 Unbelievable colors show depth  Sapodilla anchorage, Caicos  Historic Sapodilla Hill  Monument anchorage, Georgetown | With a beautiful forecast we sailed out of Boqueron, Puerto Rico, on Saturday morning, March 17 heading north and west to the Turks and Caicos. It was one of the very best passages we have had in all our 15 years of cruising. Seas were regular and smooth, winds were constant from one direction, giving us a nice broad reach all the way, and there was no rain! Just before noon on Tuesday we made the turn into Sandbore Channel to get to Sapodilla anchorage in the Caicos. In the photo, the dark blue is the open sea, over 4000 feet deep. The lighter water is over the sand bore lining the channel, just 2 to 20 feet, and the medium water is the passage in. We are relearning how to read depths from the colors. We were last in the Caicos in 1999, and the building boom has changed the whole place. Sapodilla used to be remote, and to get to town cruisers hitchhiked. Now, the bay is lined with beautiful homes, but the water and the people are still as nice as always. We hiked up the "hill" by the anchorage (probably 100 feet high) and saw grafitti from sailing ships passing here long ago. After only 2 days in Caicos the weather looked good so we decided to make the 2 night passage to Georgetown in the Bahamas, where we are now. More fantastic colors in the water, an anchorage which can, and does, hold 100's of boats, and perhaps our last clearance into a foreign port with Cormorant. It is wonderful to be here after the famous Cruisers' Regata which finished March 11. Now the dinghy dock has plenty of room, the stores are well stocked, and we can even get room here at the internet place. We'll be heading up the islands toward the Abacos, and will probably update from there. |
CRUISER INFO: Clearing in and out of the Turks and Caicos, staying no longer than 7 days, cost $100. Clearing in the Bahamas is $300 for up to 4 people, and it is good for 1 year with one re-entry, so boats wanting to cruise the eastern US and return within a year do not have to pay again. There is a transit clearance of $50, but you must be out in 7 days and if you want to then change to the cruising permit you have to pay the full $300, with no credit for the $50 you already paid.
RSS Feed