Man-O-War, Mangoes, Mother's Day, and Visitors

Between our expedition to the south Abacos and today's arrival at Mangoes Marina in Marsh Harbor, Wayne wanted to make another stop at Man-O-War. I had to needle him a little bit and say that he was having regrets over not buying himself a bag and needed to return to Albury's Sail Shop. I wasn't serious and was surprised when he said yes, he really wanted a bag but couldn't decide what kind to get. Now, I'm a bag lady and had no problem indulging him with a return visit, so off we went. Only problem was that we escaped buying anything for ourselves on our first visit, but I couldn't do that a second time, especially when Wayne decided he needed THREE bags. I bought one. They are such nice bags and so well constructed. The sailcloth they're made from is sturdy, but not bulky.

I took a photo of Annie Albury sewing a patch on my bag. She is the granddaughter of sailmaker Norman Albury. Norman’s wife Selina, founded Albury’s Sail Shop about 50 years ago.

Annie Albury, sewing the patch on my bag

Wayne's new bags

After bag shopping, we headed down to the ice cream shop where we indulged ourselves again, then sat at a table outside to get caught up on internet stuff. It was the best Bahamas WiMax connection we have had since losing our booster, so we made good use of it. I was actually able to upload 32 photos to Facebook! The highlight, though, was being able to call Mom on Skype to wish her a happy Mother's Day, but better than that, I got a bonus: three for the price of one! My sisters, Andra and Jodi, were with Mom because she had just returned to the Twin Cities from Florida on Friday, so I got to visit with all of them. Being able to do that makes being away from them today on Mother's Day easier to take. Every year previously we have been in Minnesota for Mother's Day, and Mom usually rides back with us from Florida. My sisters and their families and our kids and we all get together to celebrate the holiday and Mom's homecoming, and it's nice to be able to see everyone shortly after we get back. Also, May is my favorite month of the year in Minnesota and I like to get as much of it as possible.

Wayne lost his mom in September and my thoughts today are with his siblings, Robin, Greg, and their families. My cousin Denise just lost her mom on April 29, just three weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. I'm praying God's blessings of comfort and peace for Robin, Greg, Denise and the rest of the family, and so many others I know who have lost their moms recently.

Joey just called to wish me a happy Mother's Day. Thanks, Babe, I love you. Amy's parents from Michigan are visiting Michael and Amy. I'll give them a call later today.

Since we'll be starting our trek back to Florida sometime the middle of this week, hopefully, we had a lot on our to-do list and accomplished most of it yesterday and this morning. We'll be traveling for longer stretches - no more lollygagging - and not much time for boat chores. Yesterday I made yogurt, did two loads of laundry, baked bread and breakfast bars from the mixes I made up ahead of time, and cookies from the dough I froze before we left home. My oven takes so long to heat up that I figured I'd do it all at one time, and replenish my dwindling supply of frozen provisions. I also hard-boiled a dozen eggs for quick and easy eating on the way back. We even have a clean boat now, so we're all set.

Betsy and Chuck are here! The taxi dropped them off at about 1:30, an hour after we docked at Mangoes Marina, and we were so excited to see them! They are here to spend the week with Ginny and Chris on Ginny C, who are docked right next to us. Mary and Rich, on board Change, are docked on the other side of them. Ginny is on her way back from spending a few days with her grandkids in Connecticut and should be here at around 6:30. We had everyone over for drinks and appetizers and the eight of us will have dinner at Curly Tails at 7:30. For those who don't know, we're all members of the Mariners, our boating club in Punta Gorda. Fun!

Dinner with the gang at Curly Tails in Marsh Harbor

Saving the best till last

We got a late start leaving Marsh Harbor on Tuesday and anchored south of Tavern Cay off of Tilloo Cay. Snorkeled inside of Tilloo Cut on the ocean side of the rocks there. It was the first time since we've been in the Abacos that it was calm enough to do this. Snorkeling was the best we've had so far, although even relatively small ocean swells made us feel like we were in a washing machine at times.

Wednesday evening we headed for an anchorage near the south end of Lynyard Cay because we knew that Charlie on UnSeaSing would be there. We invited him over for dinner and had a nice visit. He is headed back to Punta Gorda via Hole-In-the-Wall, the Berry Islands, and South Riding Rock, a route similar to the one we will be taking next week. Charlie doesn't have a travel buddy and part of us feels like we should be traveling with him, but we're not quite ready to go back.

