on to Georgetown

     We ave enjoyed our time at the dock in Spanish Wells, but with our repairs complete it's time to move on. Chris especially liked having all the hot water she wanted. We normally are very conservative with our water and heat it off the engine. Long showers are a treat. It was nice being at a dock but also noisy as we were close to the main waterfront street and much of the traffic is golfcarts which are louder than cars.

Ship Channel Cay
     Heading out early we had a mix of good sailing then motorsailing for 9 hours back south to Ship Channel Cay in Northern Exuma. Anchored off the beach late afternoon then went conch hunting where I was able to pick up 6 nice conch. I was going to say caught them but since they move at a snails pace that wouldn't be very accurate. The trick is finding them, the young ones stand out because of their shiny shell but as they grow they also build up a layer of grassy growth that makes them blend in with their surroundings.

Shroud Cay
     On the move again while the winds are in our favor we sail south 4 hours to Shroud Cay in the Exuma National Park. This preserve stretches 22 nm along the chain of islands and encompasses both private and public cays. It is a no take zone which makes the snorkeling excellent. We spent the afternoon exploring and hanging out on one of it's many pristine beaches. 

Wardrick Wells
     One of our favorite stops is the protected mooring field at the park headquarters. With stormy weather expected we motor south into a rough chop the 13 miles to our reserved mooring. Spent Sun and Mon hiking the trails, snorkeling and lazing on the beach. Tradition calls for visiting boats to leave a driftwood sign atop Boo Boo hill  and we added a 9th  year to our boat sign.

Chris filling in my carving with nail polish, we forgot paint

atop boo boo hill

Rudder Cay
     With winds finally coming from the north we opt to move south for a great 40 st mi. run to anchor at Rudder Cay. We flew by many of our favorite stops but decided to take advantage of the winds to move to Georgetown in time for Regatta.

Georgetown
     Still working south we motor sail 36 st mi to Stocking Island to anchor at Monument beach.  This past week we have covered about 150 nm(173 statute mi) with only one lay day.  We plan to hang out here for a while to enjoy the festivities that go along with the Family Islands Regatta.