Feb 26, 2015 Thursday Shroud to Exumas Land and Sea Park

Did I say "dreams tonight"?  It was more like a nightmare.  Winds were blowing 30 knots out of the south and this boat was a rockin and rollin!   Bitts and I were scared as the dinghy was banging the boat and waves were crashing all around us.  It was miserable, so I made my distress, whinny noise and Kathy came to the cockpit.  She could see we were scared, so she brought her pillow and a sheet and came on deck.  The wind and rocking was relentless and did not stop.  Kathy, Bitts, and I did not sleep a wink.  Rich was z'd out on his Benadryl.  Morning came and winds did not die out.  We decided to go to the Exumas Land and Sea Park at Warderick Wells to get out of this weather.  Rich went to get the dinghy ready to put up on the davits, and he yelled for Kathy.  The dinghy motor was gone!!  At first we thought it might have been stolen, but then Rich saw it bobbing in the water behind the dinghy.  Apparently the winds were so bad last night, and with the dinghy banging the mother ship, somehow it loosened the attachments and the motor fell into the salt water--not good for the motor I am told.  The good news is that it was still attached to the dinghy by the "ah sh_t" line and the fuel line.  Rich tied a line around it and Kathy hoisted it out of the water.  All this while still in 25-30 knot winds.  Rich had the motor apart in minutes and washed it with fresh water, some WD 40, and yes, it started.  I was worried I might not be able to go ashore swimming anymore.  So we finally took off for a 4 1/2 hour trip to the Exumas Land and Sea Park.  It was NOT a pleasant trip with winds 25-30 knots on the nose and 4 foot seas.  We picked up a mooring ball at Hog Cay, which is on the lower southeast corner of Warderick Wells.  What a great place and best kept secret.  Weather protection 360 degrees, so we finally got a good night's sleep and I was back to dreaming about beaches.