Not all, but certainly most, of the days we were in Fort Lauderdale we were at some point during the day hot and uncomfortable.  We were 10 miles inland at the boat yard, so there were no cooling sea breezes.

Having moved 50 miles to the southeast, the difference is amazing.  Yes, certainly in the hottest part of the afternoon it is still hot out in the sun, but the humidity is lower, and the breeze is better, and the nights are JUST cool enough.  It is so much nicer being surrounded by water!

One thing that might surprise people from the cold and snowy north, is that this is the “off season” here in the Bahamas. A couple reasons for that.  Most of the people coming here by boat come from Florida.  In the summer they can come out here and enjoy cooler more comfortable weather. A big draw here is the ocean fishing, and for most of the glamorous species, the real season starts in April or May. Finally, the weather here is changeable in the winter.  Cold fronts can bring days of rain.  We are enjoying the relatively empty marinas, although it is quite a bit busier than I remember from last year.

We are going to be jumping off tomorrow to head further East.  Our target is about 110 miles due east as the seagull flies, Sandy Point, at the southern end of Great Abaco Island.   We had stopped there several times last season, and it will make a good staging ground for our next step south.  We expect about an 18 to 20 hour run if the weather forecasts hold true.

We have found some new places we want to go, and are looking forward to being out exploring again!