Day 15 Morning at Manjack Cay and on to Green Turtle Cay. April 6. Miles 6.4 Total Miles. 431.7

Day 15

Another beautiful sunny day, a little less breezy - so we launched the dinghy to explore Manjack and Crab Cay.

We landed on Crab Cay and as it was low tide, we could walk all around the point to view the pass between Crab and Manjack Cays and look for green sea turtles.

As we walked along the coral rock beach, we saw 2 juvenile green turtles and Bill found a well worn conch and a few sea biscuits.

After exploring the beach we got back in the dinghy and entered the shallow creek famous as a green turtle sanctuary. We floated around and saw at least 8 juveniles(shells about 1-2 feet) and one large green turtle ( 3-4 feet). Adult green turtles can live up to 80 years and weigh up to 300-350 pounds. Unfortunately, turtles are very camera shy, so I did not get a good picture!

Next we took a dinghy ride to Coco Plum Beach, a beautiful sandy crescent of beach, but the winds were picking up so we did not land, instead headed back to Crustacean. Was fun exploring!

After a quick lunch, Carol and Gary on Juggernaut came into the anchorage. We hailed them to share our exploring adventures.

We then readied the boat to leave the anchorage and headed toward Green Turtle Cay where we will stay for a few days to wait out a northern front that is passing through.

As we left, the waters were a magnificent turquoise. the first photo shows the anchorage and the second shows the rugged limestone cliff on the north side of Crab Cay.

Turning south, we can see Green Turtle Cay as it is only 4 miles away! Green Turtle Cay is a small island with a population of 450 people. The cay is named for the green sea turtle which frequented these waters. The island supports the fishing and boating industries, with marinas, restaurants and marine supplies.

On the island's southern end is the major settlement of New Plymouth which was founded in 1786 by British Loyalist fleeing America after the Revolutionary War.

As we got close to Green Turtle Cay, we could see large homes along the shoreline and bluffs.

Halfway down the island we pass the waterfront of New Plymouth and entered Black Sound to moor for the night.

We passed several anchored boats and then entered the mooring field and harbor. Bill could not resist taking a picture of this boat and its rubber duckies.

To our surprise, we learned that the dock we were to moor to was under repair so we had to quickly shift gears and lines to accommodate picking up a mooring ball. The dock should be repaired tomorrow so we can move to our rightful spot.

Reflections on the Bahamas

Reflections on the Bahamas Over the past 10 weeks, we have traveled through Abaco, Eleuthera and Exuma Islands and enjoyed the hospitality of the Bahamian people. We have learned all about the islands, its unique geography - limestone, caves, blue holes and chalk cliffs; and colorful history-pirates and rum running, salt ponds and cotton plantations, boat building and wrecking/salvage. Traveling over 1300 miles through narrow cuts and wide bays to vast depths of ocean, we negotiated the islands and found safe harbors, calm coves for anchoring, bays filled with moorings and marinas large and small. This trip required us to pay close attention to the weather, the tides and currents as we traveled between and through the islands. The Bahamian people are warm and friendly, willing to give us rides, advice and directions, as well as some secret recipes!! We enjoyed hiking trails, walking the beaches, snorkeling the coral rocks and reefs, discovering ruins and ol...

June 4-5. Day 63-64. On to Cape May New Jersey. 53.4nm. Total 1534 miles.

Left Delaware City at 5:35am to be able to take advantage of the strong currents going with us while traversing Delaware River and Delaware Bay. The Delaware River goes south about 15 miles and flows into the Delaware Bay. As we travel south, New Jersey is to the east and Delaware is to our west. We are traveling just outside the shipping channel and are really moving at 10.9 knots. That is three knots faster than we normally travel, as the outgoing tides are pushing us along. Nice to have Mother Nature helps us save on fuel. The Delaware River is about 8 miles wide so there is plenty of room for the freighters and the pleasure boats. So far, we have not encountered any commercial traffic, but there is a large freighter behind us that will eventually pass us as they travel at 14 knots. The Delaware Bay proper varies from 23-29 miles wide and 26 miles long. There are five lighthouses on the Delaware marking the shipping channel. We went by Ship J...

Day 121-122. 2nd year. September 21-22. On to Chicago and returning to Hammond Harbor. Miles 26. Total miles 4116

Woke to prepare for a short trip to a mooring can in Monroe Harbor, Chicago. Will meet up with Bill’s cousins to take them on a boat ride down the Chicago River. As we leave Hammond, the Chicago skyline is very visible on the horizon on this hazy morning. The seas are calm and winds light as we traveled with only a few tugs as our company on Lake Michigan. The closer we get to Chicago, you could recognize some of the more unique skyscrapers along the skyline. We hooked up to a mooring can in Monroe Harbor with the help of Capt Val from her Harbor tender. Soon afterward, Bill’s cousin Mike and his wife Karen, and cousin Ron were ferried to the boat and we made ready to take the boat ride down the Chicago River. We left the harbor, past the lighthouse and turned north to get to the lock at the entrance to the Chicago River. Had to wait for a boat to lock through ahead of us, then we proceeded into the lock to lock down about 3-4 feet i...

Crustacean Travels

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