Friday, March 2nd

Resisting the urge to sleep in after a long day and a late night, we are up and underway early from Old Bahama Bay at low tide.  From West End, we transit the well-traveled shallow waters of Indian Cay Channel to gain entrance to Little Bahama Bank.  There are no buoys or markers of any kind in this channel.  Instead, we rely on a series of waypoints (latitude and longitude cooridinates) published in a popular cruising guide to sound our way through this skinny entrance.  In this narrow channel, there is only a foot of water under the keel of Cutter Loose.  Once beyond Barracuda Shoal, depths increase to a more comfortable 8 to 11 feet.  

With sunny skies, crystal clear aquamarine water and moderate 15 knot winds from the south, it is a magnificent day for sailing east across the Bank.  The water is of such clarity that the shadows formed by our sails can clearly be seen on the white sandy bottom of these pristine waters.   All 50 miles of today's journey is sailed with the wind on the beam and on the same tack with only one slight course adjustment at Mangrove Cay.  This is sailing paradise.

Little Bahama Bank is a shallow sea protected by by low lying islands (cays) to the north and Grand Bahama Island to the south.  There are no barriers to the wind, but ample protection from ocean swells, which keeps the water relatively calm.  The resort towns of Freeport and Lucaya are located 25 miles to the south on the southern coast of Grand Bahama Island.  We will bypass these destinations, opting instead for the cruising grounds further east in the Abacos.

[caption id="attachment_3142" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Red sky at night..."][/caption]

Our destination for today is an overnight anchorage at Great Sale Cay.  Cutter Loose is anchored on the northwest side of the island in the lee of the Cay.  We are rewarded with yet another outstanding view of the sunset, this time enhanced by interesting cloud formations.