Its been a while since we talked hasnt it? We have been in 3 different anchorages since our last posting. Let me tell you about them.

1.Bay Rush Bay. Not really a bay at all, just the west coast of Great Guana Cay. We moved 3 miles south for another change of scenery. The winds were blowing about 25-30 at this point, so we just had the staysail up, moving at 3.5 knots or so. It was a pleasant, but cloudy sail. No one else was out. Bay Rush Bay is nothing to write home about, but then again it was cloudy and windy the whole time we were there- so maybe on a sunny day its a whole different place. We heard later on that someone found 23 lobster in one rock around this area! We never went ashore or went fishing or lobstering. We just spend a lazy kind of day, in our pajamas. Too bad we didn't get those 23 lobsters! We could take a few days off from fishing and lobstering!!

2. Little Farmers Cay. The sun came out, and the wind was on our beam. We sailed about 6 miles south. There were some coral heads on the chart to miss, but I think they were somewhat mischarted electronically, on all charts except the paper Explorer Charts. i started my quick plotting on the papercharts, and came up to the cockpit to tell Patrick to make a Fast, hard turn, about 90 degrees to starboard. He went about 45 degrees, not believing me, but the water got more shallow so he went the full 90 degrees a few minutes later. I came up again, and yelled to turn HARDER to Starboard- like 50 degrees or more...he had just turned seeing how shallow the water had been getting! The water gradually became deeper. He kept wandering back to port, so I had to keep going up and telling him to go harder to starboard. He seemed skeptical of my extreme deviation from our mutually agreed upon course that we had set that morning. Fast position plotting on the paper charts though showed me that we would be going over a reef that was about 5 feet deep! When Patrick went down to plot himself, he came to agree with me that we had done the right thing be veering off so far to starboard. Our approach to the anchorage a little while later, was somewhat tricky , with coral reefs on both sides. It says in the guides to line up the white house on the hill and turn towards it when its at 90 degrees...but since the book was written, a few more white houses have been built...so we had to forget about a white house being our guide in, and instead eyeball our way in. This is becoming slightly more comfortable as time goes on. We are almost always sailing in 10 feet of water, and quite commonly in 8 or 9. A little different than sailing in New England and Maine! We rounded the southern hilly tip, and came in to the Bay between the islands of Great Guana Cay and LIttle Farmers Cay. This area was even more nervewracking- sandbars, currents, and coral reefs abound. It excited us for fishing opportunities, but I didn't love navigating a deep draft boat in this area! We could see where 3 mooring balls were, which we knew were available for 10$ per night , and that the Explorer charts showed a 10 foot channel to...All around that channel were coral reefs and sand bars and lots of current. The channel in to those moorings though, looked to be about 3 feet deep at best to our eyes...so I went downstairs to call on the radio to the owner of the moorings- Ocean Cabin Restaurant. Patrick being the patient person that he is, proceeds in before I even get the owner on the radio...It turns out that the 3 foot water, is actually 10 feet deep just like the charts said! It was so clear, I could see the details of the strands of grass on the bottom! We picked up the mooring and enjoyed 3 days in this very pretty anchorage! Everytime we got on or off the boat, one of us would comment that we look to be inches off the bottom, but upon turning on the depthsounder and doublechecking in disbelieef with our lead line, it was always at least 10 feet deep. This is the clearest water I have ever seen, hands down. The water has also warmed up- about 76 degrees now. Still need a wet suit though to stay in for any amount of time comfortably, and Patrick has taken quite a liking to mine...guess I will be getting yet another new wet suit in Key West! The fishing and conching were superb! We drifted down to a field of conch where in 10-12 feet of water we collected as many conchs as we could eat. We feasted on conch fritters, and conch salads for almost every meal there! Patrick speared 2 very big Snappers on a shipwreck we found of an old Bahamian wooden boat. One day we ventured outside to the Sound side in too windy of weather. I have never bounced so much in that dinghy as I did that day! Spray flew over us as we went out the cut, and drenched us. We smashed over the waves, like a big sailboat slams in a storm. I have to admit it was kind of fun though, even at the time it was happening. That little boat is so seaworthy and feels so very secure. We both sit down inside of the boat rather than on the pontoons, and away we go! The water outside was too rough for Patrick to even get in the water, so we headed back in as fast as we had gone out...actually faster. We surfed waves on the way in. Patrick knows just when to slow down and when to accelerate to really get that boat moving! He used to cross the Gulf Stream to Bimini in boats this size and has 50 years experience manipulating these dinghy, so I have complete trust in him. I dont ever want to be on the helm in those conditions though. I ended up bouncing so hard a couple of times that I have a HUGE Black and blue on my upper thigh, so Patrick has to promise me no bouncing dinghy for several days. Its healing up nicely now, but it was sore sore sore for a couple of days!

