Treasure Cay (2014-01-26)

N26° 40.420', W77° 16.853'

Tonight we are docked at the Treasure Cay marina.  The Whale was kind to us today! :-)

Picture perfect travel day

Today was about as perfect a travel day for a trawler as you could get, with only a slight breeze and calm seas.  We had a great time here, so we reluctantly bid all of our new friends goodbye and cast off the lines to leave Leeward Yacht Club.   We're hoping to stop in there again when we pass by on our way heading back to the States.

Many boats were on the move today.  A trimaran and a catamaran also left Green Turtle Cay about the same time as us, heading out towards The Whale.

Other boats doing The Whale

The conditions around Whale Cay were probably about as good as it gets.  There was a gentle swell coming in from the Atlantic of about 2', but the waves were widely spaced, so it was a fairly comfortable ride as we circled Whale Cay.

Before we knew it, we were passing Don't Rock, and were well on our way to Treasure Cay, our destination for the night.

Don't Rock

As we were approaching the Treasure Cay channel, we were struck with the almost surreal clarity and colour of the water.  We were in 12 feet of water, but we could see the bottom so clearly that it seemed like only a couple feet deep. 

Crystal clear water in the Sea of Abaco

By 1300 we had completed the 16 nm passage and were safely tied up at Treasure Cay marina.

Treasure Cay marina

We had read in the guidebook about how spectacular the beach was at Treasure Cay, and it definitely lived up to that description.  The beach is 3.5 miles of some of the softest white sand we've ever seen. 

Not all was peaches and cream today however.  Shortly after leaving Green Turtle Cay I noticed that our alternator was not providing any current to charge our batteries while underway.  We had had a problem with it back in November that I solved by replacing the alternator belt.  I took a quick look at it after we got in this afternoon, but the engine gets quite warm after a passage, so I wasn't able to do too much with it.  Tomorrow morning I'll check the tension on the belt and see if that's the problem.  If not I'll have to dig out our spare alternator and see if I can swap them out.  It's ironic that on the day our alternator decided to act up we were leaving the marina with the least expensive electricity in the Abacos, and were headed to the one with the most expensive. :-)  Such is the life when cruising I guess...

Assuming I can get our alternator snag sorted in short order, our plan is to spend a couple days here before continuing on to Marsh Harbour, where we'll anchor out.