June 1, 2009
Monday
Cloudy, again
1433 engine hours
Hatchet Bay
The night was uneventful, thank God. We moved to Hatchet Bay today in an effort to work our way to Spanish Wells, and hopefully a marina for a night or two. Have I said how much I am hating the rain? Well, more and more today and the weather works program we have shows almost all of the Bahamas under a cloud cover. The rain is not just a shower, but intense storms giving me no hope of getting off the boat anytime real soon. I am tired of R & R and need exercise desperately. I also am disappointed that we were not able to walk around Governor’s Harbour as there was so much to see there. Laundry needs to be done also and there is a Laundromat not to far from the dock, but I did not give that a second thought because it just was not a happening. To make matters worse I was not able to connect to the internet. Wow, what a biotch I am! At 3:00 things seemed to calm down weather-wise and we decided to launch the dinghy and explore. We headed to town and passed by the government center, the Laundromat and Da Spott Bar and Grill. A fork in the road led us to a small grocery store and Water’s Edge Internet Café. We headed to the café and met Frank, chief cook and bottle washer, who is from North Carolina and moved here a year ago March. He has a Bahamian partner which explains him being able to have a business here. Outsiders are never allowed to work here unless a Bahamian cannot fill the position. I would imagine that goes for owning businesses also. Frank was a very happy (our friend Fred Paolucci look alike big time) guy who greeted us with open arms. He has a similar set up as Lorraine’s on Black Point, but also has a team that will service your computer. He rules on internet availability, he has a book exchange, and a small inventory of computer and phone stuff. Smart guy…he has it all covered and claims to grill the best 8 oz. Black Angus burger. We will be back for that tomorrow. The Explorer Charts are so off the mark with Hatchet Bay. Both the market and liquor store burned down a year ago and have not been rebuilt, not to mention Shona’s variety store, Water’s Edge, Da Spott and another restaurant that Frank told us about are not even mentioned in the guide. Ummm…wondering how much research is really done from year to year to update these charts. Frank gave us some contacts for fresh fish and hopefully that will be available to us tomorrow. It turned out to be a great day. Packing it in for the night! Laundry tomorrow!
June 2, 2009
Tuesday
Sunny and hot
Hot…here we go again
Somewhat eventful, but satisfying day today. I was able to get the laundry done…as I found out many of the locals were doing the same and had to wait for washers. After that mission was completed we headed to visit Frank (Fred’s twin) at Water’s Edge for one of his famous burgers. And, that it was…one of the best I have ever had. He truly makes them from ground Angus and I know this because I watched him do it and they were and a huge bargain at $5. He also brags about his fries and they were good but we have had better. They were baked, not fried…better for us, but come on…if you are going to have fries they need to be fried. Frank talked us into staying longer and heading to Gregory Town, about 5 miles north, when we questioned him about the Pineapple Festival we read about in the guide. This Friday is the Bahamian Labor Day with a celebration in Gregory Town where he resides. We decided to rent a car on Friday and head south to Governor’s Harbour because we never did get to see the town and also much more north of here is the Glass Window which is a bridged breach at the island’s narrowest point. It is suppose to be quite the sight to see. It is not impossible by boat, but safer by car as the anchorage all along Eleuthera is not good in most spots and the mooring balls are very unpredictable safety-wise. It is a crap shoot that the government services them and more than not, they do not. We were lucky to grab the one we are on now…and it is quite safe. Stuffed to the gills after Frank’s feast we headed to the Triple TLC for a few provisions, being the only market in this settlement, it is the only game in town. Very well stocked, we were able to pick up items that we needed at very reasonable prices. Now why can’t Exuma be the same…they all get their provisions from the same place, Nassau, and by the same means. Who knows what the deal is. I think Exuma has boaters by their gonads as most of the islands are not occupied by Bahamians and these places are just stop-overs for boaters to reprovision. Anyway…get over it, Paula! Once that was accomplished we stopped back at Lisa’s Laundry to pick up our clothes and waddled back to the boat. Our efforts to reach Freedom on the SSB were, again, to no avail. I suppose I am going to have to resort to email in order to communicate with them at this point. A good part of the evening was spent fighting off mosquitoes that wanted to spend time with us in the cabin nibbling on my skin and sucking my blood (just me…they do not care for Barry…lucky me!) I am chewed to death and itchy as all get out. That had to end and it did by screening off what we could and closing up the rest of the boat. We killed way too many for my liking. It is amazing how they found us. We usually have no issues with flies or mosquitoes and this is the only place we have had this problem. Done for the day!