A day or so later, another boat came to go in to that same small mooring area. They asked me if there was enough water- commenting that it looked like about 2 or 3 feet to them! I laughed and told them to keep the coral reef on their starboard side and the sandbar to the port, to go right down the middle where the darkest water was which was of course still really light. They proceeded, and then stopped... I guess it just looked too shallow to them. Well, pausing was a bad thing. They had come in during peak tidal current. The current caught them, and within seconds they were on top of the coral reef, with the tide going down quickly! We dinghyed up to them to see what we could do to help, and they asked which side the deeper water was in. Once we told them, they powered hard back in to the channel and got off the reef, after a few loud grinds. They dived on the boat shortly thereafter and declared no damage. just some missing bottom paint. I can only hope they know that it was the current that got them, not my bad instructions...They made it out the next day without hitting anything.

We bought and ate lots of fresh bread from the local bread lady, Nancy. The mailboat came in one day, as it does once a week with food for the grocery store among other things. We and 3 or 4 other cruisers went to the store at what seemed a reasonable time for the arrival of food. They closed the doors and said that the shelves would be stocked in the morning. BUT there was a lady cooking up conch fritters that we could buy - 5 for $1.00. She had it all planned- knew when us cruisers would flock around that store, with money in pocket! Smart lady! After a free sample, I bought 10 to bring back to share with Patrick who was on the beach cleaning conch while I was "grocery shopping". It was more of a social gathering for cruisers than anything that night! Patrick and I enjoyed the fritters with a cocktail to watch the sun go down. The other cruisers went for an $18.00 lobster dinner at the Ocean Cabin Restaurant. We were invited to go too, but our budget doesn't allow for dinners out ...until dinners are cheaper off the boat than on the boat...Mexico maybe? Its funny- everyone we meet talks about how cheap it is to eat out here. Dinners in most restaurants are from 14$ - 23$ a plate. We don't see that as cheap. We see that as the same price as home, and we don't have a 2 for 1 coupon book here like we always do back home! So we really haven't eaten out since Miami. Guess Miami broke us... But we are just as happy! You should see the meals I am learning to prepare on a boat! And the budget is way down for this month...way way down! It was considerably cheaper , almost FREE, to be away from home for a change!

