On Sun, 21 Nov 2010 19:01:44 -0500, "Flying Pig"
wrote:

Despite assurances from one of our cruising buddies (in a trawler) that one
could easily just follow the Explorer chart waypoints, looking hard at the
charts and being very nervous about the depths, never mind the coral heads,
with our 7' draft, we didn't much like that option.

For something like $70, about the price of the ferry, you could have
hired an experienced ship pilot from Spanish Wells. The pilots
routinely take mega yachts and 200 ft fuel tankers through there in
all kinds of weather. We did that on our first trip to Harbour Island
and got a loaf of fresh baked bread from the pilot's wife as a bonus.
When I realized that our track line was right on top of the Explorer
Chart track, I asked him about it. He just smiled and said, "Yes,
the Explorer way points are very good." We went back on our own,
staying within 50 ft of our outbound track, and never saw water less
than 9 feet deep. No radical course changes were required.