New Cay
We once again awoke to explore a new cay, this one, called New Cay. There were about 8 or 10 beautiful beaches all around us, so we picked a couple to explore. The first had many new mangrove shoots all over it, and squiggle marks in the sand from tiny mollusks.
Emma and I found many tiny little shells for her collection.
The second beach we explored had no mangroves on it and was long and narrow.
A strong current flowed parallel to shore, so Mycah and I swam out into the current to swim against it for a while. I finally understand why some people have current pools. It was such good exercise and really interesting to be swimming hard yet staying in one spot.
Once we reached Tanda Malaika we made preparations to fire up the engines and set sail. The windlass was still not working, so Jude and Mycah pulled the anchor up by hand while I started things up. Much to my dismay, neither of the engines would start, so we were quite proud of ourselves to sail off right from the anchor. Our journey took us through some of the clearest, most exquisite water in the world.
We had to maneuver through a narrow cut between two islands, and then entered the Atlantic once again. While underway the creatures scrubbed decks and under the floor board in the stern salon. The boat looks so clean after their hard work.
As the hours past we tried trouble shooting to figure out the engines and windlass situation, and spoke with my trusty friend, Captain Elayne, as well as our friend Captain Dan Zwerg. Both were really knowledgeable and so patient with me. We knew that we were going to have to anchor without the aid of an engine, but rather, with wind power, so we tacked back and forth till we found a suitable area to spend the night. Just as we were about 1/4 mile off shore, the wind stopped completely and we sat totally dead in the water. Our good communication and team work skilsl brought us to the idea of a couple creatures towing us to shallower water for anchoring, with the dinghy. So, we did. While Emma and Mycah towed, Jude and Aidan manually prepped the anchor chain, and then dropped it once we reach 25 ft of water.
I wanted to make sure the anchor had set, so dove in with a mask and began diving down into the darkness of the ocean with a sun no longer shining to give light. The water was murky and dark, and just as Mycah jumped in to dive the anchor with me, a large fat bellied shark swam directly below me, then turned to deeper waters.
I am so proud of my crew. They worked hard today and still kept up with their school work and chores. We are now 11 miles north of George Town, and I’m really hoping that the engine will start up in the morning.
Adventures of a Tribe 