Monday, June 12, 2017   Mad Jack Cay to Marsh Harbor, Abacos, Bahamas

Another day greeted by a beautiful sunrise.    Doug and Rowland are late risers – usually poke their heads out somewhere between 7:30 and 8 (literally poke their heads out since they must come up from the respective hulls.)

We had a challenge today trying to get underway to our next destination.  When we hoisted the anchor, there were two rather large pieces of wood connected by wire that were wrapped on the anchor.  Looked a bit like a cross … which could be viewed as either a good or bad sign for the day.   After much wrangling, with Rowland dangling over the front of the boat, the wire was cut and the wood fell away.  Of all the places in the ocean, our anchor snagged on the wood.  Never a dull moment.

Captain Doug and I practiced raising the main sail by ourselves.  The sail is made of carbon fiber and is hoisted up a 90’ mast.  It is a more than a bit heavy and tricky to raise.  We had purchased headsets to help us communicate while doing these types of operations, since it can be a challenge to hear across a 55’ boat.  We set the boat into the wind using autopilot.  Doug handled the sail on the top and I was on the electric winch in the ‘pit’.  It worked well – no swear words were exchanged and sail went up smoothly.

We had a very nice relaxing sail that required several tacks.  Deb was placed at the wheel to make the turn while Doug managed the sails.  I must say this sailing can really get annoying – just as I was getting to a good part in my book, the phrase “we are going to tack again hon” rang out and back to the helm I went.

Doug and Rowland were grinning ear to ear, loving the sail and how the boat was handling.  At one point, we came up behind another catamaran, a charter cat not necessarily designed for speed, but it was still fun to sail right past them as they stood on deck and watched.  OK, not exactly the America’s Cup, I admit.

We decided to change our course for Marsh Harbor which is across the strait from Man ‘o War.  Marsh Harbor is a somewhat larger town than Man ‘o War where we could refuel and replenish the water in our tanks.   We had a wonderful dinner at a small restaurant overlooking the harbor, named Snappa’s.  There were two large tables of locals that were celebrating their daughters’ high school graduations.