Day 149, Year 10: The Exumas . . . At Last
Date: Sunday, March 8, 2015
Weather: Partly Sunny, Winds NE 15-20, Great Beam Reach Sailing
Latitude: 24 36.040 N
Longitude: 076 49.418 W
Location: Anchored on West Side of Normans Cay, Exumas
For Mark and me, it has been more than two years of waiting to finally reach the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas. In the fall of 2012 we left Cape Cod thinking we were headed to either Puerto Rico or to the Exumas in the Bahamas. We got as far as Little River in South Carolina and Mark made the decision that he wanted to stay there for the winter. It is a comfortable place to stay and we really enjoyed a winter of visiting with my sister Patsy and her husband Joe. But we didn’t make it to the Bahamas. We went back to Cape Cod for the summer and thought we would be headed to the Bahamas in the fall of 2013. But just a few days before we left, we found out that Mark’s cancer had returned and that we needed to stay in Massachusetts for the winter so he could undergo treatment. So once again, we didn’t make it to the Bahamas. Fast forward to September of 2014. Mark had undergone a second surgery and the doctors were convinced that he was cancer free. But then, just a few days before departure for the Bahamas, we found out that the cancer had returned. But this time, Dr. Kwak, his oncologist, insisted that we go ahead and sail south. She was determined to find a way that Mark could get the necessary cancer treatments and still make it to the Bahamas. And so she did make that happen, and now we are here. Surely we can find a post card somewhere here in the Exumas to send to Dr. Kwak. Better yet, I need to figure out how to send an electronic post card with a picture of Mark on Windbird in these beautiful turquoise waters. It feels wonderful to be here and we have nothing but thanks and praises for a doctor who helps patients make dreams come true.
We had a great day. From the Nassau area, you can get here by going the short way across the Yellow Bank (lots of coral heads to negotiate) or the longer way across the White Bank (fewer coral heads). We chose the longer route with few coral heads. It was only about 30 minutes of careful watching, but as I stood on the bow looking for those dreaded ‘heads’, it seemed like an eternity. But we made it and we were able to sail all the way from Rose Island. We were on a beam reach with 15 to 20 knots most of the day. It was lively, but not really rough. And now we are here!!! Tomorrow we will explore around Normans Cay before heading further south.
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| 150308 Day 149 Bahamas–Arrival in the Exumas at Normans Cay |
