For waiting a few days at the dock in Freeport we were rewarded with 50 miles of fast  easy and fun sailing over to the Berry Islands and Bullocks Harbor on the back side of Great Harbor Cay. On an easy beam reach in 15 to 20 knots of wind we averaged over 8 knots.

Separating the Berry Islands from Freeport on Grand Bahama is the Northwest Providence Channel.  Like most passages between major island groups here, this is a deep water passage, water well over 1000 feet deep.  As we approach our destination, on the other hand, we have to navigate our way across about 5 miles of the Great Bahama Bank–decidedly NOT deep.  For about a mile we sailed in water less than 7.5 feet deep–sometimes less than 7–leaving a long trail of stirred up sand behind us.  We never actually touched bottom, but it was REALLY close.

We joined about a half dozen other boats here in Bullock Harbor, just west of Great Harbor Cay, and are looking forward to a few days of exploring and adventuring.  Hopefully we can get some photos worthy of posting for your interest!