Warderick Wells update

Once again, thanks to the delivery crew of Matt, Tim and Drew for the help in bringing Triumph from Tampa to Nassau. A great crew and a great passage. To beat a strong frontal system we kept pushing the boat hard, and made it to Nassau in exactly three days, 72 hours. That’s fast. It’s about 450 nm so that means we averaged over 6.25 knots. We got a big boost from the Gulf Stream, which at times lifted our speed as high as 9.3 knots. Because we got into Nassau early, we went into town, toured the fort, and visited with other boats. Lori and Gord on “Awesome Asset” invited us over for a pork tenderloin dinner Tuesday night. Then on Weds night, we had a big steak dinner on board to celebrate our safe passage, and my retirement.

On Thursday Elaine flew in. We visited the grocery store and bought a few things, including a rack of pork ribs that were on sale. We departed Nassau after the big winds of a frontal system passed through. We spent the first night not far from Nassau at an island named Rose Island. We had a nice walk on the beach, had a rum drink with our friends on Awesome Asset, and watched the sunset. I know you can only imagine how beautiful it is here, but if you haven’t done it lately, grab a chair, a cocktail, and watch the sun go down until there is no light left. Somehow, this seems to minimize what you might consider problems in your day. It’s good medicine.

We visited Allen’s Cay, first after leaving the Nassau area. It’s about a 30 mile sail, and the wind was perfecto. The anchorage there is just gorgeous, and the iguanas, well, not too handsome looking. We had bought grapes to feed these creatures, and they gladly accepted our gifts, but, iguanas don’t smile, wag their tails, or even act like they like you or appreciate the food.

Due to the potential of another semi strong front, Awesome Asset and Triumph set sail for Warderick Wells after a very nice stay at Highborne Cay. At Highborne, Dave and Leslie on “Texas Two Step” (a cat) organized a bonfire on the beach. We met a lot of other cruisers there and had a good time talking about many things, but, the main topic with cruisers always seems to get around to the weather. We listen in to Chris Parker on 4045 Khz on the single sideband radio at 6:30 AM every morning. Just imagine listening to the weather for 45 minutes? Sounds impossible, but our planning and daily lives revolve around the weather. Will we stay put, or move on? Is there good protection from a north wind where we are?

Yesterday's activities included a hike to Boo Boo Hill where we posted our Triumph sign board. Thanks to our friend Chib for the professional lettering on our sign. We also had a snorkeling expedition where we saw many giant lobsters, which are protected here in the marine park.

To my friend Frank – everything on the boat is working well. The only failure is the LED light on the propane switch. There have been a few other fixes, but all systems are still “go”.

I’ve posted a few pictures of our current location, Warderick Wells, where we’ll sit out a front coming through on Saturday. We’ll do internet about every other day while here.

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