June 3, 2009
Wednesday
Warm and sunny
We hung on the boat most of the day, reading. By 3:00 we decided to take a walk to the car rental agency to reserve our car for Friday even though they said there would be a car available. Well, sure enough there was not. We headed to Frank’s to see if he could lend a hand and, of course, he came thru. There is a place in Gregory Town that had cars available and we reserved one for Friday. From there we moved on to Da Spott to visit Robert, our favorite bar tender. This is a hard-working man. He works days for the government transporting fruit and veggies to any of their 7 warehouse locations on Eleuthera where it awaits a ferry ride to Nassau. From there he runs home to say hello to his family and then opens Da Spott at 4:00 and is there until 11:00. Not all Bahamians are slugs! As we were sipping a drink and chatting with Robert a cup of conch salad was placed in front of us. Fish Fry in Nassau had great conch salad but this, by far, was superior. Kennedy, the owner of Da Spott, was the master. I asked, and he obliged, if he would show me his secret. We have a date for tomorrow at 4:00 and he will show me how it is done. As we were sitting chatting we told Robert we had rented a car for Friday, Labor Day, to cruise the island and do some much needed shopping and a booze run. He burst our bubble! Everything will be closed due to the holiday. We seem to forget we need to think Bahamian. It is not like the US where businesses remain open. This is a day off for them and they take it! They will also have Monday off as an extension of the holiday as that is how it is done here. Except for Robert…he will not work during the day, but Da Spott will be open and he will be there running the bar. Barry called the rental agency and changed the rental to Thursday. As much as I want to go to the Pineapple Festival shopping is now becoming a must. All will be good. The Festival begins, so we are told, at 3:00 on Thursday so we will still have an opportunity to check it out. So long for now!
June 4, 2009
Thursday
Cloudy, but warm
Our ride arrived at 8:00 to fetch the rental. Robert, a different Robert, drove us to his establishment (a gas station) in Gregory Town. When doing so he pointed out 3 guys walking the Queens Highway advising us they were also from RI…small world! We picked up a spiffy (lol) jeep Cherokee and headed toward the most northern point of the island since we were already almost there. We crossed over Glass Window, wow, and headed to St. George’s Island and the Preacher’s Cave. The cave was quite a way down a dirt road, and when we arrived it was amazing. This was home and church of the first Eleutherian Adventureres. The cave was simply amazing and I would have loved to stay and browse a bit but the mosquitoes thought differently. OMG….I thought we were invaded on the boat a couple nights ago, but this was a feeding frenzy. We RAN back to the jeep, with many following us in! Eweeee! So we got rid of the freeloaders and moved on. We stopped at Glass Window and got some great pics. What a gorgeous spot. Some years ago the land had actually eroded away not allowing traffic to the most northern part of the island. A man made bridge has since been constructed and all is well…perhaps. The bridge did not look extremely safe to us, with cracks already forming, but the view was spectacular with the harbour on the west and the Atlantic on the east. Now heading south we were on a mission. We drove to Governor’s Harbour to hit a liquor store that Frank had suggested. We managed some deals, but there was no Lamouthe Parrot to be found. We knew we could get it for a steal in Rock Sound and with time to spare that was our next mission. Also the bank was there and funds needed replenishing. We accomplished that and