Final Leg
Hello again. I apologize for the amount of time since the last blog. Spent some family time at home over the Holidays and worked at the office for a few weeks. Flew back down to St. Thomas with an excellent crew, Bunky Wichmann, on Saturday Jan. 17th. We got on the Bella Gatta late that night and spent all Sunday cleaning and getting ready to head north Monday early. The next destination was Grand Turk Island, 402 miles northwest of St. Thomas.
When we set out the winds were light and from the southeast. The sails were set all the way out since the wind was from behind. With just two crew the shifts steering came around quickly. Three hours on, three hours off. Bunky is such a positive guy that the trip went by quickly despite the 68 hours on the ocean. Catching 4 great fish (2 tuna and 2 mahi) added to the enjoyment of the passage. We arrived at Grand Turk after dark and navigating the huge coral reefs at night made my teeth a little shorter. But we finally anchored at 10PM and immediately mixed several rum drinks before an uninterupted sleep.
We have been working our way up the island chain called the Turks and Caicos. They are 3000 to 15,000 tall mountains that flatten off at sealevel. So we are sailing along in 5000 feet deep water and it goes to 20 feet in a few hundred yards. Pretty spectacular underwater topography. The people are poor but very friendly. The fisherman in the photos is named Subi. We asked him if he had any fresh lobster. He hopped on his bike and came back with 6 tails. He refused to take any money for them. He said God gave them to him and he was giving them to us. How nice is that!
Bunky flies home tomorrow and I am on my own for an indefinite period of time. Have some crossings to the Exumas that are 70 miles or so. Will wait for some good weather windows so the sailing should be safe. Keep your fingers crossed for fair winds and smooth seas. Steve