In Search of Columbus.....

When we set sail from Connecticut five months ago, our plan was to re assess our journey as spring approaches. When we left, we said goodbye to friends and colleges saying "see you in the spring". Well spring is just around the corner; so what do we do ??

We discussed "Chicken Harbor" in our previous postings as the turn-around point for snow birds. This is the southern most harbor of the snow bird migration where decisions must be made. Do we start heading north back to the states as most cruisers do (and return to work) or do we take the "thorny path" south into the Caribbean ?? One thing is for certain, we can't stay in the Bahamas due to the threat of hurricanes.

We have been anchored in George Town, (in the southern part of the Exuma chain of the Bahamas) for the past five weeks. We have carefully weighed all of the options...the pros and the cons. We have reviewed the charts of the route south and the multiple cautions and warnings contained therein. The very opening sentences in the "Cruising Guide to the Southern Bahamas" warn: "Only the hardiest of cruisers head south of George Town, Exuma, for the Southern Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Carib. Many of the Southern Islands lie well off the beaten path and are rarely visited by yachts. Some of these areas are extremely isolated (with few all weather anchorages) and if you get weathered in you may find yourself the only boat in the anchorage for days, and sometimes weeks at a time. The cruiser in these waters definitely needs to be as self-sufficient as possible"....

Well, the decision has been made. Persephone is heading south to the Caribbean. She will not be returning to the US this spring; the date for a return has been postponed indefinitely. Instead, Persephone will be following in the wake of a man we call Christopher Columbus (more on that later).

Juan Rodriguez Bermejo de Triana, the lookout aboard the "Pinta", sailing in the waters just south and east of George Town, saw something that would change the world forever. At 0200 (2 am) on the morning of October 12, 1492, Triana shouted that he sighted the moon's reflection on land. This land was one of the islands located in the Southern Bahamas. For centuries a debate has raged as to which island was discovered on the fateful night. Historians have whittled the list down to a handful of islands of where Columbus first landed known as the "Columbus Controversy". Well, Persephone is going to sail in Columbus' wake, to the islands claiming to the be the first island discovered in the new world. By visiting these islands, discovering our own "new worlds", hopefully Persephone will be able to conclusively determine which island was first discovered and end the "Columbus Controversy" forever.....

THE CREW