Lost Baggage
18 January 2012
Marsh Harbour Marina, Gt Abaco Island

We have spent four days in Marsh Harbour since Jill's arrival just exploring and enjoying the Island's hospitality. This is the third largest town in the Bahamas, reasonable roads run north and south to the rest of the Island and - joy of joys - they drive on the left!
The island is 130 miles, long barely 4 miles at its widest point and worth every dollar of hiring a car and touring. There are few road signs, no road markings, a dearth of street lamps and only one stop light on the entire island - driving at night is an experience!
Another reason for extending our stay here is that Jill's luggage has been lost somewhere between Vancouver and Nassau. Jill had also mislaid her luggage tags without which there was no hope of finding the bag.
I offered Jill the run of my wardrobe but reality soon kicked in - with Jilly at 97lbs and me at somewhat half as much again, it meant that nothing actually fitted -my T-shirts slid off her shoulders, trousers fell to her knees and dresses...well...they just didn't attempt to touch the sides......
Clothing stores are limited but with the help of Vera, a super Lady cab driver, Jill ended up at the school outfitters, purchasing some rather nice uniform shorts and tops. Problem solved.
Jill isn't one to make a fuss - veteran of l5 Atlantic crossings, Pacific storms and survivor of the Queens birthday storm off New Zealand in 1994 where winds reached 75 mph with seas of 35 ft - the loss of her bag was, she said, insignificant. She had many stories to tell of life aboard around the world..
Our best offering has been winds of 20 knots and 4ft swells with a 2ft chop on top! We're happy with that, and Jilly agrees that, at nearly 80 years old, maybe she needs to slow down a bit!
We're not sure she means it - one morning, after checking her emails, she told us she has just confirmed her next sailing trip with friends - USA to New Zealand in March........ This pic of Jill and William on the foredeck.