The Wanderings of Legacy: January 2011

Dec 3-16
Miami:
We are here in Miami and the trip has been relatively smooth. We left Lake Worth at 0600 and headed toward Miami. The weather was clear and we had about 10-15 knots of wind and relatively calm seas. After dodging many fishing boats we arrived at Government Cut at 1630. There was a parade ( 3) of Carnival cruise ships heading for sea and the channel was clear for us to transit. ( Homeland Security won't allow small vessels to transit the cut if there are more than two in port. Just as it got dark we made it into the Venetian causeway anchorage and were safe for the night. The anchorage is handy as there is a Publix supermarket just two blocks from the public dock.
We are still having problems with the outboard being hard to start. I'll have to finish that before we cross to Bimini.
It has been unseasonably cold here in Miami ( one night the temperature in northern Maine was warmer than here). Hopefully we will catch up to the sun as we trek toward Georgetown.
Dec 17
No Name Harbor- Biscayne Bay
We will be leaving tomorrow early ( 0430) as the weather looks promising. We took on fuel at Crandon Park Marina. I finally got the outboard running OK. The solution was to drain the float bowl a few times and it is starting and running well.
Dec. 18 Bimini
The Gulf Stream crossing was smooth and we arrived in Bimini at 1430. I dingied in to the harbor and cleared customs and we anchored over night and pan to cross the banks tomorrow.
Dec 19
The banks were calm during our crossing but as we anchored for the night a front was moving through and we spent a bumpy night at anchor near the Northwest Channel Light.
Dec. 20
The transit through the Tongue of the Ocean was an exhilarating experience - we were on a broad reach the whole time. At times we were moving at 10 knots as we surfed down some waves! We made West Bay at 14:30 and snugged in. There is a front supposed to pass tomorrow so we will sit tight here and wait for it to pass before moving on the Highborne Cay.
Dec. 22
We are anchored outside Highborne Cay as the Allan's Cay anchorage was filled.
Dec 25
We have arrived in Georgetown and will stay here a while provisioning and relaxing.
Dec 28
We are anchored in Kid Cove Just outside Georgetown. The weather last night was kind of bumpy with 25 knot winds and a 2 foot swell rolling through. We survived the night but decided to move to Volleyball Beach where we are somewhat protected from the swells.
Jan. 3
There was a cruisers pot luck on Hamburger Beach in honor of Elvis's ( the owner of the bar) birthday. There were several cruisers with guitars and other instruments and a good time was had by all. It was a little difficult to find Legacy in the dark but we made it safely home.
Jan 5.
We got our propane tank refilled today. The ten pound tank was refilled for $11.00, about what it would cost in the states. I don't know if that means the cost in the US is high or the Bahamas is cheap.

Jan.7
We moved to Thompson's Bay on Long Island today. The weather was nice and it was about a 6 hour sail. We are snugged down and will await a weather window to move on to Mayaguana and then the Turks and Caicos. The Long Island breeze resort is a nice break, Kathleen and I both had showers and were greatly refreshed.
Jan 14
A front is moving thorough and the temperatures have dropped to the high 60's during the day. Here we are below the Tropic of Cancer and we are still being chased by the cold.