Remarkably, conditions were calm enough Thursday that we were able to dinghy two and a half miles from our anchorage near the south end of Lynyard Cay to Little Harbor, although it was a bit bumpy. We didn't have an agenda, except to explore the settlement, which we found quite appealing. Walked up to the lighthouse ruins, walked the beach, checked out Pete's Pub, which wasn't open yet, and explored the gallery, which was.

After our visit to Little Harbor, we headed over to Sandy Cay reef in Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park, a national park, which was supposed to have some of the best snorkeling in the Abacos. It surpassed our expectations. Finally the seas and wind had calmed down enough that we were able to enjoy the snorkeling experience we had been seeking since our arrival in the Abacos on April 15.

How I love to revel in God's creation! Few things bring me greater joy.

We saw sea turtles, sharks, spotted eagle rays, spectacular underwater seascapes of coral, fish, and plants. It was magnificent and well worth the wait! God saved the best until last. If we had snorkeled Sandy Cay reef first, our other snorkeling experiences would have paled in comparison. This way, we were better able to appreciate their more modest beauty first. We probably won't have another opportunity to snorkel on this trip unless we have to wait for a weather window, because we will be leaving for home on Tuesday or Wednesday and will be busy with other things until then.

Recap of the week

Preparing to leave Marsh Harbor for Little Harbor, about twenty miles away, but we may make an intermediate stop if we see good snorkeling conditions. I'm waiting for a load of laundry to finish, and Wayne is trying to get the depth sounder working . . . AGAIN.

The reasons we haven't blogged all week is because, first of all, there's been nothing interesting to blog about, and second, because we've been hanging out with friends a lot and doing a bit of snorkeling.

Tuesday and Wednesday we moored in Orchid Bay on Great Guana; Thursday and Friday we anchored at Treasure Cay; Saturday we anchored in Fisher's Bay on Great Guana; Sunday and Monday we docked at Harbor View Marina in Marsh Harbor.

Showers and thunderstorms were common this week.

Did a bit of snorkeling at Baker's Bay, where we saw more golf balls(!) than fish, and around Delia's Rock on the west side of Great Guana, where we found a few small coral heads and fish. Alas, continued large ocean swells kept us away from the barrier reef on the Atlantic side.

5-foot Barracuda

Yesterday we braved the chops and took the dinghy a couple of miles to a mooring at Mermaid Reef, just outside of Marsh Harbor. We found a small area of coral with plenty of fish, but considering that one website touted it as one of the top three snorkeling spots in the Abacos, we also found it disappointing. Granted, we didn't explore farther out because it was so choppy, so the reef may have been larger than we thought. We realized that we could have crossed the harbor, tied up the dinghy, crossed the street to the beach, and snorkeled from shore, but Wayne thought the reef was 1500 feet out, so maybe there was more to it.

The fun part, though, is that the fish there have been trained to know that snorkelers often bring food with them, so I felt a bit like the Pied Piper of Mermaid Reef, and that was BEFORE we shared the corn we brought with us. Wayne and I photographed each other feeding the fish and got our fingers nibbled on a bit, too. Sure hope fish don't carry rabies. I'll post more snorkeling photos later.

We anchored at Treasure Cay on Thursday and went in to shore to explore the beautiful beach and the upscale (for the Bahamas) resort there. They have a nice grocery shore, but I bought nothing. As we headed back to our dinghy, we saw Chatty Cat entering the marina, so we met them at the dock. We spent Thursday and Friday evenings having dinner with them (Cathy, Glen, Jan, and Mike) and playing games, then did the same on Saturday evening at Great Guana. They are headed home now, so we won't see them again until we get back to Punta Gorda.

Broadwater II crossed the gulf stream to Florida on Saturday, which concerned us because it didn't sound like the conditions would be favorable for them. They sent us emails that evening, and although they didn't have a particularly fun day, they made it safely across.

Upon docking Sunday in Marsh Harbor, we found that Chat-Eau and Toucana were there. We hadn't connected with them since shortly after reaching the Abacos, so were pleased to see them. The six of us went to Snappas to partake of their Cinco de Mayo party, but fled after a couple of margaritas, as the DJ made it impossible to converse. We ate at Curly Tails on the second level of the Conch Inn, where we enjoyed a lovely sunset and conversation with Nancy, Steve, Jack, and Carol.

