Last we reported, we were headed to Texas Hold 'em poker. Well, as luck would have it, it was the first time I lasted until heads up. Yes, I finished 2nd out of 50 players!! I won $55, enough to pay for dinner and Frank's tab with $11 left over. You can't put a price on bragging rights!! How exciting and with Clare and Pete there for the first time.

We set out the next morning for Thompson Bay, Long Island. None of us had ever been there before. It is a really nice place. A nice big bay, protected from the wind on most sides. There is a sweet resort that offers a lot of activities for the boaters. There is a restaurant, bar, internet, laundry, showers, book swap, etc. There was a water shortage, so we didn't get to do laundry, but we will just wear everything more than usual.

One morning, I was sitting in the cockpit enjoying my morning coffee when I heard a splash beside the boat. Well, as you know if you hear a fish in other waters, you tend to wonder "what kind of fish is it?", "how big was it?", if I were fishing "can I catch it?", etc. Well, the water here is so clear, like a bathtub, you can merely look down into the water. There he was, a needlefish, long skinny, standing still, looking at me for what must have been ten minutes. You could see an attitude on his face.

Another morning while doing the same thing, absolutely nothing. Two dolphins came within two feet of the boat. We rarely, I mean only once in three years, see dolphins in the Bahamas. Keesie had gone to shore, but saw them when she got back. What a treat for her. She watches for them all day, almost every day. They were more special here, like I said before, because you can look below the water and watch them.

Today, there is a festival. The Royal Bahamiam marching band will perform at Regatta park, then there will be a cookout at the resort. Sounds like great fun!!

We move on tomorrow to the Jimentos, mostly fishing grounds with beautiful coral. It is an area with no communication, however, so we will be out of touch for a couple of weeks or more. Not to worry, we will be in paradise. Until next time, we should have eaten a lot of lobster.