The next morning I went to the grocery store to see what the mailboat had brought for us. Plantains, potatoes and onions were the only fresh produce. ALso came various cans of food that I didn't need. I got 4 onions , and a plantain for $3.00. I fried my first plantain the next morning...next time I add brown sugar- they were rather plain, although Patrick seemed to enjoy them anyways. We have been away from Nassau, our last place of serious provisioning for about 3-4 weeks now. I am down to 2 green peppers, 2 red ones, 1 1/2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes ( bought locally), 3 heads of lettuce ( lettuce is lasting remarkably well), 1 grapefruit, and about 8 big carrots. They have all become very precious, and have lasted far longer than I would have suspected. Michael Greenwald's Book, the Cruising Chefs cookbook has a wonderful section on which fruits and vegetables do best on a boat, and what to do to them before storing to try to preserve them the longest- his suggestions more than work. Doesn't seem that the mailboat brings much in the way to these small islands! When the store has fresh tomatoes, the whole town knows and tells you- its a big deal. That's when you buy lots of tomatoes and center your cooking on tomatoes. Whatever is available at the next port becomes what you eat for the next week or two. WHen you have no little towns, you make sue. Pretty soon, making due will be from the many cans and boxes we bought before we ever left the USA. Patrick feels we should be buying nothing, but I refuse to eat from a can when there are fresh veggies and fruits available at a reasonable price wherever we are. Those provisions I argue is for when we have nothing available to use which will be plentiful in the future I'm sure. We have lots of lunch meats in the freezer, lots of fish, chicken, beef for dinners. Milk is down to using powdered milk, which is actually very good..Parmelat is probably the one thing I didn't buy enough of. For those unfamiliar- this is milk in a carton that doesn't have to be refrigerated until after you open it. its real milk, it just hasn't been pasteurized or homogenized or something so it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Its what the local people drink, and its what yachties drink...its makes it so that you can always have milk onboard but not have to store it all in your refrigerator, whcih is key because most refrigerators have extremely limited space. Ours is big compared to most, and its about as big as one shelf in the home refrigerator. The freezer is about the same size. But storage cabinets under bunks, behind seat cushions are fairly unlimited! i still have a bilge full of Orange Juice containers, again that don't need refrigeration, as well as plenty of cans, and boxes of things. Too much cereal for me, not enough for Patrick. I think we will likely run out of Peanut Butter for Patrick before key West, but we have lots of jelly for him. He eats a LOT of Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches between meals...I don't know how he stays so slender! Thank god for all the local bread ladies around though- seems every island has a bread lady if you just ask. Loafs are $4.00, and are truly delicious. Usually warm when we buy them, and they keep in the fridge for many days. $4.00 seems expensive for bread, but now that I have baked my first loaf by myself - it beats 3 and 4 hours of work and waiting! SO bread will likely be an expense category by itself in our budget book. That and gasoline for the dinghy. Seems that may surpass the diesel budget for the big boat! We SAIL the big boat A LOT! For those of you have sailed with Patrick on deliveries that may be a surprise...he was always trying to get there fast due to the owners wishes on deliveries. ON his own boat, its all about conserving fuel...both for wear and tear on the engine, and for the price of diesel! That makes me happy - I like to sail., although NOW, I'm usually the one who turns on the engine first....I know- role reversal from those of you who know us both! Patrick is a true sailor! We really do like to sail on passages..that's why we leave in North winds when everyone else is sitting tight in the anchorage that they motored to in south winds the day before...

On the last day, we decided to take the big boat out, to move on to our present anchorage. There was a spot about 2 miles down on the outside ( Exuma Sound), that Patrick wanted to explore for lobsters. It was a very calm day- a great fishing day. SO we motored out, and Patrick went in to the dinghy, and I motored away from him on the big boat to be a bit more offshore. My plan was to then drift for a few hours and read a book and relax while Patrick went lobstering. About 30 minutes in, I got a call on the VHF radio - "Brick House, Brick House, This is Little House" What an interesting name I thought to myself...must be a boat that can see me drifting out here wondering if I needed help...But it was Patrick calling to say he has one big lobster in the dinghy now and he was going down for his friend now. Wow I thought - that means he should be back with about 10 lobster in the next few hours!!! That was fast. Unfortunately when he returned from the boat, despite all those hours of diving and searching, he never found anymore- just those 2. But they were BIG, delicious lobsters! We shared one for dinner that night, and there is one in the freezer waiting for the right night. I have never done anything except throw the lobster in to a boiling pot of water, or steam them in a steaming basket. This time, I cut the guy from head to toe on the front and the back. Put butter, olive oil, fresh ginger, garlic, and lemon juice all over it, and put in the broiler. I poured more of the mixture over it as it cooked to be sure it wouldn't dry out while cooking. It took longer to cook than I had anticipated, but at the end it was worth it. The meat was tender, and with a butter knife you could break it apart easily. It was the best lobster we have had here!