Yesterday morning Nancy and I went for a walk. On the way back we stopped by George's stand where he makes THE BEST conch salad, freshly prepared while you wait. Wayne and I ate ours for lunch, then went snorkeling at Mermaid Reef. We were expecting Change and Ginny C, who were docked at Mangoes Marina next door when we got back. Friends of Nancy and Steve from Punta Gorda, Peter and Julie, flew in yesterday afternoon, and the ten of us went to dinner at Mangoes.

This morning we had breakfast at Mangoes with Ginny, Chris, Mary, and Rich. We had a great time with everyone this week. I told Wayne no more restaurants, though, until next Sunday or Monday when Betsy and Chuck arrive. Can't wait to see them!

Chat-Eau is headed back north, so we won't see them again until Punta Gorda. Safe travels, Nancy and Steve.

George prepares conch salad

Blog stuff

A couple of people have emailed me and said that they tried to post comments on the blog but were not able to. I went in to my settings and changed it so that you don't need to do word verification to comment. It's intended to keep out spam or something, so if you see "unusual" comments, please disregard them. If that doesn't fix the problem, I don't know what else to do.

Also, if you subscribe to the blog, sometimes you will see multiples of the same entry. Sometimes Blogger will hiccup (five times yesterday, I think) or sometimes I will go back and do an edit or add photos. You will miss nothing and avoid aggravation if you only read the most recent one.

Now that the sun is up, I can see that the sky is mostly clear. A snorkeling day? Let's hope so! It's a bit strange to wake up to the sound of crowing roosters, but I like it.

Have a great day!

Back to Great Guana

Tuesday, April 29 - Yesterday we left our mooring in Hope Town harbor and anchored just south of White Sound, which leads to Sea Spray Marina and Resort. Ginny, Chris, Mary, and Rich took the shuttle down from Hope Town and we enjoyed dinner together.

If you have been to the Abacos, you probably know about the Cruisers' Net. It's a VHF radio program (a better word escapes me) that's on every morning at 8:15 which includes a weather report, boating conditions throughout the Abacos, conditions in the gulf stream, local businesses promoting special events, dinner specials, tours, etc., and cruisers sharing information with other cruisers. We listen to it every morning and it's particularly helpful when we don't have internet access to get weather information ourselves (like today). This morning's forecast for the week was dreary at best: there's a high percent chance of showers and thunderstorms every day this week and today it's 90%.

With that in mind, Wayne and I discussed our options. We've hit most of the main places of interest and all we really want to do at this point anyway is snorkel. The ocean has been too rough and the winds too strong for safe or enjoyable snorkeling conditions thus far, but it looks as though we may have a window of opportunity tomorrow and Thursday. Winds are expected to be less than 5 mph and we can see that the Atlantic is calming down. Yes, there's a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms and it will be overcast, but it appears that ideal conditions are not in the cards, so we'll try to make the most of what we have. Friday winds are supposed to be back up to 20-25 mph.

The question is, where to go? After exploring our options, we decided to go back up to Great Guana Cay and pick up a mooring ball in Orchid Bay, for several reasons. First, we'll be close to lots of great snorkeling around Fowl and Scotland Cays and on the east side of Guana. Second, if the weather doesn't cooperate, we will (maybe) at least have internet access. If we had continued our southerly course from Elbow Cay, it's unlikely that we would have had wi-fi at all, since we would no longer be in the main part of the Abacos where Bahamas WiMax has hotspots.

So, we left our anchorage near Tahiti Beach on Elbow Cay and motored north a couple of hours to Great Guana. I settled in with domestic chores in anticipation of a soggy day: did two loads of laundry, made yogurt, made cinnamon rolls to put in the freezer (all ready to pop in the oven), measured and mixed the dry ingredients for two loaves of our favorite herb bread, and other miscellaneous household chores.

But did it rain? Only a few drops - long enough to zip up our cockpit enclosure (where we sat trying to get online with our usual degree of frustration) and close open hatches. And to think that we could have spent the afternoon snorkeling after all! But then we wouldn't have freshly baked cinnamon rolls tomorrow morning.

