Bahamas Again

We are on our way to the Bahamas once again. It is hard for us to believe this will be our ninth time sailing to the Bahamas. It is also hard to believe the time to leave is upon us already. Where did the summer go?!

We left home shortly before noon today and sailed three hours in a nice south wind. It was a sunny day and—with most of the enclosure up—quite comfortable in the cockpit. We anchored off of Tilghman Island near the mouth of the Choptank River and plan to sail down the Chesapeake in a west wind tomorrow and the next day. 

The dinghy was attached to the arch but not secured for “offshore mode” yet. It is quite a production to put it in that mode, requiring different attachments to raise it high as well as ratchet straps and extra lines to keep it from moving in lumpy seas.   George went to work on it after we dropped the anchor. 

Speaking of the anchor, one this summer’s projects was to replace the anchor windlass. If you read the blog last year you may remember that our windlass broke. Although George repaired the broken windlass in the Bahamas, there were worn parts that couldn’t be replaced. We both thought it might be time for a new windlass. Unfortunately, the model we had was no longer made and the replacement model didn’t have the same footprint. Fortunately for us, Jimmy at Generation III came up with a brilliant solution and our new windlass is now securely installed. It is so quiet I didn’t even realize it was running when George dropped the anchor. 

                                          Passing the Choptank River Lighthouse as we leave Cambridge. 

                                                    Construction on the new large travel lift at Yacht Maintenance. 

                                                                      Securing the dinghy for offshore mode.