The little anchorage at Chub Cay was snug, and the winds moderated making for a good night in the cockpit. At 4:30 a.m. a rooster began quietly crowing on shore-far enough away that it wasn’t jarring, but close enough to be a very gentle chicken alarm clock. We were the first boat out of the anchorage, but had been preceded by several large sport fishermen from the marina. They were clearly hot on the tail of some Wahoo, which is a very popular fish to catch this time of year.

Our destination today was an island just to the east of Nassau called Rose Island. The weather for the next two nights appear to fit the bill for anchoring out, so we decided to enjoy what we hope will be a peaceful couple nights at anchor before heading into a marina for the bad weather approaching on the weekend. To get to Rose Island from Chub Cay is a straight shot across a 50 mile stretch of very deep ocean (close to 10,000 feet deep!). The conditions today were, as one of our dinner friends last night describes, “sporty”. The waves were 4-5 feet and the wind about 13-15 knots out of the ESE. Since we were heading SE, that meant we were beating into the wind for the entire ride. We had just enough angle to motor sail with the main and the staysail. Having those two sails up even though we were motoring stabilized the boat in the waves very nicely and gave us a lift of speed. Once again, the autopilot drove nearly the whole way and the boat performed magnificently.

Despite the boat’s motion, neither of us felt jarred or sick. C Ghost is a heavy boat, and her hull shape and full length keel move her through the waves and wind pretty gracefully. Paula got a half hour nap around lunch time in the cockpit. As we approached Nassau, we could hear boats asking for permission to enter the busy main harbor. The harbormaster asked each vessel their name and length, their last port of call, the number of crew, boat documentation number, and destination. You could tell the frequent fliers among the visiting vessels, as they rattled off the whole drill in one fast sentence as soon as the harbormaster answered their hail.

Nassau’s skyline looked tall, modern and expensive especially after the low and homey profile of Bimini. The entrance to the harbor looked intimidating, even from several miles out as we passed by, with huge cruise ships docked and much traffic in evidence. It reminded us a bit of Hampton Roads, but without the military overtones.

We went past Nassau and saw the long contour of Rose Island come into view. To get to the south side, our destination for the night, we had to traverse a rocky pass. The sails had to come down, and as we turned towards the pass, we could feel a following sea pushing us and rollers from the side made following the course a matter of some concentration. Each side of the channel was marked by large rocks. We could see and hear the waves crashing upon them and there was a line of turbulence in between. We hoped that the channel was as clear of rocks and coral heads as the chart promised.
It was, and as we crossed into the anchorage a calmer and prettier sight came into view. The water was much calmer and clear, and of good depth. About 10 other vessels, of all sizes and makes were anchored. The island showed bluffs and rocky beach with a few houses and personal lookout towers perched high.

We dropped the anchor, turned on the water maker, and each had an iced beverage. Paula went below to make dinner, and Tommy perused the weather forecasts for the next few days. We ate warmed over steaks, leftover taboule and the steamed langoustine lobster bodies that Sean had speared yesterday. They had a surprising amount of meat in the bodies, the big antennae where they joined the body, and the little feeler legs.

The wind remains E/ESE tonight and has freshened but is expected to moderate tonight and clock around tomorrow. We have moderate motion in the anchorage, which is fine, and Tommy is keeping a watch on the anchor with his favorite anchor dragging phone app. We hope to stay here tomorrow, either in our current location, or around the north side of the island, depending on conditions. We will leave here Friday morning and put in to a marina on the SE corner of Nassau, away from the congestion of Nassau harbor, and hopefully enjoy the sights there and have safe haven from some less than ideal weather expected this weekend.