After a week of E winds we are back to this winter’s pattern of three cold fronts a week, each bringing W winds. We left Emerald Bay this morning just as a front was arriving. The squalls on the radar didn’t look bad so we made the decision to sail to Thompson Bay. We left the marina as it started to rain, but before the wind filled in. We sailed downwind with just the mainsail in 20-24 knots of wind and 4-6 foot seas. We averaged 7.1 knots of speed for the trip and we were frequently moving at 8 knots, even 10 knots at times. It was a bit of a wild ride—we both commented that it felt like an offshore passage.
Sunrise surrounded by squalls as we exited Emerald Bay.
As always, the camera doesn’t capture the depth of the waves.
We chose to return to Thompson Bay because it offers some protection from W and NW winds and we prefer to be here rather than George Town. Also, since George Town no longer allows anchoring in Master’s Harbour our options there are limited. Of course, we could have stayed at the Marina at Emerald Bay but we were ready to move on. I do want to acknowledge, though, that I was grateful for many things while we stayed there including: long, hot showers; trash can right next to the boat; ease of getting off the boat to go for walks; ability to plug into shore power when we needed to top off the battery; and free laundry. Nevertheless, we are happy to be at anchor again.
Sunrise surrounded by squalls as we exited Emerald Bay.
As always, the camera doesn’t capture the depth of the waves.
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