were now on a quest for the pink sand beach that the guides bragged about. I would have loved to have driven to the farthest point south, Light House Point, but time was not on our side. I had an appointment with Kennedy to make conch salad. We did find a beach, there was pinkish sand, but really no big deal. On our way back we stopped at a market in Governor’s Harbor…great prices…and stocked up on what we needed. I wanted to stop at Dolcevita for Gelato, but when we passed by it was closed…really closed…like not just for the day. What a shame. So many businesses are suffering and going under….just like at home. Now we were on the clock as it was a bit after 3:00. We arrived at Da Spott after dropping off our take of the day at Sea Fox. Kennedy was waiting for me with conch and knife in hand. It was a pretty simple process, as I figured, but what I wanted to know was what he put in it to make it taste so delish. Now I have the recipe and will be sure to make this delicacy very soon…just need the conch. Whew, long winded today…sorry. From Da Spott we headed to the Festival…in the rain. It held out all day and why not a little longer??? By Gregory Town Harbour there were many palm tree frond-covered huts awaiting their respective residents for the weekend. The set up was quite primitive with electrical wires stretched every which way to provide each of them electricity…another scary thing, but they seem to have no worries. We sat in the jeep and watched the set up…I guess we were early. Finally the rain let up enough so that we could get out and walk around a bit. Most of the booths were still unoccupied. PJ’s was up and running so she was our choice. Lots of great fattening food to choose from, and we did. For $20 we ate like kings. We snagged a fresh pineapple daiquiri from another booth and we were good to go….in the car….so we would not get wet. Kennedy had told us he would be there at 9:00 with his band…a true Bahamian band that used maracas, drums, and a genuine saw to create music. As hard as we tried we were not able to hold out until 9:00 due to the rain and booked it back to the boat at 8:00. We were thankful we did so as a pretty nasty rain storm came thru about 15 minutes after we got home. What a day…I should sleep well tonight!
June 5, 2009
Friday
Cloudy and breezy
Barry got up and returned the jeep to Robert this morning. In the meantime, I prepared us for our journey to Spanish Wells. When he returned I realized all my efforts were for naught as the winds were cranking and the Captain did not want to travel in crappy weather…can’t blame him. We stayed on the boat all day. We managed to buy some screening and Velcro in our journey yesterday and I made screens for the aft cabin. Now just the cabin slider to do and we will be totally bug free.
June 6, 2009
Saturday
Cloudy, hot, muggy
1436 engine hours
Fuel $979 for 281 gallons @ $3.46 Wow and Ouch!
Spanish Wells
We left our friends in Hatchet Bay today. It was time to move on. We had much fun and are so disappointed with that guide book that advises boaters stay away. They are so wrong. We moved on to Spanish Wells and that took about 2 hours in good seas. The boat was tidied up and we headed for shore. It is so hot today…no breeze at all and probably about 90*. We took a dinghy ride to check things out, stopped at Pinder’s Market for a few things and headed back to the boat to run the generator for some A/C. We took a brief walk, but most places closed at noon so not much discovering to be done today. Tomorrow we plan to take the ferry to Harbour Island which is supposed to be great fun. Spanish Wells is very nice. Very tidy homes with blonde and blue residents…huh! They also have a radio station, SWISH, and that is very unusual…great music…no commercials!
Love till next time.
