The run to Abaco...

Was a delightful one. The seas were flat and the whole trip went by without a splash over the rails. Our kinda day!
It started by threading our way though Nassau Harbor at first light. We had to work our way around these guy, but luckily the pilots gave us plenty of room to work with.

These gigantic cruise ships must run on a similar schedule as they all seem to arrive at the same time.

The Disney Dream waiting her turn 

After clearing the harbor there was nothing but wonderfully flat seas for hours. Uneventful cruising.

The next thing we see is the southern point of Abaco. Hole is the Wall is the name of this point and the Abaco light house stands proudly.

I found the pic below on the net. Pretty shore line cliffs.

We've been running across seas that were 13,000+ feet deep and all of a sudden the depth sounder wakes up to show 1100' and within a quarter of a mile we see 50' only to see the depth sounder blink off when we go back to a very deep 4000+' of water. All of this happens in about a half a mile.

Bet there's good fishing here.

Then our radios crackles and we hear our friends on Dusty Seas calling. Bart's wondering where we are. I look at my radar and see a blip about 5 miles behind us and figure that's him. Marpa tells me he's running 25 knots and we're running 9 so we expect to see him shortly. I call Bart on the radio and tell them to come by us closely and we'll get some pics. 

We walk out to the bridge with camera in hand waiting for Bart to come screaming by. (I can't believe I just told a Sportfish to run by closely. We usually curse those guys for waking us.) As we're waiting for Bart, I look off to starboard and I see what I think are Dolphin, but the closer they get I can tell they're too big to be Dolphin. Because we've seen them before, my next guess is that it's a small pod of Pilot Whales or Risso Whales. I call Bart to tell him they are right in front of him, but he's running so fast he can't tell what they are. He said they were the biggest dolphin he had ever seen.

I manage to snap a few pictures of whatever they were before they submerge to escape Bart.

This morning I googled Pilot Whales and Risso Whales and the dorsal fins don't match. They look like Killer Whales. Especially in one shot that shows the head and a white spot on the side.

 These aren't Dolphin, are they?

It's a blurry pic because I've zoomed in so close, but it does look like a white spot on the side of the head.

Hell! I think we spotted our first Killer Whales. 

In the Abacos?

Again, I google 'Killer Whales in the Abacos' and find an article that says Orca whales are often seen around the Abacos in late spring and early summer.  Article here. Abaco Whales

So what do you think?  Killer Whales? Risso or Pilot Whales? Mermaids or Unicorns?

Anyway... Then we got some great pics of Bart and Nat as they pass.

We made it to Little Harbor and around to Boat Harbor Marina to tie up and decide what to do next. After getting in and tied up, we realize we've got a problem with our wing engine and water is spraying all over the engine room. Not a show stopper, but a problem we need to address. So that's our project for today. We hope just for today.

So this morning, like every other morning we've spent in the Abacos, I listen to the Cruiser's Net on VHF channel 68... right on time at 8:15... Somethings, they never change. It feels like coming home again. This is where our dream started many years ago.

The weather is looking great for the near future. Should be a fun 4th.

Adios,

Istaboa