Last night was the windiest night we’ve had so far. The fun started around 11PM and by 1AM it was a steady 25 knots gusting to 35. Along with that we had a few short episodes of rain which forced a mad dash in the middle of the night to close hatches and portholes. We didn’t want to keep them closed all night as it would make the cabin really stuffy. It sounds rough, but since the wind was mostly out of the NE – E, the Big Majors West anchorage provides excellent protection. We still got the full fury of the wind, but there was no swell, and the boat did not bounce around. The holding on the bottom here is excellent and from what we could tell, none of the 50+ boats in the anchorage moved very much as they all seemed to be in the same place when the sun came up this morning. Our ground tackle performed superbly, and we didn’t move an inch (65Lb. Mantus anchor, 70’ of 3/8” chain, 20’ rope bridle with chafe covering). The wind stayed well above 20 knots all day today and is just now (7:30PM) starting to drop into the high teens. It’s going to remain brisk all tonight and tomorrow, but not as bad as last night. It’s hard to describe the sounds in the rigging from all the closely packed boats in the anchorage when the wind blows as hard as it did last night. Tom was up most of the night and Paula slept through it.

Whatever last night was like for folks in the anchorage, this morning was party time for a group of enthusiastic and intrepid kite surfers who began flying across the anchorage shortly after dawn (featured image).

The winds were so strong that several times we saw the kite lift the surfer and his board many feet in the air for yards at a time. As of this writing, thirty minutes before sunset, they are still at it.  They cover ground very quickly. Some go so far from here that we can barely see the kites. One surfer seemed to enjoy staying in the anchorage: dodging in between the anchored boats, indicating either tremendous skill and experience or a death wish.

Today was kind of a quiet day for most of the anchored boats. The wind seemed to discourage many from the usual watersports. Having said that, we did see one gentleman swimming across the anchorage with snorkel gear on. His wife followed him in the dinghy. Maybe he is in training for a triathlon. We listened to the VHF chatter for a while. Always entertaining. We heard social plans being made, commentary on weather, and some good old-fashioned gossip. There was a get-together on one of the cruiser beaches (which I heard was called Pirate Beach), but many folks seemed to be resting in their cockpits-possibly making up for lost sleep last night.

Tommy and I had a lazy day, reading and napping and people-watching. Cell service was intermittent, and then went down abruptly. We heard VHF talk of a power outage on Staniel Cay, which may account for this.

Tonight’s dinner featured as main dish a repeat of the leftover red beans, sausage, and rice. This was accompanied by the despised but nutritionally necessary canned spinach, tricked out like an old whore with spices.  Drop biscuits with butter and fruit compote completed the meal.