Enough Excitement

Yesterday we left Harbour Island and sailed 59 miles north to the Abacos. It was enough that we would be transiting the Devil’s Backbone for the first time on our own. To top it off we met a 180 ft, 80 ft wide cargo ship in the Devil’s Backbone. Talk about heart palpitations! We left our anchorage just as the sun was rising. About an hour later, as we were preparing to enter the most narrow part of the Devil’s Backbone, I zoomed the chartplotter out and saw the ship on AIS. It looked as if it was getting ready to enter the Devil’s Backbone. We could hear radio chatter that sounded like the pilot was getting ready to board the ship. I slowed Breeze On down thinking I could wait for them in a wider spot. It was quite choppy, though, and there was no way I could hold a position without boat speed. We thought about turning around but we had already gone through other narrow sections so that didn’t seem like a good option. George hailed the ship in the radio and the pilot acknowledged that he saw us and said to come ahead, we would pass starboard to starboard. We made it through and breathed a sigh of relief. 

We then had what we call a “sporty” sail to the Abacos. The wind was 15-20 knots and the wind-driven seas were 4-6 feet on our port aft quarter with the occasional 8 foot wave. Just as we were approaching the Little Harbor Cut the wind picked up to 24 knots making our transit through the cut quite exciting.  Fortunately, the wind calmed down by the time we reached our anchorage. We were happy that the anchor set and we could finally relax. We had enough excitement for one day. 

We weren’t so lucky with the anchor yesterday. After going ashore and takings nice walk to the point at the bottom of the harbor, we raised the anchor and attempted to move a few miles north.  Although we had already anchored in our intended spot early in the week, this time we just couldn’t get the anchor to set. We finally gave up and returned to a spot a mile north of the one we had left. 

We will most likely be in the Abacos a few weeks, waiting for a weather window to sail north toward home. 

I did not take a photo of the ship, Costa VI, but George found this one on Marine Traffic. 

Walking up the steps that led to the road that goes to the point. We had quite a time finding the trail that leads to the steps. We had to ask directions twice. 

The point. This is the other entrance into the harbor.