Just in Case You're Wondering

Lots of friends have asked us exactly what we do when we're cruising. Obviously there are days when all we do is sail, but that is usually traveling from one destination to the next. When we are in a harbor, our days vary greatly, so I thought I'd use yesterday to share a glimpse of what our life is like when we're here in the Bahamas.

We usually begin our day listening to the weather forecast at 6:30 A. M. In the absence of our SSB, Johnny attempted to tune in on a different radio, but with little success; however, we have wifi here at the marina with other options for getting weather, so that didn't concern us unduly. We enjoyed our coffee in the cockpit followed by breakfast of venison sausage sandwiches. Yes, the venison came back with us from Johnny's hunting in Mississippi.

One of the special treats of visiting the Bahamas is the wonderful homemade bread available on almost every island. On our last stop here on Bimini we had discovered Nate, who sells his freshly baked bread every morning from him home bakery. A walk to Nate's topped our To Do list for the day. One loaf of plain, one loaf of cinnamon raisin, and four coconut rolls completed our purchase.

We also stopped in at the local post office to mail a couple of items. Two of the things we noticed...there were handwritten names on the P. O. boxes instead of numbers, and a small sign on the clerk's window said, "If God is on our side, how can we lose." Try doing that in your local P. O.

Back at the marina, we joined fellow sailors on the benches outside the marina office to pick up wifi and check weather. You can always find a wide range of opinions concerning the interpretation of the various reports, which makes for quite lively conversations. Ultimately each captain has to decide what's best for his or her boat and crew. Yesterday the primary decision was whether to leave Bimini Wednesday or Thursday for points farther south. A cold front moving in with predicted winds of 30 - 35 definitely added to the possibilities. One of the times that we found the safety and comfort of a marina most welcome.

So, by then it was time for lunch. Remember that delicious homemade bread we bought? Open-faced roast beef sandwiches with grilled onions and peppers fit the bill perfectly for lunch. The bread tasted to good we didn't even mind the canned roast beef. We try to vary our menus to avoid too much canned meat, but lack of refrigerator and freezer space as well as limited availability of meat means that we do rely on it from time to time. You might be surprised what you can concoct from canned chicken, roast beef, salmon, corned beef, etc.

After lunch, Johnny decided he needed go to the local hardware store and take a look at the spears used for lobster fishing. This was our third or fourth trip to the hardware since we arrived, a fairly typical pattern for us wherever we are. I wish I were capable of accurately describing this one and it's owner. Johnny refers to her as the "Hardware Nazi." For example, when you walk in and say "Hello," her typical response is, "Don't tell me your problems. I've got plenty of my own!" The store is only slightly larger than a large walk-in closet and so crammed full of merchandise that you can hardly walk. No matter what you ask for, she has a string of comments for you. You get the feeling that this is both her persona and her true personality. Whereas most store owners are Bahamian, she is white and appears to be in her mid to late sixties. I want to know her story so badly that I may work up my nerve to go back this afternoon and try to talk to her some more. By the way, we did purchase the spear, known as an Hawaiian sling. I'll have to take a photo for later and let you guess what it cost!!!

We walked a bit farther on to check out a little restaurant, and I use that term loosely, that a local fellow had suggested we try. They actually weren't open, but as we made our way through the alley to the eating area, we could smell food cooking. We asked when they would be serving dinner, and the man cooking said, "What time you want to eat?" We said maybe around 6:00, and he said, "Okay, come back and we'll be cooking. But while you're here, taste this," and he offered us some conch he just cooked for himself. It was the best we have ever tasted, so we looked forward to returning for dinner.

On our first day in the marina, Johnny had dropped a piece of PVC pipe overboard. We use it to mount the stern light on our dinghy at night, so we needed to get it back. The good news is that the water is so clear that we had no trouble seeing it 6 - 8 feet underwater. Toes in the water revealed warm enough temperature for a dive down, so donning a mask and fins, Capt. recovered this necessary item.

Since JR needed to wash off the salt water, we decided to go ahead and take our showers at the marina. Now, this is one of the questions I often find myself pondering. Why would one leave the comfort of her lovely, clean, air-conditioned bathroom and go off to where she considers herself lucky to have to gather all of her toiletries, towel, clothes, etc., and traipse off to a public shower, the condition of which is best not thought about for too long? All I can say is that it really is worth it. While we're on the topic of showers. There's no rule on our boat about how often you must shower, but the cardinal rule says that everyone aboard always showers on the same day! And a corollary to that rule is that you never pass up the opportunity for a shore shower because fresh water on the boat is precious.

Back on the boat we took care of a few chores and then, because it was five o'clock somewhere, had our afternoon refreshments. The predicted cold front had indeed moved in, and we added jackets before heading out for dinner.

Much to our disappointment, when we arrived at the restaurant, the lights were off and no one was cooking. The fellow who had invited us that first day was there and he said to make up for it, he would bring us some lobster tails the next morning and have coffee with us. We agreed on 7:00 A. M. and left, not knowing whether or not we would ever see him again. A second choice for dinner was a place we've been to several times, so we went there and ordered take-out. While there we sang "Happy Birthday" to a local guy, but that's a story for another time.

The cooler weather provided great sleeping conditions, and after I beat Johnny 3 to 1 at Dominoes, then we turned in early.

We got up at about 6:30 to have coffee ready for our new friend, Aaron, to arrive at 7:00. Seven came and went, as did 7:30, 8:00, and just as we were about to leave the boat, we saw Aaron on the dock, lobster tails in hand! We looked at each other and both smiled and said, "Island time!" He had coffee with us and stayed aboard for about an hour, telling us much about Bimini and life here. The biggest issues locally right now is the new resort on the north end of the island that has brought many unwelcome changes. We were reminded of is how similar politics are everywhere. And with that astute observation, I will close.

Sorry for the sidewise upload in the photo. This is me with Aaron the lobster bringer. We also discovered just a while ago that he makes the best conch fritters anywhere!