First cruise port of call

Nov 9

Sunrise at Great Stirrup Caye

  

Awoke about 7 AM to an overcast sky.  

Sand and water are stirred up by the engine as we position ourselves.  This is a port where all visitors will be tendered to shore.  The island is owned by the cruise line.

  

Bahamian bluewater

Great Stirrup Cay – two areas for enjoyment 

Transport arriving for a day of fun and sun

Landing barge, for bringing provisions for the day to the islands

One of 4 passenger tenders approaching

Tied up ready to take on passengers – the white water is sand that is being whipped up by the thrusters and motors.

Big storm cloud approaching, with swathes of rain visible.

Another cruise ship approaching, the Allure of the Seas

We watched as the landing barge and 4 large tender boats came out to meet us, for the day’s fun and games.  An hour later they were all heading back to shore without having picked up provisions or passengers.  There was a big black cloud sweeping towards us and we could see lightning and hear thunder.   The decision was made not to stop, as a huge cold front was moving in ahead of anticipated time, bringing with it strong winds and rain.  We did have a big downpour that accompanied the cloud and as I thought, the overhang permitted us to sit outside and enjoy the show without getting wet. 

Next thing we knew the landing barge and tenders were heading back to port without passengers.  We pulled up anchor and started to head away from the island.   Thunder and lightning were starting.  It appears that a cold front that had been expected later in the day moved in more rapidly than anticipated, so the decision was made to abandon our stay here.  The Captain has indicated that is a powerful storm and for everyone's safety and comfort he wants to try and outrun it.    He was not too successful in that endeavour as the storm stayed with us all day.   High winds and high seas dogged us all day.  Deviations were made from our programmed course to reduce our discomfort.

10:00 AM An attempt was made to find us an alternate port on our forward journey, Curacao, but there was no moorage available.  We are currently southwest of Great Abaco Island, one of the islands severely damaged by Hurricane Dorian, proceeding on to Cartagena, Columbia, about 1000 miles away.  We are attempting to stay ahead of this storm. 

11:30 AM, the winds have picked up considerably to 55 km/hr and the temperature has dropped to 72 degrees, the humidity has risen to 86%.  Currently, the ocean temperature is 10 degrees warmer than the air temp.

A car carrier bobbing along in the waves with us.

 There were promising moments of the storm clearing

 Stormy conditions were sustained throughout the evening and night as we continued our passage through the weather front.  Seas got quite high at times with big waves and high winds.