Paradise at Hawksnest Cay

We are a little freaked out when we wake up early this morning to hear Chris Parker's 6:30 am weather broadcast. The current is pretty wicked and we are actually dragging our anchor. We waste no time at all pulling up the anchor, and make a split second decision to just get moving out of this anchorage. This involves some fancy footwork down below as I run around closing up the hatches and portlights, and securing all the loose ends to prevent them from flying all over the boat while we are underway. We have become almost experts at this by now, so it takes no time at all to get the boat "voyage ready". Our loose plan is to use the wind to work our way down to Devil's Cay which looks like a good run for the day, providing some decent protection from the wind. However, as we move along, the wind is right on our nose and it becomes clear very quickly that it will be a very long haul if we continue to plow ahead to Devil's Cay. Instead, we turn around and head into a very beauitiful anchorage that we make our way into between Petit Cay and Hawksnest Cay. Our charts show that it is a good deep anchorage that is safe in west and south winds - this is perfect! The wind is expected to shift to north in the morning, but we anticipate leaving by then. We enter this heavenly area - the only boat here - surrounded by pure white sand within easy reach. The waater is a transparent turquoise and we can see the grains of sand around the boat. Blair and I take a swim off the back of the boat - another first - and shower off with the fresh water hose when we are finished. While not totally hot, the water is certainly refreshing.
We haven't made much headway on this stop today, but we are proud of ourselves that we have managed to stumble onto this secluded and peaceful anchorage for the night.
We end the day with a delicious turkey drumstick dinner, and a restful night in paradise.

Some Interesting Facts about Hawksnest Cay:
Hawksnest Cay at the northern tip of Haines Cay was named after ospreys that nested among the bluffs on its eastern shore. Under one of the bluffs is an interesting formation. About a hundred feet inland and surrounded on the northern, eastern and southern sides by rock is a small pool with a beach along its western shore. This pool is connected to the sea by a "hole in the wall" which lies under the bluff. At high water the archway is 18 inches high with 4 feet of water under it.