June 7, 2009
Sunday
Hot and cloudy
We headed to the Ferry around 10:00 to find many others also waiting to board or pick up others getting off….busy place. $80 smackers later we had tickets to board Oh Hengy II, the fast ferry to Harbour Island. It was a quick ½ hour run. Oh Hengy II is very nice. A/C on the inside with a couple of televisions and seating with tables…similar to the fast ferry to BI at home, minus the TV’s. Our plan was to snag a golf cart and tour the island, as due to the fact it is Sunday the schedule is different. Ordinarily the return trip is at 3:00, but today it was at 1:00, so we had to make the best of what time we had to spend there. When we disembarked there were several men standing around renting the carts. The first “gentleman”, and I use that term loosely wanted $40 for 2 hours…we had no choice….but the cart would not run so we moved on to someone else…his charge $30…go figure! Being Sunday, much to our disappointment, most of the little shops along Bay Street were closed. Kind of stupid…don’t you think? Closed on a weekend…what are they thinking. Also all of the convenience stores, liquor stores….everything…closed! We cruised the island and really saw all there was to see. Some very nicely manicured properties among others that were just the opposite. We decided to grab a drink somewhere as by now it was nearing noon with only 1 hour left in our journey here. We had a choice between Sunset Grill and Acquapazza. There were a few carts ahead of us all heading to Sunset, so we chose Acquapazza. OMG! A wonderful little haven right on the water overlooking a beautiful marina with a pool and all. We had seared tuna over a salad and were in heaven….we are missing fish so much. It is amazing that we cannot find it for sale. Ronald’s Seafood on the dock seems to be a gold mine…if it will ever open. Closed at noon yesterday, and closed today being Sunday. Supposedly he has fish, conch, and crab claws…we are heading there tomorrow to check it out. The winch died again yesterday launching the dinghy and the Captain is not a happy camper…we need to rectify this pronto. I have every confidence MacGyver will figure it out. He is pretty sure he knows what is wrong, but a pain in the butt to repair. If all else fails we can hot wire the connections and bring up the dinghy. Did I mention it was another wonderful day in the neighborhood and I love this man? Love to all….
June 8, 2009
Monday
Rain…again
Crappy, crappy!
I know June is rainy season in the Bahamas, but oh my word. We were tempted not to get off the boat, but I really wanted to hit Ronald’s Seafood. At 3:00 we bit the bullet and donned our raincoats and headed to the dock. I also need more screening to make the screen for the cabin slider…not enough left after making the aft cabin ones. We decided to rent a cart and cruise a bit. We headed to Food Fair and picked up a couple of items and also went to Kathy’s Bakery for some decadence…yum! Food Fair was fab…pretty much like markets at home…very modern and a huge selection. All of the fish at Ronald’s is frozen…augh!, but it is what it is. Nothing fresh and I find that a bit crazy since Ronald’s is the processing plant for most of the Bahamas. I guess you need to catch the boat coming in and maybe you could snag fresh stuff then. We bought Hogfish for dinner and passed on the conch because the packages were so large. We may change our minds and buy it anyway as it is the only deal in town. None of the 3 markets here carry fish. Spanish Wells is quite the place. Very neat and tidy homes everywhere, and as usual, very nice and helpful people. Hopefully we can get some of these helpful guys to assist Barry with removing the winch, if need be. It was so bad weather-wise today that nothing was able to be done. I can only hope that tomorrow will be better…we really need to fix the winch issue. At 6:00 the rain ceased and the sun appeared….thank you Lord for small favors. The rain is really getting on my nerves. Toodles…
June 9, 2009
Tuesday
Hot again..in the 90’s
The winch was a priority today. We spent the entire day fixing, breaking, trying to fix again the broken wires with success, but we cannot get the arm seated. Repairing things is not my forte, unless we are talking sewing and such. I don’t even want to express what the day was like, it was ugly, to say the least. Barry even called someone from Brower Systems for advice and they were somewhat helpful and perhaps he will use his method of taking the arm off for direct access. We will try again tomorrow. We are not having fun today, and I can only imagine tomorrow will be the same and tomorrow is his birthday! I am so tired of this. Dinner was good left over Hogfish…so good. I would buy that again in a heartbeat. Pure white and no fishy taste at all. We used Pam’s recipe of breading and sauté with olive oil finished with lemon and capers…quite nice. I cannot wait for this time to end so we can move on. The water maker is still not performing up to par, but at least making water…still another issue that needs to be attended to. And, no, we are not having fun…if that makes you all feel better. Any who….love to all. Tomorrow… another stressful day.
