November 27, 2011.

The weather forecast is a little bit up in the air with several sources predicting different things. The next wonderful opportunity to head south isn't until Wednesday. Screw that, we're not waiting around for four more days before we head south. We'll take “uncertainty and possible mayhem” for 400 Alex.

We pulled the hook and ventured out the eastern end of Nassau Harbor. The wind for the last 2 days has been hovering at about 25 to 30 knots out of the northeast. This morning it had ebbed to 20 knots out of the east. After 2 hours of motorsailing our 144° course left us close hauled but sailing southwards.

During the first 8 miles we were pounding into close set 4 footers. It was about at this time that I realized what a waste of time washing the boat the other day had been. After those first 8 miles we were able to kill the engine and sail close hauled to the southeast. For about an hour the seas flattened out and we were actually enjoying the sail. And then the world went to shit.....

We had a double reef in the main and as one 35 knot squall after another beset us. We had to reduce the headsail until we furled it altogether. We pulled into the bight at Normans Cay after a mentally exhausting 41 mile day.

We haven't been to Normans in 5 years and it was good to sleep in after yesterdays trip to get here. We did boat chores all morning and decided to hit the water for the first time this season just after lunch. We've never been in the water here for whatever reason. We took the dink out in search of some coral that we passed on the way in. We never found the heads we sought but after heading towards the southern end of the cay we came across a tiny patch.

To my surprise on a small patch of coral the size of an average living room I came across at least a dozen lobster. They were all pretty much legal as far as size went but I'm a bit spoiled so after taking the largest 4 we moved on. After another 5 minutes Christy found a cluster of small heads which yielded 2 more bugs. So including the long ride both ways we were home in an hour with 6 lobster. Its just like riding a bike....