Current Cut and Hatchet Bay

In the morning, Mercy and I walked the town one last time, checked out the fish in the pens again, talked to a couple of folks, and walked down about a half a mile of beach on the north side of the island. We left Spanish Wells, after enjoying a night at the dock with the air conditioner running and the batteries charging. Spanish Wells is great little town!

We cleared the cut just ahead of the fast ferry's entrance, and proceeded around Meek's Island and headed towards Current Cut. We hit s substantial rainstorm, and once again filled rain buckets, and Allen took a shower in the rain. I chose the shower with hot water, and once again we topped the water tanks. You really can have fun in a rain storm!

We anchored just to the north of Current Cut, off of a gorgeous sandy beach to await the right tide. You should look at google earth to appreciate what I'm about to tell you. Current Cut is about N25 24.1 W076 47.4

The current flows through this cut at up to about 6 knots. The depths in this cut drop to about 60 feet. For 40 years I've heard about people drift diving this cut, and have wanted to do it. I met a woman yesterday in Spanish Wells that was diving this cut with a dive shop today, but, my ear has got me out of the water. I was unable to talk Allen into snorkeling it.

We went through the cut with the Whaler, and checked out our route for the MERCY. We shut off the engine and drifted, and looked over the side. We reached 4.2 kts at one point, drifting with the current. Where the cut narrows, it looks like a river. It is pretty interesting.

We returned to the boat just in time to close up hatches for a passing rainstorm, eat lunch, and start listening to another book, Ian Lawrence's The Wreckers, which involves a sailing vessel smashed to bits on a reef. Hmmm.

At about 2:00, we weighed anchor to continue our journey. The current was still against us, but I wanted to get across to Hatchet Bay by early evening. The cut was impressive, and the seas rolled us from abeam in very short swells for the first five miles of open water, rolling us pretty good. (Rudy, our cabinet boards work great!)

As we neared Hatchet Bay, the coast was looming closer off our port side. The cast is much higher here, probably over 150' elevation, and cliffs and caves along the coast. Tomorrow we'll try to check that out with the Whaler.

Hatchet Bay has a 90' wide chute that was blasted through the rock to obtain entrance into an inland pond, where the town of Alice Town is. Depths there range to 30'-ish, and the rock hills surrounding the bay make for an excellent area of protected water. We are surrounded on all sides by hills, with the only opening to the swells the narrow cut we entered! If the anchorage wasn't already great, there are free moorings! Very faint wi-fi internet! There is a cave just off our port bow, and a gorgeous pavillion covered public dinghy dock right in front of us. This area invites exploration!