June 10, 2009
Wednesday
Freaking hot….must be close to 100*
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BARRY
After a bit of procrastination we headed back up to fix the winch…..successful this time and only after an hour….finally all is well. The bugs are chewing us to death. Little sand flies, as they are called. Can barely see them, but boy we can feel them when they bite. I was planning a feast for Barry’s birthday, as in lobster, crab claws and conch salad. We headed to Ronald’s only after a stop at the hardware store. It actually consisted of a few large buildings and was very well stocked. I was able to get the screening for the cabin slider…it was $10 less than the last purchase….again, go figure. Over at Ron’s we bought the seafood and a bag of ice. The freezer is in need of a defrosting big time. We waiting for it to cool down a bit before doing anything else. At 6:00 it is still 95* and too hot to take stuff out of the freezer. I did make the conch salad…just like Kennedy’s and it was so good. Barry got the A/C going and the defrosting began. It doesn’t take long…about an hour, and now we have a fresh start at space in the freezer. It was getting to be 9:00 and now neither of us hungry…the lobster will wait until tomorrow. Jock “Bandit” Morgan will lead us thru the Devils’s Backbone…a series of coral heads that no captain would attempt without knowing the “lay of the land” so to speak. Night to all.
June 11, 2009
Thursday
Upper 90’s
1440 Engine hours
Little Harbour, Abaco
We cruised thru the Backbone with Jock’s assistance and made our 3 ½ hour run to Little Harbour. With the winch repaired one of the depth finders has now quit. Barry thinks a power surge shorted it out while using the SSB radio. This is so not good, but I am sure he will come up with a remedy and we do have another as a back up….there is always a back up. When we pulled into Little Harbour I was in awe. Simply beautiful here and we were greeted by many turtles swimming in the harbor. Our guide book tells us Randolph and Margot Johnston founded an art colony here. Randolph worked with bronze castings and his wife worked with ceramics. Their son, Pete, still inhabits the island and runs Pete’s Pub and Gallery and makes life size marine bronzes and jewelry. We will be sure to visit both places. When the Johnstons arrived in the 1950’s they first lived in a cave, believe it or not, that we also want to explore…how strange is that? Snorkeling is suppose to be phenomenal and cannot wait to jump on that. We took a very laid back approach today and just cruised a bit to check things out. The harbor was hopping with many, many day trippers from other nearby cays, but they all cleared out by late afternoon. We enjoyed the lobster for dinner…so very good. I cannot wait to enjoy tomorrow!
June 12, 2009
Friday
Whew….hot, hot
We swam to the rock near shore hoping for some good stuff to see…to no avail. We, instead, took the dinghy to a nearby reef and snorkeled around for nearly 2 hours. There were so many magnificent things to see in this very, very dense reef. Lots of different fish, but what I noticed most was how many different plants and coral grew on this reef. No turtle or dolphin sightings on the reef, but many in the harbor. Still, the water was not as clear as Exuma…nice, but not as nice. Our next stop for the day was the museum and Pete’s Bar and Grill. The art work in the museum was spectacular and there were also a couple of photo albums and a book (written by Rudolph and son, Denny) that we were able to glance through. Rudolph was quite the man and his sculptures one of a kind! We hit the bar and grill next. Now, this is what I call a beach bar. Way cool. It was basically triangular shape made out of wood in the sand. There were also seats on one side of the bar set up like stadium seating. Otherwise, there were many picnic tables scattered here and there with most everything covered by the usual tiki hut materials. Hanging from the rafters were signed tee shirts from visitors. We had the opportunity to try a shot of some homemade “stuff.” All herbs drowning in rum…to me, it was just okay. We never made it to the cave, much to my dismay, as we heard others saying it was very buggy. It is not as buggy here as Spanish Wells, but there are still some lurking around the boat and the fly swatter is ever handy.
