Sailing with Bob & Vickie

It’s March 17th and it is time to leave beautiful Treasure Cay at 8:54 AM - Happy St Paddy's Day & Happy Birthday to Jill Kressley. Whale Cay is very calm today - Bob picked the right day. I’m learning the importance of the Whale Cay passage while traveling the Abacos. At 12:12 PM we arrive at Donny's Boat Rentals & Marina at Green Turtle Cay. I will admit I have become accustomed to beautiful water, beaches, and marinas with some amenities and nightlife. The water is still clear and pretty but the water is not that brilliant blue (looks more like fishing waters). Wifi is limited and there is one bathroom & shower, no laundry on site, but it is only a 10 min walk to town and dinghy is the preferred means to get to the resort areas on this cay. It truly is very pretty but not like the places we have previously visited. I'm sure Bob is thinking - stick your nose a little higher in the air and he could be right. Bob unloads his bike and tells me he is going on a walkabout. FINE! While sitting on the dock I am focused on something in the water below. The water is finally disturbed with a cloud of dust and it turns into the largest stingray I've ever seen (not that I’ve seen a lot but this fellow is huge). Next I watch a fishing boat pull into an adjacent dock and unload bags of fresh catch (lobster & crabs?). I might be changing my mind. Our boat neighbors are incredible - we have been welcomed here unlike anywhere else by fellow boaters. Donny, the owner is an amazing, hardworking, colorful man and the respect he gets here shows his true character. The quiet beauty is beyond belief. Yep, my mind is changed - this is truly the Bahamian adventure. It’s not about the amenities – it’s about sitting back and enjoying this earth with a different perspective.

Mar 18 - Sunday we attend a local church with Emma, our boat neighbor who invites us to church and fellowship. Bob makes brownies - this truly is a blessed way to start the week. Small one room church, formerly a Methodist Church, and we are welcomed. The sermon, the fellowship and music is refreshing. Today’s service is limited to 1 hour due to the funeral of a young man from Marsh Harbour and people need to be able to catch the scheduled ferry to pay their respects. These people are amazing and I dare to think how we might handle the imposition of timing and waiting on a ferry. Well, after church we dinghy to Bluff House beach for a cocktail and enjoy the beach. The water is a bit rough for a little dinghy so we get a little wet but all is good. God is good!
Mar 19 - I'm just saying "I can't eat chicken". The island is full of chickens running around, laying down, looking at you and tilting their heads - they act like cats. No way! Ride our bikes to Green Turtle Club and back to Green Turtle Yacht Club for lunch where Summer treated us wonderfully but no chicken!


Mar 20- Happy Birthday Cindy Lesh – There is a Memorial Dinner at Sundowners for Eric Sawyer (whose favorite food was pork chops & fries) so this is the menu. Great new band from Winnepeg, Manitoba - The Bilge Rats – this is party atmosphere!
Mar 21 - We take a short bike ride to downtown "New Plymouth". According to locals it is required that we have a Goombay Smash at Miss Emily's Blue Bee bar so that it is - Grouper burger, fries and slaw and of course a Goombay Smash. The food is not fast but the atmosphere is perfect. No hurry to eat, just enjoy the island. We make a quick stop at Curry's grocery to pick up some conch which Bob hammered down, breaded, added spices and fried in coconut oil. Some of the things I have eaten amazes me but conch is very tasty. Our new motto is “When in the Islands you eat as the locals eat!”

Mar 22- Lunch at the Wrecking Tree - cracked conch (for Vickie) and fried local fish (for Bob) - the reviews are correct - you have to try the food. Of course we had their specialty drink "Wrecker". We stop at the liquor store "Plymouth Rock" to check it out. They serve meals and drinks (fun little place and people). Their trademark T-shirt "I had breakfast at the liquor store" - I might need one. We visit the Albert Lowe museum and learn some history about the Cays. Bob does not want to leave. We have a casino (I need to post a picture) and a laundromat with 1 working washer. This place is not fancy but beautiful - the people, the water, the history and the food. I finally got a conch shell but I have to clean it - then I can really make noise.