Killing instinct
This past week, we said good-bye to the Abaco island chain and sailed to the Berry Islands. We had just welcomed our good friends Rick Rauh and Jason Golden onboard. They got one night at anchor in calm conditions followed by a sunny and delicious lunch stop at the Abaco Inn on Elbow Cay. After that, time to amp up the action and head off into the deep blue waters for an overnight sail to the Berries.
We exited the North Bar Channel cut into the open ocean and had choppy conditions for a few hours. I haven’t felt anything other than a momentary twinge of seasickness for the past 4+ months, but this evening it was more than that. Quick, quick to eat and keep the stomach full, then off to bed before my night shift started. By the time I got back up, I thankfully felt fine again.
Seasickness is a finicky thing. The saltiest of sailors can go years without feeling anything and then, boom, there it is. Or, for some people it’s a constant concern. As a kid, I was the one in the family who was the most likely to get seasick, but it usually only ever happened when we were out of sight of land for an extended period of time. Then I would curl up under the sprayhood of the cockpit in the fresh air and do nothing but rest and sleep until we sighted land again. Now I seem to have grown out of it. Or perhaps I have just learned to manage it better.
The Berry Islands with our friends made for a really good week. We found our way to a wonderfully scenic anchorage by Hoffman's Cay in the central part of the island chain. It was every bit as nice as anything in the Exumas. On Hoffman’s Cay, we hiked to the island’s blue hole (“a large marine cavern or sinkhole, open to the surface, often extending deep below sea level”). At the blue hole, we had fun and excitement with a 20 ft cliff jump into the dark blue and mysterious water.
With three men onboard, there was also an intense desire to kill something to eat along the way. We had two rods and a third line out during the passage to the Berries. Perfect conditions to catch something, but all we got was a barracuda that we released (not great for eating and can carry disease).
The disappointment of the ocean passage never dampened. The next day we ventured out on a beautiful, but unfruitful snorkeling and spearfishing mission. The day after that, the guys embarked on a mad hunt to spear a stingray from the dinghy in the shallows off Bond Cay. If only I had had my camera available to catch the three buffoons from Cincinnati during that stingray hunt! And you guessed it; sausage instead of seafood for dinner that night.
Comments
Post a Comment