S/V Koinonia Weekly Sailing Log - Eleuthera, Shroud, Land & Sea Park (Wed Apr 5 - Tue Apr 11, 2023)

Wed 4/5 - nice sailing as we depart from Current Cut, N. Eleuthera at first light but conditions rapidly became sporty as the East trades kicked up, gusting in the mid 20kts; sea state became confused with 3-4ft waves and current as we sailed onto the Exuma Banks.  Dramatic water color changes from aqua blue in Eleuthera, to deep ocean blue in Providence Channel, to an emerald green south of Fleeming Channel, then back to aqua along the coast of the northern Exumas. Conditions abated as we approached the western bank of the island chain. Dropped the hook at Normans Cay 9.5 hours after departure with average speed 6kts. Cleaned the salt off the boat, showers for all, and a simple charcuterie board for dinner.

Thu 4/6 - rain squall came through last night around 5am; had to jump out of bed to close all hatches. Winds milder today. Quiet time and reading the Bible with coffee and breakfast in the cockpit. Kids do school and chores. Fixed a broken stripper ring (actual name) on one of the cabin top winches for the staysail. Made water. Changed the voltage settings on the Victron Multiplus due to warmer temps to avoid overcharging/ damaging house batteries. Cleaned bottom of the boat in crystal clear water; bottom had a very light coat of mostly soft growth but overall, looked really good.  Made a baguette in the solar oven and broccoli cheddar soup. S/V Happy Pancake arrived; sundowners on their boat after dinner. Got home and realized the vent fan on the forward head of Koinonia stopped working; swapped it with a spare.

Fri 4/7 - sailing south to Shroud Cay on the west side, entering the Exumas Land and Sea Park. Used leftover baguette to make toasted sandwiches. Took the dinghy to the beach and met a family on a mega yacht who graciously invited us to join them for food and drinks; kids joined in on a water balloon fight; we helped the crew load all their beach gear; showers and dinner back on our boat.  Happy Pancake came over and we look at comps for their boat and talk logistics for putting their boat up for sale in the US.

Sat 4/8 - after breakfast, launched the dinghy and steered through the tidal mangrove creek from the west side of Shroud Cay to the east to visit washout inlet; stunningly beautiful beach; you can just jump into the current at the mouth of the creek and it sweeps you out to sea about 50 yards onto a shallow sandbar connected to the beach, so you can just walk back and do it over and over again. Kids had a blast. Left Shroud Cay for Warderick Wells. Beautiful sail in 8-10kts of E wind.  Anchored behind Emerald Rock.  Made shepherds pie for dinner.

Sun 4/9 - Easter Sunday! Went ashore to pay for 3 days of anchoring in the Land and Sea Park ($70.50 US). After a big breakfast, met up with our friends for snorkeling and time on the sandbar. We swam with turtles, large spotted eagle rays, and tons of reef fish. Lunch on the beach. Went back to the boat to avoid getting caught out in an ominous squall but it ended up passing to the north. Moved the boat closer to shore for greater protection from wind/weather expected Tue. Salmon patties for dinner, flashlight Easter Egg hunt on Koinonia, and a movie.

Mon 4/10 - quiet time, then went ashore and hiked around Warderick Wells; some very large and deep (scary) pits in the limestone hills, right on the main trail over to Pirates Layer. A squall formed and generated two water spouts; one was quite large. Went back to the boat for lunch and for the girls to finish school. Studied the weather and our route south from Warderick Wells to George Town with two stops along the way. Took the kids to Whale Beach and hiked Boo Boo Hill, where we placed a cross made of driftwood that read, “Jesus Loves You,,” along with our boat name. Amber made a delicious chicken curry for dinner.  Watched X-men 2.

Tue 4/11 - stormy weather today with winds in the mid-20s gusting to 30. This is only the second proper rain we’ve encountered in nearly 2 months in the Bahamas. Quiet time and school. Made chai tea. Rain continued most of the day. Got lots of small boat chores and school work done. Lizzy is feeling unwell and running a low grade fever. Video call with our friends on S/V Sunshine to discuss buddy boating plans to sail south to Grenada for the summer.

S/V Koinonia