L is for Landrail

The Bird Rock lighthouse that guards the reef as you approach Crooked Island.

This picture of Bird Rock was in Gibson's Restaurant. We are glad that the ocean was calmer when we arrived at Landrail Point. The last trip to Crooked and Acklins we hadn't had the opportunity of visitng Landrail Point on Crooked Island. After many days of waiting for a break in the weather and taking Stugeron (sea sick medicine) while at anchor we motor sailed up to this tiny settlement of 50 people. What they lack in numbers they make up in friendliness. Shawnelle who runs the local gas station pumped our diesel for us and gave us a ride in her jeep to the beach where we had Goldberry pulled up. Then she proceeded to give us a ride around the little community and dropped us off at Gibson's Restaurant. Willemina or Willie told us that she would make us conch dinners for pick up after lunch and we were pleased to hear that. Her daughter-in-law and new four month old baby boy chauffered us around (me holding the baby in the front seat of her car) from one tiny grocery store to the next with narry a vegetable to be found. After three stops we had 6 onions, three oranges and two small yoghurts!?! Once again it is a good thing that we are well provisioned on the good ship Celebrian. After two trips for diesel and our big shop we returned after lunch to Gibson's Restaurant to pick up our dinners and I was able to do the last blog entry....twice in a matter of speaking. Nothing is easy or ever works quite the way you expect it will. Nonetheless we had had a good day and were treated very well in Landrail; however we had to leave the anchorage because of the nasty surge that the point gets. We were picking our way through the coral heads just before sunset but once we were safely anchored and we opened our dinner we found not only our conch meals but a plate of chicken wings and two pieces of roll cake. It had been worth the effort to visit the good folks in Landrail.

We had planned on leaving Crooked and sailing south to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The window of weather that we needed slammed shut by 36 hours and it was no longer possible for us to get to our destination in time. Chris Parker forecast one of the nastiest cold fronts this winter so we had to decide where to go where we could be safe and comfortable. We are presently in Mayaguana in Abraham's Bay. Mayaguana is the most eastern Bahamian island and still offers us a chance to get to the Dominican Republic if the weather ever cooperates. We had another long and arduous 26 hours of motor sailing to get here but at least we are safe and reasonably comfortable. I now know why sailing to windward is called the thorny path? Today, Tuesday March 7th we have been told by Chris Parker to expect winds of 20 to 35 plus and more in squalls and that we are here for at least a week? We were going to try and put Mr. Johnston on Goldberry and get to town today but it is just too rough and not safe to do. We are hoping that we might be able to paddle the kayaks to shore with a change of clothes in our dry bags and walk to town. If we don't do it today we won't get off the boat for at least another five days. Just think about that....five long days boat bound with your partner in a space the size of most people's bathroom ensuite?! I am writing today before I become a little stir crazy and while it is not too rolly below decks. Does anyone wish they were here?

The captain needed a little nap with Sea Bear after our overnight passage. Today is Saturday March 11th and we are still in Mayaguana after having several days of squalls with winds gusting to 40. We have had to take our sea sick medicine for a couple of days as the waves were close to three feet in our reef protected anchorage. We haven't had the dreaded corkscrew death roll but we have had a lively boat nonetheless. Before the winds really picked up we managed to paddle to shore and walk to town but when we got to the little dock area we couldn't get across the channel because of a mangrove creek and thick brush...so near yet so far away. We have tried to stay busy doing a few boat jobs, reading and baking; however it isn't easy being below decks when the boat is rocking. Today the wind is down a little so we have launched the dinghy and are going to motor over to the tiny settlement of Abraham's Bay.

We are feeling somewhat thwarted by the weather forecast as Chris Parker has just told us the next week will be steady 20 knot winds with little change. Three years ago when we sailed to the Dominican Republic with First Edition we had such an easy time and this year it has been a struggle with very few decent weather windows. We haven't given up but we are losing our momentum and at some point we have to decide whether to push onward or turn back to The Abacos. We are still hoping to sail to Great Inagua and the windward passage to the DR but we have to have the right conditions to do so.

The squalls have been constant this week.