Highbourne Cay Marina: the Dent Island safe-haven

3am the tide changed and the wind shifted. We were in the trough. We thought about moving, but anchored in 8ft of water with no visibility, and guests in the V-berth, it was a last case scenario.

So we rocked and rolled and dreamed of a sea keeper (a gyro stabilizer you can use while at anchor) until first light. Non of us slept.

Tessa had made two nights, with the option for a third (which we gladly took upon arrival) at Highbourne Cay Marina because she knew it was supposed to blow. If we were going to be stuck somewhere, we might as well be at the Dent Island of the Exumas: with bicycles, golf carts, hobi cats, etc at our disposal.

The entrance to Highbourne Cay Marina was again a tricky one. You have to transit a “deep” 23ft passage with current, to line up the channel markers on land in 8ft of water, to make a sharp turn to line up the next set of channel markers on land to enter the marina. Also in 8ft or less of water. Not any stress whatsoever.The only boats that came and went were boats with a schedule, typically charters. The rest of us were here to wait out the wind.

We ran into our second 61′ Tolly here at the marina. The owner said there were only 39 built, and 4 on the east coast. He listed the four and we corrected him- he did not know about the blue hull Meander. But since we will soon be taking Docktails back to the PNW, his number four will again be accurate.

We had a grand time while stuck waiting our the wind. From Tom getting on a bicycle for his first time since he broke his collar bone and three ribs last October, to finding the crows nest (gym),View of the marina from the Crow’s Nest

… to what we nicknamed secret beach (there was no one there the first day we went), (Ok, so there is a skiff and another group of people in this photo. This was our second day)

…. to the spring,… to discovering the beaches,… to gunkholing, to snorkeling, to fabulous dining, … and Bill and Venetia’s son joining us, …. we had a blast.

To conching, to iguana seeking, … to being on island time. Highbourne was a little slice of heaven as we waited not three nights, but six, for the wind to mitigate.

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