2010/2011 Cruise
Thursday, April 7, 2011, Day 193. Rock Sound to Current Cut, Eleuthera. We are finally underway again. The trip was a bit rolly with winds from the east at about 15 knots and seas 3 to 4 feet. We couldn’t read, so we turned on Morning Joe on the radio. We could have delayed another day, but we needed to move. While we look forward to our visit in the Abacos, we also have the feeling that we are headed north and headed “home.”
At one point, Linda came down to the galley and opened the faucet to get water. There was none. On investigation, Ken found that a fitting on the fresh water connection to the water maker failed and pumped 110 gallons of RO water into the bilge without us knowing it. Thankfully, we had another full tank of water to rely on, but we now turn off the fresh water pump when we run the boat. We’ll be making a lot of water in the next few days!
We anchored in the lee of Eleuthera, just north of Current Cut, and a few miles south of Spanish wells, positioning ourselves for the long passage (70 nautical miles, 10+ hours) to Tiloo Cay in the Abacos. To our surprise, we anchored right next to Blackthorn, who had left Rock Sound the day before to anchor at the Glass Window. We had cocktails aboard Escapade with Jim and Susan (since it was easier for them to get their dinghy down than for us). We will be making the passage to the Abacos with them tomorrow; they have the same plan to leave at dawn.
To the Abacos / Tiloo Cay / Lubbers Quarters
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011, Day 194. Current Cut, Eleuthera to Tiloo Cay, 
Abacos, a long and uneventful passage. We left at 6:00 am and easily went through Egg Island Cut to find 6 ‘ swells coming at us from the northeast while the winds were from the east. Though not really uncomfortable, once again, we couldn’t read. We listened to drama of the possible government shut down and took naps. We arrived at 4:00 pm, having sailed with Blackthorn all of the way. (Photo right is of Blackthorn from our pilothouse.) They anchored at Lynyard Cay. We continued a few miles further to Tiloo Cay, which Ken thought offered better holding and protection. We’ll look forward to catching up with Jim and Susan elsewhere in the Abacos over the next month.
The Abacos have a very different feel from the Exumas, Long Island, Cat Island, and Eleuthera. They are more developed, and more beautiful (see photos below). The biggest surprise is the abundance of evergreen trees along with a few palm trees. The water is gorgeous with the deep, dark blues and the turquoise hues in abundance in the same areas.
Saturday, April 9, 2011, Day 195. Tiloo Cay. 
Maintenance in the morning. We took a long dinghy ride in the afternoon (about 4 miles) on the west side of Tiloo Cay, and visited Tiloo Pond and Tavern Cay (see banner photo). The Tiloo Pond Resort (long low building top right) is for sale, as are
other properties we passed--a similar story to what we’ve seen on this trip since the Fall. On the way back to Escapade, we visited Jim and Susan on Blackthorn, who moved up here because Lynyard Cay was too crowded for them.
Sunday, April 10, 2011, Day 196. The weather is warm (upper 80s) and humid. We 
moved Escapade 2.8 nm from Tiloo Cay to 
Lubbers Quarters (isn’t that a great name?--probably the shortest journey of our cruise). We dinghied in and had lunch with Jim and Susan (Blackthorn) at Cracker P’s. Cracker P’s
is
and upscale Chat ‘n’ Chill. The fresh catch today was tuna--yum, yum. Linda, Jim and Susan walked a wooded trail to the beach on the other side of Lubbers Quarters, where we could see Escapade at anchor. 
We thought there would be roads, but apparently not. Seems like the people in these beautiful houses use boats as their means of travel. The water in the area is amazingly clear. You can see every detail on the bottom 10 feet below (see star fish below Escapade).
Monday, April 11, 2011, Day 197. The weather is warm, but a little more breezy and a little less humid. We stayed aboard all day. Linda cleaned the decks and made progress on knot-tying, almost mastering a Turks Head bracelet. Ken read and read and beat Linda at dominoes. On to Marsh Harbor tomorrow.