Now we are in an anchorage south of Big Farmers Cay, and north of Cave Cay. The first night we had friends "Bofix "and "Esperanza" around the corner from us. These are 2 Canadian boats, both boats well under 40 feet, with families of 4 on each one. We think of our boat as just adequate for the two of us, and here are 2 families with boats considerably smaller than ours with entire families living on them! We have been sharing time with BoFix since Nassau. Stephan came on our boat after Patrick was teaching him how to get conch out of th e shell, and when he saw our boat, he was in awe- He said it was like a regular house! Imagine that...its seems barely big enough to us- adequate, but now extra space anywhere! To him it was the size of a regular house! They left the next day, and sadly it may be the last time that we see them. Stephan and Jennifer are a beautiful, slender, athletic couple who speak English and French very nicely. Kelly and Kate are their two daughters, age 11 and 8. also bilingual. One as blond as can be, and one darker...both with figures just like their mom, and wonderful manners. A very nice family. Kelly swam with her first shark the other day- she's ahead of me! We said good bye to them yesterday and exchanged email addresses. We were alone in the anchorage the rest of that day and night. The next day, 4 boats came in for an afternoon and evening, but then left early on their way to Georgetown this morning. Why they would go this morning is beyond me- there is NO wind! Yesterday, we drifted and found a few conchs, and another lobster as well - this time a "Slipper Lobster" which is much rarer. We haven't eaten him yet, but Patrick says he tastes the same. He sure did look funny- no big legs or claws or spines - just a body really, with some fine fur on his back! Last night I made my first potato salad ever - and it was delicious, along with cracked conch which was so tender, and carrots with a nice sauce on them. I baked a small pan of brownies last night and watched the last 3 episodes of LOST on my little DVD player. I LOVE that series, and now I need to get Season 2, assuming there was a Season 2! Anyone know the answer to that? Is Season 2 happening on regular TV now? When we get to Key West, I will find out and have to order it or something.

The wind is suppose to pick up quite a bit tonight- maybe that's why everyone left. We plan to leave tonight when the wind pipes up...probably about midnight or so. It will be slack tide so no monsterous waves at the entrance to the cut, the exit from this anchorage is straightforward, and the wind will just start to pick up and be behind us. Predictions are West to Northwest, and then north between 20 and 25 knots. Seems like most people around here wont sail in that much wind...it seems to be great sailing weather in our opinion - especially when its behind us!! The waves will not have had much time to have build up hopefully, because they predict them to be 9-14 feet although we find that hard to believe in such a short time of the wind coming from that direction and being strong. I guess they figure its been blowing so hard north of us that the swells will be big...hopefully they wont be breaking yet! If they are, not the end of the world. We have a 65 mile passage to get to Conception Island. If the wind doesn't let up from that direction soon enough, our Plan B is go to the north end of Long Island. We cant leave in the morning to get there, because we would get there at night, and that is a No No in the Conception Island anchorage - there are many coral heads that need to be seen upon entering. By the time we get there, the wind will be north which will be uncomfortable in that anchorage, but not unsafe...and it will be gradually turning to the northeast which is good for that anchorage...and turning more southeast over the next few days and settling down. We have heard that this island is teaming with fish, and that the island is among the least spoiled in the Bahamas. We cant wait to see it! We have also read it it is teaming with sharks! SO maybe I will catch up to little Kelly here! Patrick is making me a homemade pole spear today from our extra fish gaff. I want to get in on the action- I'm tired of watching. And we aren't near anywhere that we can buy a pole spear...so make one he will do! I will let you know how I make out with it!

My weather reports that I get via the SSB radio, specifically the GRIB files are working out very well by the way. I always listen to the weather that the various Exuma sources put out in the morning. I often listen to Chris Parker. I listen to Carolyn on occasion too...And I get my GRIB files. I put them all side by side so that I have 3 or 4 opinions of weather. They all seem to be on target for the most part, but my 3 hour GRIBS are on target a little SOONER than the others are. For example, 3 days ago, my GRIBS said it would light this morning and then picking up by nightfall. The weather reports from the other 2-3 days ago said that today would be strong wind all day. Yesterday they started coming more in line with the GRIBS. Now they all agree. That's not always the case, and that's why I keep listening to as many sources as I can, but its nice to know that when there aren't 4 sources of weather, maybe my GRIBS will be a strong source to be getting the reports from. Chris Parker seems to be the next Herb/Southbound II, although Herb I think still tends more toward long offshore passages where Chris does more local day cruising, just because that seems to be who is sponsoring him right now. They both cover the same area though. Chris seems very experienced and is obviously a sailor.

The winds are picking up from the west, which we are fairly unprotected from in this anchorage so its getting rolly. When it gets too rolly, and the wind shifts more to the northwest, around midnight, we will head out on a sail for Conception Island. See you there!