Caicos Passage - Sandbore Channel We lifted anchor at midnight out of Mayaguana and set a course of 160 degrees true (NE winds 15-20 knots). The waves were high and during our passage we took 4 large splashes into the cock-pit. We took in the geneo sail during the night to slow our progress from 6.5-7 knots to 5.0-5.5 knots. Our arrival time to Sandbore channel was crucial. We needed to arrive at daybreak so there would be enough light to distinguish the channel through the surrounding reef, but before the day winds built across the shallow Caicos banks, as we would have to either tack in the narrow coral filled channel or beat our way the 8 miles to the anchorage through the wind and waves. In one of our reference books, "The Gentleman's Guide to Passages South, author Bruce Van Sant states that the reef is clearly visible and distinguishable from the channel. All three boats in our group would have to dispute that fact. We ended up positioning ourselves at the channel waypoint and heading in from it, skirting the coral heads by visual piloting as we beat our way to the anchorage in Sapodilla Bay, Providenciales Island (Provo), Caicos chain, Turks and Caicos. Anchor to anchor - Mayaguana Island to Providenciales Island - 12 hours - midnight to noon