Free Bird!

We moved Equinox today, leaving our fun little anchorage off Great Guana Cay to head south past Marsh Harbor to remote Lynyard Cay --- or as I call it, Lynyrd Skynyrd Cay. I probably am dating myself...but, it just jumped into my head! It definitely works though...no one here but us and the free birds! (Remember to listen to the bass line the next time you hear that song. LOVE it!)

Looking out at North Bar Channel...breaking rollers across

SO...we cruised for almost 4 hours, playing with the engine rpms and charting fuel burn, as we made our way south. Once south of North Bar Channel, we found a beautiful little protected lee cove off Lynyard Cay, just north of  Little Harbor. Thus, we are perched on the edge of the Abacos, awaiting some better weather...but...no rush! As we look out, the Little Harbor cut is appears a tad rough at the moment, with “elephants” marching along its mouth. The forecast is for seas to be 5'-7’ on the Atlantic; while we know the boat could handle it, we aren’t going anywhere for the moment. We have no desire to be bounced about and beaten up, lurching along in beam seas. 

Equinox tucked into a lee alongside Lynyard Cay.

After the anchor was down and set, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch on the aft deck and then put Eclipse in the water. We went to the beach along Lynyard Skynyrd Cay, where Ron snorkeled a bit looking for lobster holes, and I beach-combed for sea glass. It’s a rather  remote cay, and there were some interesting tiny bits of old sea glass, their colors softened by the sand. I even found a few flamingo tongue shells -- my favorite! The shells are rather small, and since flamingo tongue populations tend to be very localized, their shells aren't that easy to find, even while diving, I've discovered. They tend to be found on reefs with a lot of sea rods and sea fans; I’ve heard some marine biologists refer to them as “goats of the sea”, since they like to forage and munch on the sea fans. So, it was kind of neat to see their shells on the beach here. Too bad the seas are too rough for diving!

Our lee anchorage, looking calm and protected

The Atlantic from the opposite shore of Lynyard Cay -
definitely a lot rougher! 

We also cruised around the shoreline in Eclipse, looking for lobster holes and ledges, but, as is the norm here on the Sea of Abaco, there were no lobster here. Lobsters are usually found on the outer reefs, not on the inside...but, hey, we were out in the dinghy and enjoying ourselves! We returned to Equinox to have a relaxing, cozy and full-moon-beautiful night aboard, grilling some amazing filet mignons, with sides of  roasted onions and Brussel sprouts, and big baked potatoes. Judging from the amount of left overs we now have, we should have split everything in half! And...so, what will tomorrow bring?