We stayed in Treasure Cay until Tuesday, February 11th and headed to Man O War Cay. It was hard to pull ourselves away from this little piece of paradise, but we got some exploring to do! We left on a falling tide and although Man O War was only about 18 miles, we didn’t want to get there at low tide because of a 5 1/2 ‘ bar at the entrance, so we lopped along at about 3.5 knots enjoying the scenery and the crystal clear water. There wasn’t enough wind to sail, so we took turns steering our course. We arrived at Man O War at about 1:30 on a rising tide and picked up a mooring.

There are two harbours at Man O War and both are full of mooring balls, so much so that you can’t anchor. Before we could finish tying our lines, the owner of the mooring, David Albury came by to collect payment. We paid for a week and settled in with our mandatory Caesar, or maybe it was 2 (we hadn’t had breakfast yet, but who cares? We're cruising!).

We have a few friends that come to Man O War each year so we jumped in the dinghy and went to say hello. Lou and Jean Wayne who we know from the Alberg Association and now own a trawler and Jim and Carol Anne Organ who keep their boat at Indiantown like us, stay in the other harbour. We had a nice visit with each and then ventured back to Leeway.

We had a bit of an issue with a grinding noise when we were picking up the mooring and were not sure what it was. Upon further investigation, there appeared to be something wrong with the prop. We have a Luke feathering prop and once the mechanic was able to pull it, we found out that the gears inside the prop were likely stripped. The prop is only about 8 years old, so this shouldn't happen, but we'll have it investigated when we get back state side. Have you every seen someone take a prop off.. under water.. with just a mask and snorkel? Oh yes, and a 2x4 and a hammer?? Chad from Edwin’s Boat Yard did an amazing job. They have a used replacement prop for us which they need to send to the prop shop in Marsh Harbour the first of the week to be re-pitched and then they’ll install it on our boat and hopefully we’re as good as new. We won’t be able to leave here until at least Thursday because the boat yard only takes cash and the bank is only open on Wednesdays. Such is life in the Bahamas!

This past Saturday was the annual school bazaar and fair. What an event! There were all kinds of things for sale, both new and used as well as all kinds of food – fried chicken, ribs, burgers, conch fritters, conch salad, crawfish salad – it was a regular feast. The money from this event raises money for the school and attracts both locals and tourists from all the other islands. It was really a fun day. We wandered through the village speaking with other boaters, looking in the shops and enjoying ourselves. Wayne bought a conch shell that has a hole in the end of it to make a horn and did quite well with it. It’s a tradition every evening that you blow the conch shell to signify sundown. We were feeling a bit left out because we didn’t have a shell, but now all is right because we can sound off with the best of them. In fact, Saturday night was a regular symphony of conch horns (well, not really a symphony, but fun none the less).

We have just had a swim off the boat and as I write this we are having a new drink that I invented – I call it a Loopy Lizard. It’s made with rum, pineapple juice, mango juice, oranges and coconut cream. MMM good! Stayed tuned for the next installment! Provided I haven't gotten to Loopy!