Harbor Island to Great Abaco Island

Great Abaco Island

April 30, 2024

Dear Family & Friends:

On April 28, we set sail, sans sails, from Harbor Island, bound for Egg Island, a distance of approximately 30 miles. The sky was blue and we enjoyed blustery winds and moderate sea swells. Because of the short distance and the wind direction, we motored the entire way. We elected not to stop at Preacher’s Cave and Spanish Wells and, instead, continued on to a beautiful cove at Egg Island, where the sea was calm and the views were stunningly beautiful. The ocean presented a kaleidoscope of colors, ranging from shimmering turquoise in the shallows, to dark blue over the reefs to deep blue as we entered the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. In a word, it was breathless.

Egg Island is an uninhabited islet, thought to be named for the chickens owned by residents of nearby islands who travel to the island to collect the eggs. Most likely a myth since there are no chickens on Egg Island. Bill Ottenheimer & Rick paddled the kayak into an estuary and enjoyed the views. Bill, Denise and I then boarded the dinghy and motored to a nearby reef where we snorkeled in crystal clear water. We enjoyed watching an amazing array of colorful fish, busily going about their day. When we spotted the first shark, we headed back to the dinghy in a hurry. The water was a comfortable and refreshing 78 degrees. We capped the day with a dinghy trip to a large sandbar. The only structures on the sandbar were two swing sets!

Denise and Bill prepared a wonderful dinner with barbeque salmon, vegetables and potatoe spuds. After dinner, we celebrated Rick’s birthday with a delicious cake and the usual birthday melody.

Denise and I kayaked on the morning of April 29, traveling to a nearby beach and then up the estuary. The group then changed our plans for the day, Instead of sailing 60 miles to Berry Islands, we sailed 34 miles from Egg Island to the northern tip of the Great Abaco Island. We set the sails and traveled the entire way on wind power.The sea was rough with large swells. But, we had so much fun. The trip was not without incident and excitement. Just before arriving at our anchor point, one of the sails started to unfurl on its own and was dropping precipitously on the starboard side of the sailboat. If the sail had fallen into the ocean, most likely it would have been destroyed. Fortunately, with four of us working frantically to save the sail, we were able to keep it on board. The sail needs repair, but we have other sails to take its place. I captured the entire event on video.

Today, we sail 33 miles to the Berry Islands.

April 28