Yesterday and today I have been obsessed with trying to call my mom, with no luck. We have Skype, but gave up hope of acquiring an internet signal strong enough for a conversation, and Wayne's cell phone, which at $2.00 a minute, is reserved for emergency calls only. Well, when we finally got online here in Orchid Bay, I found an email from Mom telling me that her Aunt Dolly (Betty) had died. It was expected, but we didn't know if she had days or months. Aunt Betty was such a dear lady and the last of eight siblings. We will miss her terribly. Our deepest sympathy to Denise, Debra, Dan, and their families. May God grant you all his comfort and peace.

Hope Town, Elbow Cay

Hope Town is our favorite spot in the Abacos so far. It's a lovely town in a picturesque setting with friendly people and a nice balance of amenities.

We've explored the town and marveled at the view from the top of the lighthouse. We've enjoyed time spent with friends—Liz and Devin on Moosetracks, Charlie on Un Sea Sing, Chris and Ginny on Ginny C, Rich and Mary on Change, and (briefly) Glen, Cathy, Jan, and Mike on Chatty Cat. I think we're all headed in different directions today.

We've achieved mixed levels of success with boat chores. We THINK the depth sounder is fixed. Wayne went up the mast yesterday to see if resetting the Bullet wi-fi booster would fix that problem, but it seems that the unit isn't getting any power. Either the unit or the wiring is broken.

In half an hour we will head in to town for the 11:00 service at the Methodist Church. We were planning sail down to the southern part of Elbow Cay near Tahiti Beach, but decided to stay in the harbor one more night. Since Wayne wasn't able to get our Bullet working and we won't be near a Bahamas WiMax hotspot, we probably won't have internet access for a few days.

It's been disappointing that winds blowing at 15-20 knots from the N-NE almost since we've been in the Abacos have made for poor snorkeling conditions. At least high temps in the 70's with the cool breezes make being in the water less appealing :)

Can you find Lena Bea?

Lena Bea with Hope Town lighthouse

Great Guana, Marsh Harbor, and Man-O-War

Friday, April 26 - I started to write this on Monday and have an entry for each day this week, so you may want to read this post from the bottom up. This is a long post with lots of photos, so grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and welcome to our world this week in the Abacos.

We frequently don't have internet access when we are at anchor, especially now that our Bullet 2 wi-fi booster isn't working. If you don't hear from us for a few days, that's usually why.

We just arrived at Hope Town harbor and picked up a mooring ball with the assistance of Chris and Ginny in their dinghy. 

Charlie just entered the harbor and Wayne is headed out to help him with his mooring ball, since he is alone.

Some other IP friends are here this weekend: Liz and Devin onboard Moosetracks. They are new retirees and have been living aboard and sailing about since leaving their home in St. Petersburg on 12/12/12. We read on their blog that they were in the Abacos and contacted them a couple of days ago. They are in Hope Town for a wedding. We look forward to seeing them and getting caught up.

Thursday, April 25 - Wayne and I are now even. I left my camera at Nipper's on Monday, and last night Wayne left his VISA card at the Jib Room. He also realized this morning that our depth gauge wasn't registering. Not a good thing when there's a full moon and you're in a very shallow harbor (the full moon makes low tides lower and high tides higher than normal). We wanted to be well clear of Marsh Harbor before low tide, but first Wayne had to get his credit card and fix the depth gauge. We left the dock and anchored in the harbor, got the dinghy down from the davits, and off Wayne went after calling the Jib Room and confirming that they did indeed have his VISA card. Mission accomplished, he was preparing to get in the water and dive under the boat to check out the depth gauge, but thankfully, it had inexplicably started working. Yay, God!

On to our destination, Man-O-War Cay. The entrance to the harbor is very narrow with only room for one boat to pass through at a time. As we prepared to enter, Chatty Cat was coming out, so we turned around and waited for them to emerge. They were leaving to join everyone else at Hope Town on Elbow Cay and we debated heading over there instead and returning to Man-O-War later. There's a constant dilemma of staying with our friends—we enjoy being with them—or doing our own thing, which we also enjoy. It's all a matter of balance. We knew they were going to dinner tonight at a restaurant that was hosting a special "full moon party," and since we had been out to dinner with Charlie last night, we didn't want to eat out two nights in a row. That's another dilemma: we hate to be party poopers, but two restaurant meals a week is enough for us. Of course, if we joined the others in Hope Town today, we would also join them for dinner. And we would have a great time with them.

