Finally, Arrived at Paradise

Manjack Cay, Bahamas
25 04.96 N 077 21.04 W

We finally made it. It seemed like a very long time to get here because we had to fight the wind most of the way. When we were sailing East, the wind was from the East. When it came time for us to turn South, the wind swung around to the South.

We usually cruise under power at 1800 RPM. The other day I got bored and cranked it up to 2200 RPM. That wasn't good. The engine temperature went from 180 degrees up to 210. I backed off to 2100 RPM and the temperature held at 200F. That made us go 20% faster than at 1800 RPM. However, after a day and a half of that, I found that our fuel consumption doubled. 20% faster travel for 100% more fuel is not a good bargain.

Having said all that, we're at the right place. Manjack Cay is beautiful. A short dinghy ride from here is a lovely beach that we can enjoy while having it all to ourselves. We can also go snorkeling, and I know where there are some colonies of conchs that we can pick up. Its about time for us to learn to clean and eat conch. We'll also have 2-3 days of mild weather to relax and enjoy it. Relax and enjoy is exactly our plan.

We also have the treat of having our friends Penny and Richard nearby on their Westsail 42 Viking Rose. We last saw Richard and Penny in Marathon, and we last saw their boat in Ocracoke, NC last fall.