132: OUR FIRST exposure to the EXUMAS including the CUTS and the SHALLOW WATER

We said farewell to Steve, picked up anchor, and headed off North. Within 15 minutes, we were carefully monitoring a water spout that developed over Great Exuma. But, it never came anywhere near us. We had a great sail and moved so quickly that we made it to our second option, a further cut and anchorage called Galliot's Cut. We anchored in the elbow of Big Galliot Cay in front of a beautiful white sandy beach. We found a small coral area housing a huge lobster (too bad it's not the season) and 2 lionfish. Brown went back for the spear and caught one lionfish. We tried for the second, but he wiggled away with the help of a ledge. Brown fileted the lionfish and dinner was served. We love the remote anchorages with few boats and no evidence of resorts or restaurants. But, the ever present call of the north is in our ear and we have to move on quickly as 15 June gets closer every day. This exciting episode documents Brown's first speargun of a fish and the terrifying moment of getting his golden locks cut off by Jeff! We left Big Galliot Cut and for the first time we stayed inside the bank vs. in the ocean. First, it's super shallow which makes for a beautiful turquiose color. Secondly, it's smooth sailing as you get the wind, but not the swell. The winds were SO strong that we had to double reef the main and also the jib. We were flying. We arrived in Staniel Cay and Brown did some beautiful maneuvers to position our boat to anchor just outside Thunderball Grotto. It was the first time I could stand at our anchor, which is a bit unnerving IF the wind changes direction. We happened to be on the edge of the channel so the incoming tide changed our boat position and at times, we were sitting right over our anchor. It was a beautiful anchorage with every color of blue in view. Staniel Cay is very popular for cruisers and we found the anchorage to be packed with boats. Sometimes that is a good thing as it means the island might cater to cruisers. We needed some parts for a temporary fix on our hot water heater that was leaking engine coolant and thankfully, we found what we needed and for a very cheap price. Two miracles. The island is very cute, but quiet. The airstrip makes it popular with land lubbers. It's worth a stop for the pigs, sharks, adventure and grottos...all seen in our next video! #sailing #sailboat #sailingprojects #GEORGETOWN #BAHAMAS #GALLIOTCAY #BIGGALLIOT #stanielcay NEW TO OUR CHANNEL? We are Eileen and Brown Councill. Welcome to our channel and a glimpse into our life adventure! 2020 was a year of uncertainty and change (for all of us, right?), but we overcame the challenges and decided it was time to chase our dream, to sail around the world! Did I mention that we had very NO sailing experience? Before leaving Qingdao, China, our home of 4 years, we sold almost all of our earthly possessions and started our international search to find the right sailboat that we would call "home." After 5 months of unanticipated twists and turns, we found what we were looking for, a used Leopard 44' Catamaran located in St. Lucia. So, here begins our journey, filled with unmatched excitement and honestly, a bit of trepidation as well. We have much to learn as we travel the world on our floating home and we intend to document that journey and share it with you. We are so glad you have decided to join us, and we hope that you will find our story so compelling that it will inspire you to chase your dreams too! As a viewer, we consider you to be part of our family and look forward to getting to know you. Don't hesitate to comment on our videos and ask questions. We will do our best to answer every correspondence! All we ask is that you have patience with us as we work really hard to improve our camera/video techniques and ability to tell a story. Hopefully, you will be as BLOWN AWAY from watching, as we are in experiencing and producing our adventures! HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US? If you wish to support our video efforts, all we ask is that you SUBSCRIBE, give a THUMBS UP, SHARE our videos with your friends, AND COMMENT! WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET TO KNOW US MORE DEEPLY? It would be an honor and pleasure to deepen our relationship with you as a Patron. Please click on the following link to see how: https://www.patreon.com/sailingblownaway WOULD YOU LIKE TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY? https://www.noforeignland.com/boat/6040796987916288 WHERE CAN YOU FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA? Instagram - @sailingblownaway Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SailingBlownAway Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/eileen.dietrich/ YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/sailingblownaway