June 13, 2009
Saturday
Needless to say….hot
Water temp averages 85*
We moved on to Sandy Cay this morning. Guidebook say a great place to snorkel. It was only 5 ½ miles north so it took us no time at all to get there…even cruising at 5 kts. We anchored and headed for the reef. The reef was on the outside, the Atlantic side, and there were 1-3 foot swells all around the reef. Others were snorkeling so we did not hesitate, although I was not wanting to be drinking seawater either. Once we were in the water we realized…no worries…snorkeling was fine and it just keeps getting better and better. This reef is huge and also very beautiful. This spot is part of the Sea and Land Park, so no fishing or taking from the reef is allowed. Again, so many different plants, coral, urchens and fish to look at. I also spotted a turtle here and two multicolored, almost neon, squid. No dolphins, sharks, barracuda or lionfish were spotted as the guide book suggested. Not a problem on the sharks and barracuda! We made this snorkel short as Barry did not listen to me yesterday and did not use sunscreen. (Mother knows best!). He got a nice burn and will not do that again. However, limited time in the sun today, even with sunscreen, was a smart choice. We don’t want to ruin a good time. Upwords on the aft and an end to another wonderful day in the neighborhood. Love to all.
June 14, 2009
Sunday
1444 Engine hours
Cold, burr…just kidding!
Hot, as usual, upper 90’s
Hope Town, Abaco
Happy Anniversary Pam and Tom
We left our gorgeous spot at Sandy Cay this morning and headed to Hope Town. It was a 20 mile run and with the wind behind us it was so hot, even with the trusty fan running. About 3 or 4 miles away from Hope Town we got a nice down pour. It helped to wash down the boat as we have not given Sea Fox a good scrubbing in a long time. Just too hot to get out there and with the water maker not running so great we do not want to spare the water. We got enough rain to at least wash the salt off, but it did not help to cool things off. Upon entrance to the harbor there were so many boats already moored and also at the many marinas. This is a busy place. We grabbed a mooring and dropped the dinghy. We headed over to town, dismayed that most places were closed as it is Sunday. Very cool place with pastel painted homes along the tree and plant lined roads. We did stop in a couple of stores that were open until 2:30 and mostly browsed. Barry picked up a couple of CD’s of Barefoot Man that he has been looking for…Bahamian music. It was so hot walking around so we headed to the only restaurant open today, Harbour’s Edge. The food and the cool air under the canopy were great. It was packed with other patrons either staying here or others that came over for the day via ferry or rental boats, probably from Marsh Harbour. We picked up the Abaco Journal Island Guide. Average temps here for the summer….lower 90’s….Barry will suffer for sure, but this is where we plan to spend our summer. I can only imagine how much hotter it must be farther south. Even with the heat, this is a great place. I already love it here and am very anxious to explore all the other cays and the mainland over the summer. Barry has lots of thoughts of places to go and things to see when Michelle and Donna visit. I told him he is going to spoil them and they are not going to want to go home. I shall leave you all now…6:00 and still in the 90’s.
June 15, 2009
Monday
1442 Engine hours
Yeah…hot yet again
Upper 90’s
Hope Town, Abaco
Good news! Dart, the depth finder, decided to join us once again…the captain is very, very grateful! Knock on wood….we are all set for now. We have had our fair share of problems, of course, the continual water maker issues…augh!
Barry is dying! Hates this high heat. We have clouds today and he is thankful for that. We didn’t leave the boat until after a brief shower around noon. We went over to the lighthouse and climbed all 101 stairs to the top…it is the only lighthouse in the Bahamas that has a keeper. The view from the top was spectacular, as you can only imagine. From there we headed to town for some shopping. It was so hot he could not stand it and went into Capt. Jacks while I cruised the streets. Everything is closed until 2…lunch time for them. So, I joined Barry for the time being and it started pouring. Thankfully that cooled things down just a bit and the clouds remained. The rain also brought out the mosquitoes that love me so much. My body is full of bumps from bites. We moved ahead with shopping and returned to the boat around 5. Hope Town is such a quaint little place and I will miss it when we move on tomorrow.
June 16, 2009
Tuesday
1445 Engine hours
I am not even going to say how hot it is!
