Hey Tom,

...and usually have to settle for watching others anchor, or come into a dock, instead... (grin)

Seems if you really want to see the sort of sailing you've described, you have to head for Maine... I'm always impressed by how much more sailing people seem to do up there in general, particularly in less than ideal conditions... I occasionally witness the sort of leisurely, patient ghosting into a harbor or anchorage under sail in a dying breeze near the end of the day in southern New England as well, but virtually no where else I cruise...

Most surprisingly to me, is how rarely I see it done in the Bahamas, a cruising ground where sailing into - or at least right up to the final approach to - an anchorage can so often and easily be done. Sure, the entrances to many spots can be convoluted, or very tight, much more safely piloted under power, but Governor's Harbor on Eleuthera is not one of them. It's about as wide open and straightforward approach as you'll find anywhere...

This pic was taken after one of the nicest days of sailing I'd had during the winter a couple of years ago, a slow one in light air up from Rock Sound... Naturally, a bit more breeze came up late in the day after I'd arrived and was exploring ashore, and I watched this boat approach from a distance... If you look closely at the boat's trailing wake, you can see that he's just made a pretty abrupt course change on his final approach... Of course, that's likely to be the exact location of the approach waypoint on the Explorer Charts, and while there's certainly no need with such an open entrance to navigate to that precise point, this is a pretty accurate illustration of the way most cruisers seem to be "sailing" the Bahamas, these days... (grin)

Great pics as always, Tom - sounds like you're had a wonderful summer of sailing up there, sorry I didn't make it back there this year...

best regards,

Jon