We decided to stick with Plan A. Upon venturing into the harbor between Dickie's Cay and Man-O-War Cay, we realized that it was very tight and the mooring balls were very close together and other boats had anchored among the moored boats. Plus, we nearly ran aground. Wayne couldn't get out of there fast enough. We found a nice, roomy anchorage on the outside of Dickie's Cay and ate lunch.

I wanted to explore the sandy areas exposed by the low tide, so Wayne dropped me off and waited in the dinghy. 

I found and possibly saved the lives of many little creatures that were left high and dry by the receding water. I came across this print of a starfish in the sand and a few inches away, the starfish had somehow flipped over (Is that even possible? I would have loved to have witnessed that maneuver!) so that he was sandy side up, probably to protect himself from the hot sun. I gently picked him up, placed him back in the water, and watched him come to life, stretching and wiggling all of his little limbs. He actually appeared to dance!

Then I asked myself as I walked away, was God happy that I did that? Or had I just disrupted the natural order of things? What are your thoughts?

We continued on in the dinghy and tied up to a dock outside of Albury's Sail Shop, where they make handcrafted canvas bags of all types, colors, and sizes, as well as hats, placemats, and other canvas goods. Some are constructed with batik fabric made on the island of Andros in the Bahamas. Their work is beautifully done and well-constructed.

Wednesday, April 24 - A friend of Wayne's from church, Charlie Singmaster on Unseasing, was in Marsh Harbor, so we decided to head over to Mangoes Marina for the night. It is a very shallow harbor and we came in at low tide, so Ray, the dock master, put us at the end of the T dock until it was deep enough for us to move to a slip. Charlie had heard us radio the marina and was there to help us dock. We visited with him for awhile, then Wayne and I walked in to town. There wasn't much to see. They do have a beautiful, well-stocked grocery store, Maxwell's, so we stopped in and left with a quart of strawberries and three bananas. 

Hurry with the picture, already!
I need to find me some GRASS!

Charlie was alone and we had planned to have him over for dinner when we eventually caught up with him. However, that occurrence coincided with rib night at the Jib Room, so we invited him to join us there instead. It was a short dinghy ride across the harbor at Marsh Harbor Marina. We had a hearty and delicious dinner of barbecued ribs, potato salad, and cole slaw. It was fun visiting with Charlie. His wife can't cruise with him anymore because she has such a problem with seasickness, even when the water is calm. Charlie told us about his experience on the way over. He crossed the gulf stream on an overnighter from Marathon all the way to West End. He had to motor, ended up in rough seas, and got a bit banged up in the process. Said he'll never try that again.

Tuesday, April 23 - There was still so much to check out on Great Guana Cay and we weren't ready to leave yet, so we decided to head north a ways to an anchorage in Baker's Bay. A tiny nearby island, Spoil Bank Cay, looked like an interesting place to explore, both on land and in the water; it also had a pretty beach. We decided to anchor there for a while while we checked the place out. I put on my snorkeling gear and began to swim toward shore, but there was a considerable current and I returned to the boat. So we loaded our gear into the dinghy and headed closer to shore. Wayne quickly realized that it wasn't his kind of snorkeling and I agreed that there wasn't much there, but it doesn't take much to fascinate me, so I was content. I observed a few barracuda, some angelfish and others, a sea cucumber, many large, red, sea stars and other live shells. 

Wayne was anxious to get back to the boat, so I didn't have time to see what was on shore. When we returned, we heard Ginny G. hail Change on the radio and congratulate Mary and Rich on their first Whale crossing. They stayed behind at Green Turtle when the rest of us crossed on Sunday. When we heard later that the winds were supposed to switch to the north and increase from five to twenty knots and stay strong for the rest of the week, we were concerned that they would be stuck at Green Turtle for awhile, so were relieved to hear on the VHF that they had made it across. I knew they were close by because they were on channel 17, which has a range of about a mile, so I hailed them when they finished talking. Ginny G. and Change were headed to Orchid Bay Marina on Great Guana, in the same harbor that Chatty Cat and Broadwater II had moored the previous two nights, around the bend from where we had anchored. They left this morning for Man-O-War Cay. 

We pulled up our anchor and started toward our anchorage in Baker's Bay. A few minutes after ending my conversation with Mary and Ginny, the wind picked up to 25 knots. What a blessing that they were safely across, although the wind did make docking a challenge for them. If you remember, they had a very unpleasant time crossing the gulf stream and didn't care to experience anything like that again.