Marsh Harbour, Abaco
We waited for the tide to rise and moved on to Marsh Harbour departing Hope Town around noon. The run was only 25 miles and were pleased when we entered the harbor to find there was actually a breeze. We waited until yet another rain storm passed and headed to discover. Most of the town is not on the water as the marinas occupy the waterfront here. We scouted out the liquor store and market. The laundry is kinda far away! Augh! There is one marina listed in the guide book that supposedly anyone can use….I am in need and will call them tomorrow to see if anyone can use it. It is right at their dinghy dock and it would be wonderful! That is about it for now folks! Love to all.
June 17, 2009
Wednesday
Still Hot!
Upper 90’s
Harbour View Marina will let us use their laundry facilities! Thank the Lord. Barry dropped me off…still too hot for him and he headed back to the boat and fan. $36 later the laundry was done…what a rip off…but we have clean laundry…I am a happy camper. We hung out on the boat in front of the fan reading the rest of the day….way too hot for anything else. The water in the harbor is questionable…too many boats discharging for our liking…if you know what I mean….so we really do not want to swim here. Till tomorrow!
June 18, 2009
Thursday
107* on the bridge at 7:00
And the heat goes on
CONGRATS TO HOLLY AND JEFF RUTKO….NEW ADDITION BELLA KAI!
By noonish a storm was brewing to the north and that brought clouds…thank you very much. The temp also dropped a bit…yes! We took advantage of this and headed to town to the market, Price Right. It is the only game in town other than one other that is too far to walk to in the heat. The remains of Maxwells, close by, burned down in ’06 and still has not been rebuilt, even though there is a sign advising the new and better Maxwells will be coming. It is the Bahamas! Everything gets done slowly…..Price Right was very, very well stocked and we grabbed items that would sustain us for the next few days. While we were in there the island lost power…another thing that happens here frequently and we don’t know why. It was back on in a few minutes…no problem, man! While we were in the market, apparently there was a rain storm…we seem to get at least one shower a day and that is fine with us….it helps to cool things down a tad. We also stopped at the fish market and picked up grouper that was just off the boat. We returned to Sea Fox and I finished my book…there was actually a breeze on the aft and it was a very relaxing afternoon. Tomorrow there is a Junkanoo here…can’t wait! We will stay for that and perhaps move to another cay tomorrow for some snorkeling. There is snorkeling here also….but I think the Captain is getting antsy and needs a new view, and perhaps on the outside we will get more of a breeze. We shall see how that works out. One more week and we will be on our way home for 10 days…excited! Love to all.
Jun 19, 2009
Friday
Yeah…hot again
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RON!
We were up early and I managed to do some “mold attacking” while it was still not too hot. It is amazing how it “grows.” It seems to creep in everywhere, but mostly on the bridge where it is open to the salt air and moisture almost always. It is happening more frequently now due to the moisture we get from the almost daily rain storms. We could close up…but then we would probably die from the heat! The water maker decided not to cooperate last night so Barry will attempt trouble shooting again today. The internet is so unreliable here and we are constantly getting booted off and having to reboot…but again, the only game in town. I have come to just deal with it…Barry is so aggravated that he rarely gets on…I have to push him to check email. So if you really need to sent him a message…do it thru me. Our subscription runs out on the 22nd and we will not subscribe again until we get back and we will do it for an extended period of time as it is more cost effective purchasing long term subscriptions. $40 for one week, what we paid, is outrageous, but if you want it you have to pay….there is no getting around it. We used to be able to get around that by hooking up to someone else’s network, but not in Abaco. Everything here is thru Out Island Internet. Augh, again! We remained on the boat all day trying to stay cool, as much of a feat as that is. We waited until almost sunset to head to Goombay Park and the Junkanoo. Lots of good food, music and dancing by the locals. We met Terrance…quite the character, claiming to be a biologist, scientist…and an alcoholic! He spent quite a bit of time dancing for us and then requesting a couple of dollars to get conch fritters. Barry gave him $5 and I was sure he was headed to the bar for another drink. We walked down to check on the dinghy that we beached, along with others that had done the same. There were several young boys hanging around them only to be shooed away by another local, Drexel. Drexel advised us they want to keep things safe for the tourists saying, “It is better in the Bahamas” and they wanted to keep it that way so we would continue to return….absolutely straight forward and honest. They know we are their livelihood. He said he was watching our dinghies so we would be sure to get “home” after Junkanoo. All in all, it was a fun night and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
June 20, 2009
Saturday
Not bad today….about 85*
Cloudy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEANNA!!
