The weather has been very very windy. It seems like the wind hasn’t calmed down for weeks. We had a favorable breeze so we sailed from Hatchet Bay to Governors Harbour. It was a wet and windy sail, but we made it in a few hours. Governors Harbour is an old city that was once intended to be the capital of the Bahamas. There are a few beautiful old churches and a nice government building right along the water.
The government building is home to a monument/spicket with a plaque commemorating the city water of Governors Harbour. Free city water! We took our collapsible water jugs and hose to fill up our water tanks.
Velocir holds about 80 gallons of water. We have the original 30 gallon plastic Albin Vega water tank forward under the v-berth. Then, just aft of this we put a soft plastimo water tank. It is 40 gallons but with the limited space of that compartment we estimate having filled it about 30 gallons. Our third water tank is a plastic 20 gallon tank located in our starboard cockpit section, giving it easy connection to the sink just feet away. The two forward tanks are separated but also joined by a Y valve. One hose is run aft to the sink to another Y valve that joins the cockpit tank. This way if one tank becomes contaminated, springs a leak or has a problem we won’t loose all our water, just one tank.
After filling our tanks in four runs, we had extra water for doing laundry. Amelia used our bucket for washing and a collapsible plastic basin for rinsing. Then, everything was hung up with clothespins to dry. There was a lot of laundry in the pile!
The next day another sailboat came into the harbor—the Schooner Liberty Clipper from Boston. On our way out of the harbor headed for Rock Sound, we motored by and said hello. We had some friends in common and it was nice to see another tallship again!
The sail to Rock Sound was much calmer….it could even be described as relaxing and fun!!! Grant caught a mackerel and a barracuda and Amelia caught a big barracuda! Coming into Rock Sound its namesake became clear—there were quite a few rocks underwater (but clearly marked on our chart).
After we anchored in Rock Sound the wind picked up again. We settled into the boat down below playing card games, cribbage, reading books and making homemade bread. (The price per loaf has exceeded Amelia’s max of $3.50 a loaf she is willing to pay). Favorite bread making recipe site is, coincidentally, called: www.cookingbread.com and their joint blog www.thekneadforbread.com. All photos are amazing and I chose the Farmers Bread recipe, substituting maple syrup for molasses. Very good!
The next night we did something out of the ordinary. We went on a date!!! It was nice to have a special evening, watching the sunset together overlooking the water. Grant picked the restaurant and it was great. We were the only patrons there and ate conch quesadillas and shrimp pizza—yum!
We came back to Velocir just before another squall went through. The weather will improve tomorrow according to predictions and we will sail onward to the Exumas!
VELOCIR 
LOVED your videos – and I especially love the intros. They are very interesting and you are getting some really spectacular still photos as well. Your meal of conch quesadillas and shrimp pizza in the gorgeous little restaurant with that stunning view – wow! I’m thinking that you don’t realize how hard it will be to come back and live basically inside after being on the boat. You get so accustomed to your life right now that, even though you know it’s different, you don’t realize how much it’s changed until you come back. And congratulations on your arrival in the Exumas today. Love, Mom
We’re enjoying your blog very much! You’re having lots of great experiences.
We remember having the same feelings about the wind… ‘when will it settle down???’ Well, it lightens up when a front is coming and that’s about it! Otherwise, 15 to 20 knot trades is standard. You’ll get used to it in time.
We’re having a different experience, driving from Toronto to Tucson. Sante Fe, our current location, is a pretty far cry from the Bahamas, but it has it’s charm.
Continued fair (if strong) winds!
Sue & Peter
You guys are so cool! More great adventures it looks like :) Glad the weather let up a little for you to sail some.
Thanks for sharing the bread recipes…next time you come back to Annapolis, we should make bread together, I have been experimenting a little bit with it.
BEAUTIFUL date-night picture, the food, palm treas and ocean in the background. And I am sure the photo doesn’t even do it justice.
I love the new white and green sails you added to Velocir ;) teehee
So many barracuda you guys have caught! I suppose you cant eat them since you keep throwing them back?
Grant, that looks like a wonderful meal…mmm…Interesting idea to cook pasta in the salt water, I would have never thought of that!
And that got me thinking, do you have a special strategy to washing dishes? Do you use salt water or fresh? And with the dish soapy water, so you collect and then have to dispose? or just let it out?
Much love and safe travels,
E