We both were watching from the helm during this sail.  The Turks and Caicos has a shallow shelf on the side that we were sailing.  This meant that there were between four and ten feet of water beneath our keel.  We had to keep a sharp lookout for coral heads to make sure that we didn’t hit them.  With strong winds, we made good time. 

We were able to pull into the South Bank marina by mid-afternoon.  Unfortunately, the marina was full and they didn’t really have a place to put us.  We ended up tying up at the fuel dock.  This meant that the marina was not able to sell fuel.  After several hours, they asked the police to move their boat and we were able to squeeze into a space in front of the restaurant.  It was a great spot.  Steve did an amazing job of parallel parking the boat in strong wind.  We had a couple of people on land assist with the lines and we made it in unscathed.  Yea!

I had called my Aunt Jan and Uncle Tom to let them know that we arrived.  They met us at the fuel dock.  I was so excited to see them, as it had been a couple of years since we have been able to get together.  They watched as we moved to the other slip.  Then we went back to their place for dinner.  It was really nice to see where they have vacationed for so many years.  And, we got to meet their precious little dog, Sophie.  They were so kind and offered us the use of their car while we were there.  We took it back to the marina that evening.  The next day was filled with boat chores and provisioning.  We again met for dinner at the fabulous Caicos Café.  The food was wonderful.  We returned to their place after dinner and washed some laundry, Skyped with my dad, and simply enjoyed each other’s company.