Plans are just that...

Plans... detailed proposals for doing or achieving something.
Actions and reactions, that's were the rubber hits the road.

The plan was to wake earlier and run hard to Nassau. That's what we did.  As we slowly scratched our way out of Bimini at low tide it seemed like a good strategy.

As we motored out into the Atlantic and found nothing but small swells we were still feeling pretty good about our scheme. We ran up on the Bahama Bank just north of this rock, aptly name North rock, the winds hit us on our nose and we experienced a little slop, but nothing too uncomfortable. It was that way the whole leg across the bank as the winds were blowing a constant 20+ knots. Even as we left the bank and entered the Tongue of the Ocean at Northwest Channel, all was still copacetic.
It was 3:00 PM and we still had 4.5 hours to go to Nassau... 7:30? Not bad. We could be tied up before sunset. Not a bad plan at all.

Passing Chub Cay off to port, Mel said, "That looks nice, I've always wanted to go to Chub."
Chub was our "Plan B", but I had already made reservations at Atlantis and I new they wouldn't let us out of them.... At $4.00 a foot!
So we bent our course toward Nassau and I threw on a little more steam to make an early as possible arrival.

Then:

The further out we got the bigger the seas became. The above pic is not a good representation of the way it was. See little Don Quixote's silhouette? I knew it was time to turn back to Chub when he disappeared from site. Radar's eyes also convinced me that maybe Chub Cay wasn't such a bad place at all.
4 hours in this stuff was gonna be uncomfortable and we're pleasure boaters... And what do pleasure boaters do when they have a choice of being pounded or turn and give way to an idyllic little island marina?
RETREAT!

So, here we are at Chub Cay. Mel has always wanted to visit Chub, now she has.
It's a nice little place... quaint little restaurant that kinda reminds me of the Abaco Inn. It's all a bit pricey. but, it is what it is, and it's here.
We dined at the restaurant and sat next to a couple who had also just came in from Bimini and were on their way to Nassau and made this their bailout because of the pounding. They were also from Stuart and have plans to head to the Exumas. It's a small world after all.

In a few minutes I'll wake Mel and we'll push out of Chub and make that 4 hour run to Nassau. The winds seemed to have subsided and hopefully the seas have too. According to BuoyWeather.com it should be a piece of cake. We'll see, after the last few runs I'm starting to lose faith in BuoyWeather.

I saved this last bit of info for last... Today is my birthday and I turn 60. I would have taken a bet when I was 25 that I would never see 60, but I'd have lost. Now I look 60 and still think I'm 25.
Who's that guy in the mirror?

This date also coincides with the 30th anniversary of me meeting Melonie. We haven't been apart since so I call this our real anniversary, not the official one.
In the past we always made a big deal out of our milestone birthdays. 40 for me was a surprise birthday party on our sailboat, The Otto, at Pickwick lake. 40 for Mel was surprise party at our lake house at Pickwick. 50 was at Meridian House on Elbow Cay with all our friends.
60... well, we'll just let this one slide by, have dinner in Nassau, and maybe celebrate next year.

Adios,

Istaboa