We left Farmer’s Cay around 1 pm and motored with little wind about eight miles.  The route was beautiful, with waves crashing on the rocky beaches. Rudder Cay is our 16th stop in the Bahamas.  We are headed south with no particular schedule in mind.  Rudder Cay seemed like a good place to stop, although all the cays around here are private.   When we arrived only a few boats were in the anchorage but soon more came.  Many cruisers are headed to Georgetown.  We will go there eventually, but just to get fresh food, propane, fuel, and possibly look for wetsuits, although they might be way overpriced.  JoAnne from Ultra will be taking the Ham Radio test.

There was nothing particular we wanted to see or do at Rudder’s Cay.  It was just a short hop on our way, and we like short hops.  Anything more than a couple of hours is beginning to sound like too long now, which is odd after all the 12 hour, 60 mile days we used to sail in the States.

When we arrived, we discovered it is a beautiful tropical paradise.  The next island, Musha Cay, is owned by David Copperfield.  As a private island, cruisers aren’t allowed beyond the beach, however there is a number to call and if there are no visitors on the cay, you can get permission to walk on the island.  Unfortunately, when we called there were visitors.   Rudder Cay is also privately owned, and there are signs everywhere stating “No Trespassing.  Violators will be Prosecuted.”  Actually, we understand that all beaches in the Bahamas are public, however beyond the high water line, you aren’t allowed on privately owned cays. 

We went for a sunset dinghy ride with JoAnne and Bill (Ultra) with wine and a delicious snack of crackers and a salsa dip with salsa sauce poured over cream cheese. 

We pulled into a perfect little hurricane hole where three boats were anchored.  We’ve seen them along the way:  My-Gem-an-i (a Gemani cat with a clever name), Stormy Weather, and Journey (a couple from Wisconsin).  They have had luck fishing for yellow snapper and also captured quite a few small lobster.  They informed us that to catch lobster it’s best to go before the sun hits the water, no later than 7 am.  They are out of their little caves then so it’s easier to spot them from above.

On the shore we thought we saw a donkey.  It turns out there are three wild dogs on that island, and one is huge.  We called him a Donkeydoodle.  How cruel of someone to leave them there.  They are probably eating all manner of sea and land animals. 

We also took the dinghy into a lovely grotto.  It wasn’t very deep, but had lots of interesting features, including a hole at the top with several cactus growing into it.  As we went further, we saw an area of grass where there were conch.  We also saw several large starfish.  Again, the water is so incredibly clear here you can always see the bottom.

On our way back, we stopped to talk the sailors on a trimaran with a hailing port from Alaska.  He is a native Bahamian, although he grew up elsewhere, and she is an Alaskan.  The sailboat was built from the same plans as Ultra, although hadn’t been used for a charter boat so Bill has altered the plans to make more open spaces.  The puppy aboard Hana Hoa was so cute.  He is a Yorkie, Poodle, Schnauzer. 

After hearing the weather report, our plans may change now.  The wind tomorrow will start to pick up to 20 kts from the SE (the direction we are going) and by Saturday there will be gusts up to 50 kts. from the north or northwest.   We decided we better find safe place to be by Saturday, so are leaving tomorrow.  We’ll go to Leaf Cay and then make a few other stops to be in a safe harbor in the Georgetown area by Saturday.  We chose Crab Cay.  Hopefully it won’t be too full, as many cruisers arrive in Georgetown beginning in November and have their spots for the entire winter season.  Luckily, there are many places to anchor and the one we have chosen is a bit difficult to get into, so we’re guessing it won’t be full.