Finally - Anchored again

Free Again!!! Damages (costs) were not bad. We actually found our way to eat and drink our entire dockage fee almost to the penny. The only disappointment was the fixed electricity usage of $19 a day for 30 amp service. Over at Green Turtle Club they meter your usage and you pay just for what you use. The other thing was that at the Bluff House you see the entire fetch of the prevailing East winds and it is noisy at night with the waves slapping the boat. The Green Turtle club is under the lee of the prevailing East winds and you do not have that problem. Thus is the $.50 cents per foot ($1.75 at Green Turtle Club) worth it???? Maybe when you factor in the cost of electricity. I’ll find out next trip here when some guests arrive and I bring them here.

We left the dock this morning. I thought about going up to Manjack Cay where several boats went yesterday but the scuttlebutt on the radio sounded like several were returning, We decided just to leave the dock, run about 300yds away, and drop the hook in a primo spot. We want to stay until Friday -- Junkanoo on New Years day – THURSDAY.

Now leaving the dock was not easy. I was on a T-head with pilings on the other side – sort of like a canal. I was deep into it – 3 boat lengths empty behind me and I could not go forward. I was nervous about backing up that far so I got Bill and Brian from the New Bern contingent to handle my dock lines to keep me straight. John on Chanceux had just left to round the Whale --- gutsy on his part.

Well I backed up with no problem and did not need the line handlers. Felt pretty good till I cleared the T-head and tried to turn into the wind – didn’t work. Well I had plenty of room so I went with it and just turned around the long way – no one the wiser but you and me.

We went into the anchorage and turned 3 times like a dog in a couple of places and finally dropped the hook. The new hook -- I’m using a 45lb CQR now. We backed down and I laid about 70 feet in 10 feet of water. She grabbed first time without a blink and nearly jerked me off my feet. I love it when a plan comes together. We set it and it looked fine.

After some relaxing and cleaning up and re-launching the dinghy I decided to try my Anchor Sail rider I had built in North Lake Worth. We were dancing on the anchor and the wind generator kept quitting. It took a bit but we got it up and trimmed. We still dance a bit but not as much as before and the wind generator has run all afternoon. I love it when it works!!!

After lunch we took a long probably 3 mile dinghy ride to Fiddlers Cay and the nice beach there so Karen could do some shell hunting. Found some nice ones. We were there a couple of hours. I was a little nervous about the long dinghy ride to and from because this is a seldom-used path and little help would be available. Ohhh just remember that the camera and handheld are in the dinghy – still. Got to take care of that right NOW. Light rain showers have been coming this afternoon…

Got em.. Still dry too.

We are trying for an internet connection here on anchor but it is not working. Signal strength looks good but no connection. I promised pictures but it will have to await a little longer. I’m sending this blog via the SSB radio.