Waking up to these striking surroundings was a treat. At first, all was dark and the total sky planetarium show was on. Next, a faint rosy glow could be seen over Gaulin Island. This apparently woke a distant rooster (there is one everywhere!) who crowed almost continuously until sunrise. When we looked over the side (as we feel compelled to do constantly) to admire the clarity of the water, we saw a medium-sized ray cruising the bottom with his own little remora fish attached. Being reminded of fish, Paula made a few attempts with the casting rod. She attracted a few small circling Jacks, who played with the bait and then swam away. Never has not getting a bite been so much fun, since you can see the action clearly!

In an effort to take advantage of the clarity, Tommy decided to dive to replace a zinc on the rudder’s heel strap which the diver who we hired to do a “big clean” of the hull before we left told us was fragmenting. This is usually a painful job in opaque water and can result in lost zincs, Allen wrenches, and patience. In the crystal clear water, the job was done in 5 minutes!

Paula took advantage of the calm water and scant wind this morning to bake yet another Johnnycake. This is number three, and the next time we provision we need more sugar.

About mid-morning, we and the other lone boat anchored here began to acquire neighbors. This anchorage has good protection from the forecast W winds which should arrive early tomorrow and so we expected to see more folks come to anchor. There are seven here now with an hour of daylight left.

Two sailboats arrived together, a single-hander and a couple. The single-hander anchored and called to his buddy that the depth was 8 feet. The other Captain worried aloud that there might be much less by low tide. Tommy called over the water to let him know that we had measured 5.8 feet yesterday at low tide. “Thanks, that’s good enough for me!” He proceeded to anchor nearby. Later, he and his wife arrived by dinghy to introduce themselves and discuss weather and sailing histories. Turns out he, the single-hander, and another boat that had anchored here an hour before they arrived had met up some time ago and were now all traveling together. It’s nice to make acquaintance with the boats nearby.

In that vein, Paula noticed a beautiful ketch with red sail covers and a large dog that had anchored while we were doing boat jobs. It looked familiar, and with binoculars she was able to see the name. It is the same ketch that got entangled with C Ghost while she was in her slip at Bimini! Our first feeling was relief that this young couple were clearly able to continue their trip. We had worried that the money they gave us to compensate for our repairs might have truncated their sailing budget. Now we wonder if they recognize OUR boat and are thinking “Oh, no! Not those guys!” Paula has decreed that in the morning we will dinghy over to say hello and make clear that there are no lingering bad feelings on our side, and to tell them we are glad to see that they are doing well on their trip.

We have better cell coverage here, but not as much as we would have expected, given that we can see the tower! We were able to communicate this morning with a young sailing family who are making their first crossing to the Bahamas today with their three children under 6 years of age. They left at 6 am, and although they may not have cell or wifi when they first arrive, we are still hoping they will find a way to let all their family, friends, and well-wishers know they have arrived safely.

We rested and read a bit today which was relaxing. Off in the distance to the north, we can see three wind turbines spinning. Not sure who they are producing power for, but these are the first of these we’ve seen in the Exumas.

Throughout the day our friend the ray and his remora returned to visit periodically, and the two Jacks and a tiny unidentified fish came again to laugh at Paula’s fishing tackle. This is not just imagination. The water is so clear, you can plainly see your lure/bait in the water at the end of your line and watch the fish swim up and react to it. It’s like watching the whole thing on TV. And they were really laughing.

Tonight’s dinner was jerk slow-cooked boneless pork (cooked and frozen before Christmas, thawed and oven-heated today), canned collard greens fancied up with bacon, onions and secret spices, and fresh Johnnycake with butter.