Crossing

We poked our heads out of the Fort Pierce channel as the sun was rising, the wind was pretty non-existent and there was jut a little bit of leftover swell.

 

^^Kai, making sure we were lined up between the channel buoys.

Just about the time we got into the gulfstream the winds picked up out of the north, not enough to be antagonistic to the current, but just enough to fill the sail and ease the motion of the swell.  It was a beautiful crossing.  

So that’s what they can be like, sweet.

As we began to exit the east side of the stream, Keith caught and reeled in a pretty Mahi, putting the icing on an already wonderful sail. It was the first time we caught a fish on this boat and had to figure out how to get it up on deck, but it worked out well and Keith scooped him up with his big net. Dinner!

^Keith and Kai tethered to the mast taking a “walk”

We settled in for the evening as the winds clocked around and for about four or five hours the winds were directly on the nose as we came up to the Bahamama Bank, once on the bank our course and the winds changed enough to pull out the sails again and we made a slow and comfortable sail to Grand Cay and arrived just after daybreak.  

^^Grand Cay is getting colorful

We dinghied into Grand to clear customs because the customs shack on Walkers is still being worked on.  It was being worked on back when Keith took the fishing trip over here five months ago.  Island Time.  Clearing in was easy, the customs agent was  just as friendly as could be. A local offered us a ride back down the hill on her golf-cart, we were exhausted and gladly accepted. We still love Grand, it’s just a little fishing village with the most welcoming people.  In Fort Pierce we ran into a boat that warned us that we should just skip Grand, they said it was just a run down rough fishing village with nothing in it.  I guess it’s all perspective.  Yes, the back side of Grand looks rough and dirty, the word intimidating might even be used, but if you look a bit closer all you see is smiling friendly people who are content with what they have and are very welcoming to you, no one passes you without a greeting. Happy people are not nothing, they are everything.

On our way back to the dinghy dock we ran into some familiar faces.  Recognize them from our send-off party?  Yep, Tom and Jonathan made the trip too!  Ok, so we knew about their last minute plans but didn’t expect them to arrive until the afternoon but they made great time leaving from Port Canaveral almost beating us in even.  Jonathan caught a Mahi on the way across as well.  We are so stoked to start off our trip with some friends even if only for a few days.

^^Tom and Jonathan on Happy Healer

^^Keith raising the Bahama flag.  We made it!!!

 And now to get some sleep so we can go enjoy this insanely clear water!