dispatch 27 Feb

Georgetown is about at the middle of Great Exuma Island, on Elizabeth Harbour, a sheltered bay about 5 miles long and 1 mile wide. The bay does not go all the way to the north end of Great Exuma Island. Coming south from Staniel Cay, Black Point, etc. you can travel on the banks (calm water 10 feet deep) behind the islands all the way down to the north end of Great Exuma Island, then there is about 15 miles of sailing on Exuma Sound, deep water (3000 feet deep) to enter the cut for Elizabeth Harbour. The last cut to get out into the Sound is about 5 miles north of the end of the island. Rolleville, where the kiteboarding lessons are, is at the north end of the island, so I did not go out into the Sound, but continued south behind the islands. This was real tricky. All the water was shallow, with just the guess of where deep water was. Deep water? it was continuously showing 5 feet on the depth meter. I run aground at when it reads 4.2 feet, so I had only inches under the keel. I white-knuckled my way through the serpentine channel, sometimes only a boat length from rocky ledges and cliffs, trying to discern darker shades of light-green-shallow-water. It was good that the weather was perfect and the sun was still high. I got to what is considered an excellent anchorage, which was a fall back place to anchor for the night, and continued on, trying to get as close to Rolleville as I could. There was a place on the chart that showed shallower water than the rest of the channel. I had 0.6 miles to go to get to deep water. I was dead slow, moving about 2 knots. The meter read 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, and I smoothly came to a stop. I turned her around, powered back to floating water, went a bit south and tried again. Slid to a stop. I tried two bits north with the same results. This transparent water is interesting. The keel sliding through the top inches of the sand leaves a trail of, well it looks like dust. It reminded me of an airplane leaving a contrail. After a few more tries I gave up and went back to that perfect anchorage. I anchored in 4.5 feet of water about four boat lengths from a rocky cliff maybe 50 feet high. That would give me shelter from the 20 knot winds forecasted. I went swimming later on and in the transparent water the boat looked suspended 4 inches off the bottom. Gosh this is beautiful. After a wonderful shower, during rum on the foredeck, I watched the tide rise on the cliff. I was trying to cross the shallow area at low tide. I would  try it again at high tide.
  I have learned two things so far. At a cut, outgoing tidal current against an east wind creates what they call a "rage". That is dangerous. I also have learned to do the tricky stuff at high tide. Thank you for the Tides32 program. High tide today was at 10:36. At 10:00 I upped anchor, and uneventfully crossed the shallow area into deeper water. That was a great relief because I was boxed in. If I couldn't continue on I would have to backtrack many miles back through the tricky stuff in less than ideal conditions. Now to get to Rolleville I need to out a cut, go about 3 miles past an island, then a cut in at Rolleville. It is too shallow for me to go behind the island.  So tomorrow I will try to time it to go out the first cut on the rising tide, and go in at Rolleville at high tide and find an anchorage. If I can not find a suitable anchorage I need to get back out and back here before the outgoing current starts. Stay tuned.
  I made bread today, it is cooking now. I put the first sweet potato in the oven also to cook. This is my first try at cooking a sweet potato. Stay tuned. The bananas lasted a week. The carrots are still good but getting limp, and I cut the ends off where they were going bad. The apples are beginning to not have a crisp bite, and the oranges and grapefruits are doing just fine. I didn't think any of it would last this long. Fresh  fruit here is dear. I gave a bag of oranges, apples, grapefruit and carrots to Vic and Gigi. That was better than any bottle of rum.
  In 15 minutes the bread comes out of the oven. I don't want to eat too much because I am going for a swim in about an hour. I measured the water temp, 78 degrees, and there is no current. makes it really nice. Then to the foredeck to watch the tide rise.
  All my love,
Bill
  My goodness! That bread is good!