Monday, April 22 - I was up early and by 7:30 was busy taking everything out of the freezer so I could defrost it. Did the refrigerator, too (yes, it too had frost). I've learned to expedite the process by using the hairdryer, and by 10:00, the job was done and everything was re-stowed and reorganized.

The skies appeared threatening and barometerbob.org was predicting showers and thunderstorms, but that did not stop Wayne and me from loading up our stuff and heading over to the Atlantic side of Great Guana Cay with the intention of snorkeling. The reef is accessible from shore and is said to be the third largest barrier reef in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef and the one in the Florida Keys. My heart sank as we walked through Nipper's Beach Bar up on the bluff (if there's another way to get to the beach, we don't know it) and saw the breakers pounding the beach below. No snorkeling for us today, so we left our gear on a rock and opted for a stroll on the beach instead.

It began to rain just as we picked up our gear and headed back up to Nipper's. Do we walk the half mile or so back to the dinghy and motor back to the boat in the rain? Or do we wait it out at Nipper's? The worst that could happen is that we would be stuck there for awhile and enjoy a nice lunch, I reasoned with Wayne. We chose a vantage point up in the gazebo with a lovely view of the ocean and watched the rain pour down for about half an hour. Aside from a few early imbibers huddled around the bar, we were the only customers there. Finally, we made a run for it to the enclosed restaurant down below and took seats at the bar where we could watch TV and get caught up on the news. It was the first we had watched TV since leaving home.

The rain stopped just as we finished lunch and resumed with increased intensity immediately after we were back on the boat. It was a perfect afternoon for a nap, and I slept for two hours!

At 6:00 I realized that my camera was nowhere to be found. This is a new underwater Olympus Tough camera that Wayne got me for Christmas—I haven't taken a single underwater picture with it yet—and with a sick feeling in my stomach, I knew that I must have left it at Nipper's. I called them and was relieved that they had found it up in the gazebo. Thank you, Tanya! Wayne wasn't quite so thrilled that he had to go back and get it, but fortunately, the rain had stopped for the day.

At 8:00 I called to check in with Chatty Cat. We were anchored in Fisher's Bay with the dinghy put away, and they and Broadwater II were at mooring balls in Settlement Harbour, a mile or two away. They invited us over to play Farkle, so we got the dinghy down from the davits and headed over. The water was calm, unlike last night, when we got part way there and turned back because it was too choppy. We had a good time playing Farkle and Sequence with Cathy and Glen, their travel companions, Jan and Mike, and Anne and Jeff from Broadwater II.

Sunday, April 21 - We anchored off Great Guana Cay and immediately headed in to shore for the world famous Sunday pig roast at Nipper's Beach Bar and Grill. We left the dinghy tied up on the beach at Grabbers Bar and Grill and walked up the hill to Nipper's. What a place! It sits on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and a gorgeous, seven mile-long beach. The tacky but cheerful colors of the place charmed me instantly, and tropical music and great people watching gave it a festive atmosphere. We joined our friends on the upper deck. Wayne enjoyed the pig roast buffet and I enjoyed my lobster salad sandwich. We BOTH enjoyed the rum punch.

Green Turtle Club Marina

I thought this post went through on Friday and just discovered that it didn't, so will try again and add an update.

Friday, April 19: We are tucked in at Green Turtle Club Marina, docked next to Ginny C, with Change, Chatty Cat, and Broadwater II close by. And as you can see, we finally have internet access. Not dependable, but we have it at the moment, and that will probably be the case from now on.

Apparently, a cold front has moved in. I'm sitting in the cockpit and just told Wayne that I could use a sweatshirt. Wouldn't you know, after three nights at anchor relying on the generator to cool us off, we're finally at a marina, paying an additional $20 a night for 30 amp electric, and can't even take advantage of the a/c. Life is tough.

It's been a long trek from West End to here. We covered 51 miles on Tuesday to Great Sale Cay, 49 miles on Wednesday to Powell Cay, seven miles on Thursday to Manjack Cay, and nine miles today. Green Turtle Cay could be considered the beginning of the main part of the Abacos, and everything from here on is pretty close together.

I had been dying to get in the water and finally had the opportunity on Wednesday at Powell Cay. There was no reef and we didn't see any fish (except for quite a few stingrays from the dinghy on the way to the beach and a few nurse sharks), but we had a great time snorkeling with Broadwater II and Chatty Cat, gathering sand dollars and sea biscuits. With 85 degree water, similar air temps, and nothing in the water that we needed protection from, we had no need or desire to don our wetsuits. Sunscreen alone, though, was not enough to protect our backs from sunburn.

