For nearly 1700 nautical miles we have heard this kind sentiment from almost everyone we know and many people we only barely know. Today we lived it. On the trip from Great Sale Cay to Green Turtle Cay we really had Fair winds, which for our boat is somewhere between 15 and 25 knots. Once we rounded the top of the island to shoot towards Green Turtle Cay the seas became following.

With the wind and the seas from the same direction Boyd couldn’t wait to put up the jib. Even though we were still traveling with the other Vagabond 47′ and they were motoring Boyd put up the jib and nearly instantly cut the engine. Our new speed, 7.5 knots with just the jib. We managed to pace the other boat (a boat which, for all intents and purposes identical in hull speed to ours) all day without the engine. It wasn’t until our track changed and the wind got fluky that Boyd would even consider taking down the sails and starting the engine again.

It was an amazing time cruising along with the gorgeous water sliding by and the palm dotted coasts to either side of us. No engine, no noise other than the sound of the wind and the kids laughing. Enough water under the keel not to worry about the track, no bridges to worry about. It was really the best day of sailing, an eleven on a scale of 1 to 10. Boyd even remarked, “I think this is the best sailing day we have had in a long time”. The kids and I proceeded to make the case for it:

75 degree weather
Consistent wind from the right direction
Aquamarine water (temp around 70 degrees)
Sails up, no engine
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

In fact the only real downer since we got here is that we weren’t able to clear in today so we can’t go ashore yet. Tomorrow we’ll get to Green Turtle Cay, hopefully, it was too rough to go in today and the tide was wrong when we got there.

Clearing in hasn’t stopped the kids from having fun, they went swimming already yesterday at Great Sale Cay and tried out the new snorkel gear. Nicole, our fish, had to eventually be told to stop jumping off the boat. With her wet suit on she was so buoyant and warm that she must have jumped off the boat dozens of times. Paul, after an initial swim decided to work on his tan and observe the other boats.

When another boat came into the anchorage with two boys on it there was a bit of excitement.. the kids are always happy to see a “kids boat”. We didn’t have our dingy down but the kids dropped theirs into the water nearly before the anchor held and came directly over. We invited them and their grandparents over for an after dinner get-together and spent a very pleasant evening sharing a movie with the kids and drinks with the adults.

So far The Bahamas are a 2 thumbs up event, and we haven’t even gone ashore.