Today there is sunshine!
03/22/2009, Manjack

This is a photo of the lovely couple who own the south end of Manjack Cay, and who allow cruiser (like ourselves) to traverse their pathways across the island and also share their wifi internet access with all passing sailors!

A graceful craft and two relaxed occupants!

An ideal evening sail.

glen

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Rain which we now collect!
03/22/2009, ManJack Cay

We had a lovely day in the rain!

Our neighbours (the closest boat) are a wonderful couple from Lausanne, Switzerland who have circumnavigated the globe (they are both in the their 70s) and are now relaxing in the sunshine in Manjack Cay on a mooring.

Louise and I hiked through the tropical vegetation and discovered the existence of the "poisonwood tree" which represents about 30% of the trees and has a sap very similar to poison ivy. Apparently it is not a good idea to walk in the rain!

Moray rays on the beach, more shells, and Louise's famous rum cake was followed by an introduction to the games of Rummikub and Mancala to our Swiss friends.

Champagne and cornish hens, cooked to perfection was dinner, and with the wind still blowing we retired at 9pm.

It must be getting close to the time to return. We're down to 12 beer and the last two rolls of toilet paper!

In order to save electricity (batteries) I decided to turn off the anchor alarms systems (there are two that gobble 30Ah per night) with the result that Louise woke up every 20 minutes all night certain that we were drifting across the Sea of Abacos.

Dawn revealed we hadn't moved an inch, but I now have a grumpy wife , who'll have a lovely nap this afternoon.

The sun is shining... let the solar panels begin!

We also (with the help of our Swiss friends) configured a way to divert the rain water into our water tanks.

Lots of fun!

glen

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Another Northern front arrives
03/21/2009, ManJack cay

Floating on our little island (boat) we are surrounded by nature's magnificence, beauty and power.

Everyday involves a careful consideration of weather, anchor location, physical safety, and contingency plans in the event that the weather changes suddenly.

In the city one has the ability to essentially ignore the weather, while here on the boat, we track it carefully and use our electronic instruments to tell us if it's changing, or we're moving.

With the overcast days the solar panels are falling behind, so we're hoping for a couple of sunny days to fully recharge the batteries, otherwise I'll have to breakdown and start the generator. It's nice to have redundant systems.

glen

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