Yesterday the other two boats moved on to where we are now at Green Turtle Cay, but Wayne and I opted for an anchorage on the northwest side of Manjack Cay. It was a beautiful anchorage and we were the only boat anchored there—exactly the break we needed after nearly two weeks of long days and traveling with others. With twenty knot winds and choppy waves, it was too rough to go far in the dinghy or snorkel, but we did a lot of hiking and beach combing. And of course, we relaxed and soaked in the beauty of God's creation, so grateful for the privilege of being able to do this.

We were anxious to have internet service so we could find out what was happening with Dennis and Shirla. Dennis's email included a long list of equipment they had replaced—they accomplished a lot in a few days! Unfortunately, the weather window for crossing to the Bahamas closed starting today and another opportunity doesn't appear to be imminent, so they are headed back to Punta Gorda. Dennis and Shirla, if you are reading this, we miss you guys and are so sorry your trip was cut short.

Now we await the appropriate weather conditions needed to traverse "The Whale," an area that can be treacherous if conditions aren't just right. Ginny said we may have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday, so it looks like we'll be staying put for awhile. That's fine with me.

Our internet service here isn't allowing me to upload photos, or do much else online for that matter. I'll try again later.

Sunday, April 21: Since weather didn't appear to be favorable for them to cross the Whale in their trawler until Tuesday or Wednesday, Chris and Ginny decided to spend a week here and wait it out. Ginny C and Change had a horrendous time crossing the gulf stream—with horrendous bruises to show for it— and they weren't eager for that kind of excitement again. The Green Turtle Club Marina gave them a good weekly rate for dockage and golf cart rental, the primary means of transportation on the island. It's three miles to New Plymouth and the four of us drove down on Saturday morning.

As we made our way through town, dozens of people garbed in black clustered around the church made it obvious that a funeral was about to begin. As we walked about town we saw several signs on shop windows saying they were closed for  George's funeral. Two hours later when we passed by the church, the funeral was still in full swing. As we finished lunch and ice cream at McIntosh Restaurant and Bakery across from the cemetery, we watched the mourners finally congregate at the gravesite.

Last night after dinner ten of us gathered in the resort lounge for a rousing game of Catch Phrase. It was only a warmup and we didn't keep score, but there will be a rematch and the guys better watch out, because the women are ready.

It's rainy today, but winds have calmed down and Wayne and I are ready to tackle the Whale. Chatty Cat and Broadwater II will take the inside route, since they are catamarans and don't draw as much as we do. We hope to make it to Great Guana in time for the weekly pig roast at Nipper's Beach Bar.

Made it!

The Gulf Stream is like a river in the middle of the ocean and it flows north at about 2.5-3 knots. When there are winds from any northerly direction, crossing can be miserable, depending on how strong they are, and even treacherous because the wind and current work against each other causing large, turbulent waves. Some cruising boaters wait weeks for the right conditions. Winds from the southeast today provided the green light we needed to cross.

We had a safe passage and docked at Old Bahama Bay in West End of Grand Bahama Island at around 2:30. YAY! Before we could do anything else, we had to clear customs. While Wayne went up to do that and check in, I checked to see if I could pick up a wi-fi signal from the Marina and was successful. YAY again!

All five boats (four catamarans and us) clustered at the bridge in time to make the 4:30 a.m. opening. I think it was around 9:00 a.m. that the sky began to darken and radar showed scattered showers and thunderstorms that didn't produce more than a few drops of rain and minor rumbles where we were.

After motor sailing until late morning, winds picked up and switched direction, so we enjoyed a fabulous sail for the rest of the trip. We were amazed to learn later that we were the only boat that actually sailed; the others all ran their engines the entire trip, but we got in shortly after they did.

The folks from Change and Ginny C are docked directly across from us. Mary and Ginny came over to welcome us, then the whole gang hit the pool. All fourteen enjoyed dinner together to celebrate our crossing and Jeff and Anne Peltier's wedding anniversary. From this point on, some will stay together and some will scatter.

Only we, Ginny C, and Chat-Eau have taken their boats to the Bahamas before.

I know a bunch of people who are going to sleep really well tonight.

On our way . . .

. . . at last! Don't know when I'll have internet access.