a hilltop to look out over the anchorage.  Afterwards, we walked along the beach at low tide seeing lots of sand dollars, starfish, conch, and sea biscuits.
At that time, we had a short weather window to cross over to Florida or stay in the Bahamas until Saturday when Dexter was scheduled to fly out.  He kindly cancelled the flight from the Bahamas, and helped us sail nonstop 170 miles across to Ft. Pierce, Florida.  We sailed all day (100 miles), reaching the Bahama Bank at 10:30 p.m.  We had a northeast swell of 3 feet, but a light easterly wind overnight that made our motorsail a bit rolly.  We had a lovely almost-full moon to give us some light.  We took turns sleeping, with 2 persons on watch and 1 person sleeping for 1 hour, then rotating through.  It worked well.  We arrived at 9:30 am, pulling in to Ft. Pierce marina.  We phoned in to clear customs since we had a Local Boater Option card that we had pre-arranged before our departure to the Bahamas back in December.  That worked well, with just a slight hiccup since we had a new passenger onboard, Dexter.  We got him cleared in and we were free to shower,  and enjoy lunch ashore.  Dexter then caught a flight back to Toronto; and Walter & I washed down the boat, did laundry, etc.  We were so tired that evening, we managed to sleep through a rock concert that was blaring only a few hundred metres away.
The weather was beautiful the next  morning, so we decided to sail from Ft. Pierce to Cape Canaveral to avoid the numerous bridges that dot the ICW in Florida.  We saw lots of seabirds-gannets, pelicans and seagulls, but no right whales.  We arrived at the inlet just as 3 cruise ships were departing.  We managed to get through the lock and drop anchor just as the wind started to howl.
Today we motorsailed to Titusville where we got haircuts, groceries, showers and published our latest blog!