Day 53-54. 2nd year. July 13-14. Lay day in Wani Bay and on to Echo Bay Sans Souci. Miles 8. Total. 3490

It rained most of the early morning til 9:00. The boat got a good rinse! The sun tried to make an appearance but most of the day was cloudy, til 4:00.

After conferring with our weather apps we decided to stay here for the day as the winds were strong out of the northeast, bringing cold air. Believe it or not was wearing a sweat shirt for most of the day even though it was mid July.

Our task for the day was to flush out the details of our tentative agenda through Georgian Bay. We now have options for stops and researched marinas and provisioning stops for the next two to three weeks.

As the sun came out we were visited by a neighboring boater who shared options to get Canadian weather and some choice anchorages in Georgian Bay.

We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather, cooked our dinner and used my new bird song app to identify the songbirds in the forest surrounding the anchorage.

A nice quiet day!

Here are some drone shots from Wani Bay.

Day 54. Echo Bay off Sans Souci Island. Miles 9. Total miles. 3491

On this beautiful sunny day we weighed anchor and left Wani Bay.

We threaded our way through the entrance to Starvation Bay, quite narrow so we took it slowly.

We then entered the narrow channel by Echo Island were we had to slow almost to a stop to allow another boat coming out and then Whoa! We had to stop to let a seaplane out!! That was a first. We continued up the slow winding channel and entered Echo Bay to anchor with three other boats.

The anchorage is similar to Wani Bay except no cottages- a rocky shoreline with forest and lots of song birds. Also the water here is much clearer.

I added three new songbird to my favorite list. Besides the Song Sparrow, I added the Eastern Flicker, Winter Wren and Red Eyed Vireo. The forest is filled with their song.

After lunch, a dinghy approached us and we met Dale and Frank. They gave us pointers on anchorages in Georgian Bay. When they tried to leave, their dinghy would not start, so we took them back to their boat and towed their dinghy behind us. Was a bit of a trip as they were anchored up the next bay over from us. Along the way we chatted about sailing and what it takes to live aboard a boat. When we got to their sailboat, they invited us aboard. Thanks for the hospitality!

Bill also got to pretend that he was sailing again!

Returning to our boat, we had a lovely evening in Echo Bay, cooked out on the grill and enjoyed the sunset.

Here are some drone shots from Echo Bay.

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

Crustacean Travels

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