When you picture cruising, you probably imagine yourself anchored next to a gorgeous beach in crystal clear waters. While this is the goal for tropical cruising, it is not always the reality.
We are currently cruising in the Bahamas, where crystal clear waters are measured against. Every island you encounter is a magical universe unique onto itself. Yet, in this paradise, we have been confined for almost a week!
As we were sailing from Freeport to Nassau, a strong easterly wind came upon us. We nestled ourselves into the protection of Slaughter Harbor, located between Great Stirrup and Little Stirrup (Coco Cay) Cay. Both Stirrup islands are privately owned by cruise lines, so we are not allowed to step foot on their sands. This sort of makes us trapped in our own boat until the winds finish blowing.
The thing is, the winds have been blowing at 20-30 knots for the past 5 days, and seem to show little intent on letting up.
This means that we have spent the last week in our boat, waiting for weather to improve so that we can continue sailing on. Our anchorage has been a little rolly, with waves as big as 3 feet developing in the protected anchorage, but that is nothing when compared to the 8 to 16 foot waves that roll by in the deep blue waters outside of the anchorage.
Waiting for better weather is always the wise thing to do. There is no point in risking the safety of the crew or boat because you get tired of waiting for better weather. Part of cruising is the relaxed schedule. This isn't a charter boat where we only have a week to see what we came here for, this is a voyage where we have all the time we want. When we feel ready, we then move on to the next destination.
So, here we sit, waiting for the weather to blow over, and waiting for better weather to begin sailing again.
