Lady Royal: March 2 - 4 ... BAHAMAS!

The captains' meeting was held at 6 a.m. to determine if weather was good enough to head to the Bahamas. Rob asked my opinion prior to the meeting, and my vote was “no, it's going to be too rough out there.” We were the only ones staying back. After talking it over and having a brief conversation with Mint Julep, we decided to “stick our nose out there,” knowing that we can always turn back if the waves exceeded our comfort level. When we left Lake Worth at 7:30 a.m. the waves were not too bad. Once hitting the gulf stream, the waves picked up. By this time, we were committed. With only 4 hours left to go, we were rockin' and rollin' with waves that I estimate to be 5-6 footers. We crossed with seven other boats: Q's End, Bade Boomer, Mint Julep, Sassy, RhoJo, Rambler and Finally. We were never concerned about our safety, just our comfort. Once we saw land, the colors of the water were amazing, making the trip worthwhile.

First View of the Beach

The marina and resort at West End are beautiful, the people we're with are great, and we've been keeping ourselves busy for the past few days. We rode bicycles into town, which is a depressed area. Conch shells line the waters and the town isn't much to speak of. We also enjoyed a trip to Freeport and Lucaya, where we shopped and visited the casino; and back at West End, we watched a local shuck Conch shells, bought Conch, and made salads; enjoyed a pot-luck dinner; and played many games of left, right, center. We're staying here until the winds settle down, and will then head to an anchorage and Green Turtle Cay on our way to Marsh Harbour.