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Last year, this newsletter started out going to just a few folks who mostly had some nautical background. So, my ramblings were pretty loose and I didn't include much in the way of background explanations. This year, the mailing list has grown to about 40 and I need to be a little more careful so that it is understood by all. If you find that I still need to include more explanation please let me know. Now, on to the Exumas.

Crossing the Great Bahama Banks enroute to Shipchannel Cay in the northern Exumas included a stretch called the Yellow Banks. This region is a strip about 5 - 8 miles wide populated with coral heads. Fortunately our course would cut across it where the heads were relatively sparse, but still of concern. We would encounter this region about 2 hours after departing Rose Island and since our heading would be southeast we would need the sun to be high to be able to see and avoid these potential hazards. This meant a fairly late departure from Rose Island.

After a leisure breakfast and engine checks we poked our noses out of the cut at Rose Island to check the conditions. We were so protected there that it could have been blowing a gale and we would not have known it. The morning breezes were fresh and it was a little bumpy, but the sat. TV weather channel didn't indicate much in the way of weather for the region. We entered our waypoints into the GPS and computer and set forth.

The cruising guides indicated that spotting coral heads was not difficult so long as the lighting was right and the seas were not too large. But up to this point we really didn't have much experience at it. By the time we reached the Yellow Banks the seas had picked up a bit, but the cruising guides were right and we had no problem dodging heads. About an hour later, the seas picked up even more and continued to build all afternoon.

Shipchannel Cay had a particularly difficult entry to the anchorage and was not the place to go with high seas. About 2 o'clock we altered course and headed for Allans Cay about 10 miles south of Shipchannel. The last two hours of the trip were not pleasant with 6 to 7 foot choppy seas on our beam (hitting us on the side). Heide has stabilizers. These are active devices like airplane control surfaces that pitch up and down to control the roll of the boat. They are very effective (at $30-40k they should be). Heide ran through this chop like she was on rails.