On Tuesday, 3/10/2020 the wind finally abated somewhat and shifted directions. We left GBYC at 8:45 am and headed out Bell Channel. As soon as we cleared the jetties, the wind and seas pounded us. We were seeing 6-8 foot seas as we turned west out of the channel.
We could sail downwind, initially with a motor assist, at about 8-10 knots under a reefed Genoa. Shortly, we were able to turn off the motor. As you can see by the charted track, we gradually turned NW and the wind seemed to shift with us a bit. Eventually, we were on a beam reach.
As we passed Freeport, we saw lots of ship traffic. You can see cargo ships and cruise ships in every direction. None of them cause us any problem.
We made excellent time and arrived at West End at 12:30 pm and checked into the Old Bahama Bay Marina. The marina has fixed docks and no one from the marina bothered to help us dock, but they showed up later to make sure we checked in.
On the way to the dock masters office, we ran into a food cart where the guy was selling conch salad. I picked up one of those on the way back. Not as good as the one in Lucaya, but still hit the spot.
The marina had a few boats that were heading south. Several had been holed up there for several days waiting for a break in the weather. Otherwise, the marina was 75% empty. Given the current state of the Covid-19 situation, I wonder what happened to the people we met on the docks, who were heading into the Bahamas. Hope it all worked out for them.
