Juno 423: May 18th Last Day in The Abacos at Double Breasted Cay and a Final Check on the Weather

We had plenty of sunshine but no wind for our last day in the Bahamas so we had to turn the engine on to get from Hawksbill to Double Breasted Cay, one of the most northwestern cays in the Abacos. We had seen photos of this unusual shaped cay that resembles the letter H where the crossbar connecting the two parallel lines is a a tiny island surrounded by sand rather than a crossbar, and not a soul is in sight, so we were eager to find out for ourselves. We arrived just after lunch and were the only boat around, so we set off in the dinghy, explored some mangroves, and then the tiny sandy island that we walked completely around in a matter of 15 minutes. We hung out in the shallows on the sand bar that extends from the tiny island and then rinsed off the salt water aboard Juno and in the process, realized we had only 30 gallons of freshwater left aboard the boat. That would be the last fresh water shower until we reached the US. At dusk, one other sailboat named “Aurora”, also en route back to Boston, arrived and had a little trouble getting their anchor to hold. With a little input from Harry communicating over the radio, they finally succeeded.

We plan to leave the Bahamas tomorrow morning, motoring initially until a southerly wind fills in when we hope to sail the remaining distance northward. The tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico (Alex) whose movement several days ago was uncertain but potentially a threat to our travels, now appears to be following another course such that it is no longer of significant concern. Thunderstorms however are forecast for the next several days so we have fingers crossed and are hoping for the best. For our last night on anchor, winds are forecast to come out of the south. Unfortunately this does not bode well for a restful night’s sleep as Double Breasted Cay offers no protection in a southerly wind - once again the price we have to pay for being in paradise.