Instead of snorkeling…augh!….we scouted out marinas to leave Sea Fox while we are gone. We choose Harbour View (my first choice anyway). It is run by Phyllis and Troy, mother and son. I had the opportunity to speak with both at length while I was doing laundry and liked both of them very much. Since we will not be staying on the boat Troy will snug us up close to the dock and next to the office….he offered to also keep an eye on the boat and that is a good thing, and maybe Phyllis will be willing to care for my plants…most are still thriving. I would hate to come back and find them dead. After booking the marina we headed to the market for a few more items…we always need a few more items! Out in the harbor it was pretty cool today and a welcomed relief from the heat. Showers ensued most of the day and we read in between opening and closing windows. We are winding down with anticipation of going home for a spell…getting everything in order. I am excited for our visit!
June 21, 2009
Sunday
Cooler today! A breeze!
We listened to the cruiser’s net this morning and were advised, again, that a weak low front is coming thru from Georgia and to expect rain tomorrow and the next couple of days. I can only hope that the front also cools things down a bit. Again, no snorkeling as anal man has decided there is much to be done on the boat, so we worked instead. The grill got a good cleaning…much needed, and he worked on caulking the bridge windows that have been leaking. Those things and a few other didlies that took all day and we were done! Not much else to report for this day…aren’t you lucky you don’t have to listen to me ramble????
June 22, 2009
Monday
85*
Rain
Wow, what a day. I awoke to rain at 6:30 and got up to close the windows…the man, believe it or not, slept thru that one. I went back to bed as we were up late last evening and with the promised rain there was no need to get up early. We actually slept until 11:00 when another rain fall came again. Nothing to do but read in the rain…not a bad way to spend the day. Until….3:30 it started again. This time we were inundated with rain…this was no brief rain shower. In one hour we received 5 inches of rain, sustained raging winds with gusts to 64 mph along with thunder and lightening that was actually frightening. A boat next to us had a dinghy with a bimini on it and capsized! It was a good size dingy also, that is how fierce the winds were. Barry had to bail the dinghy during the storm due to the fact that it took on so much water he was afraid it might sink. Another call came over the VHF that a sailboat, Cheerios, was dragging. They were right near us, but now nowhere in our sights. Wondering if we are having fun yet! We ran around the boat soaking up water that was pouring in…evidently Barry’s attempts at caulking did not work so well…just as he suspected. The caulk needs to be removed, totally, and replaced with new. It was so hot he just did a patch job and that was not successful. Hopefully it will get cooler and we can work on that another day. By 5:00 the sun was shinning and all was pretty much back to normal and we are safe….we were always safe…just a bit taken aback at the severity of the storm. At 7:00 another doozie blew in…lots of rain and gusts up to 50 mph. This time not much thunder and lightening…thank you. As the evening approached there was quite the lightening storm from afar and it lit up the sky most of the evening. No more rain and the wind had finally died down….whew! What a day, what a day.
June 23, 2009
Tuesday
Still warm and very humid
We assessed the damage in the forward cabin as things were wet in there and we really don’t know how that occurred as all the windows were closed. I can only suspect enough rain came in when we were opening and closing the hatch, repeatedly, each time the rain began throughout the day. Everything was stripped and aired out…all is well. Barry heard someone on the VHF saying there were 70 mph winds and golf ball size hail in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. The airports were all closed and it is suppose to be coming this way….brace yourself mate! Right now the winds are not so bad at about 10-15 mph, but more nasty stuff is expected. I can only hope this passes prior to Thursday or we will be going no where if the airport closes… can only hope for the best. By 9:00 another rainstorm came thru, but nothing like yesterday’s driving rains. We actually experienced white outs. Thankfully the nasty weather in the states never headed this way.
