Chapter 28. The first Anchorage

-I hope we are going to find some boats with kids in the Bahamas! I say.
-Mike said it would be full of kids in the Exumas.
-Yeah, well we’re not in the Exumas for now… Still hoping it won’t take another month.
-I feel ya! I hope we’re going to be able to fish in the Bahamas soon! I put on a troll behind the boat. We’ll see. I am not so hopeful.

We look at the depth sounder as these thoughts comes to our mind;

-No reading. It’s too deep, says Sam.
-450 feets! We are at the point we’ll come on the Bahamas plateau! I say enthusiastically.
-250 already, this comes fast.
-Look! the color of the water is changing at the same time as the depth gets shallower. Already 100 feels!
-That is faster than I expected I must admit, adds Sam frowning. Maybe I should slow down.
-100 feet! I say still excited.
-53 feet, that’s insane! Sam starts looking at the chart to be SURE we aren’t gonna crash in reefs.
-28 feet… that is badly insane.
-19 feet…
-15 feet… 14 feet… 12 feet… 11 feet…10 feet…
-Oh my god! I knew the plateau was coming fast but that is unexpected.

The depth sounder stops changing. It stays at 10 feet.

We look around us. None of us has ever imagined the water was that turquoise. That clear. Like pristine. We count the sea stars at the bottom. We see every single coral and sea weed, fish and shells in the water. Bahamas is supposed to be a paradise on earth. It is.

-Sam!!!! There’s a fish on your troll!!
-ALREADY??!

After getting the fish out of the water, we are amazed by its beautiful Colors. It is a Spanish mackerel.

Later, we set anchor in a very remote island called Mangrove Cay.

-Is the anchor well set Cass?
-Come and see!
-What do you mean?
-We see the anchor at the bottom! No need to even dive to see.
-WOWWWWW!

We swam with the kids around the boat at the end of the day. (Let’s be honest, jumping off your boat in the magnificent water of the Bahamas IS a dream come true!)

-SALUT!!!

Who is saying ”Salut” instead of ”Hello”? We turn and see a boat that anchor next to us. It has the Quebecer flag! What a nice surprise.

-SALUT!!! scream Salty in return while Matey waves to them.

At that moment, small heads start popping out of their cockpit of that boat. Kids heads!
1…2…3…4…4 kids!!! WHAT? ALREADY!? We are delighted and yell to them:

-Hey guys! You want to come over to celebrate your crossing with us? Our kids would be thrilled to have friends aboard!
-Awesome, we’re coming!

That was the beginning of our travelling with our new friends from the boat La Metta.

That evening, when kids went to bed Sam and I looked around us. Only the moon was lighting the darkness. We could barely see that inhabited island next to us, the rip from the ocean.

-It’s crazy to think about the color of the water here Sam!
-And that I got a fish the first day!!!
-Yeah!!! And that we met kids right at the first anchorage. I was once again worried for nothing.

We get silent as we cuddle in the cockpit exhausted of that long day. Grateful for our life choice.

-Sam. If you go straight it front of us, you just have to head north , then turn left in the St-Lawrence river to go to Quebec. There is only the ocean in front of us. That is quite a feeling to think about that.
-True. He raise is glass of wine and adds. Let’s head East tomorrow instead! I have more fish to catch.