We arrived back in George Town on Jan. 6th having had a great XMAS visit with Leia, Andrew, Ben and Luke. The boys are changing and growing so quickly; it was amazing how they had changed since we last saw them in October. We also had a nice visit with my mother. Unfortunately her car died just before we arrived, so we helped her buy a new car. Ken had a cold just before we left Toronto and it blossomed while in Florida. In between buying another car and doing a few odd jobs, he spent much of the visit in bed. Not too much fun for him!

When we arrived at the marina, we had a NASTY surprise. Our refrigerator had shut down and things were growing both inside and outside the fridge. We set our suitcases down and started to clean the horrific mess. EVERYTHING in the fridge and freezer went into the garbage. It was already evening when we arrived, too late to go anywhere for something to eat (not that we really wanted to eat...), so we ate a bowl of canned beans and went to bed. The next morning, we continued to clean and ate a granola bar for breakfast. Bowls of vinegar, baking soda, bleach were standing everywhere. We even put a water filter which has carbon in it into the freezer to help with the smell. That worked well, but at $30 a filter and a limited supply, we weren't able to use any more. We now have trays of kitty litter, baking soda and vinegar in the freezer and in other strategic places. The smell has improved a lot. With lots of wind, candles and Febreeze, we should be able to handle it.

We think the fridge shut down after the vacuum condenser light came on and it was not addressed. Usually we shut the fridge on and off again and vacuum the condenser. The refrigerator is getting old and will likely have to be replaced when we return to Florida. We just have to get there...Replacing it in the Bahamas would be extremely expensive as they charge 40% duty on most things. We dodged a bullet returning. We had purchased a few things for the boat, including a new air deck for the inflatable dinghy. We were told that bringing things in for the boat would be duty free, but not so. Only for the engine. The customs officer took pity on us and believed us and did not charge the duty. Whew, that would have cost $500.

So here we are. Ken is recovering from bronchitis, we have cleaned the boat several times, did maintenance and repair work on the pressure water system, water maker, holding tank system etc. Dan and Anne Keeble, our friends from EHYC join us tomorrow for a couple of weeks of cruising the southern Bahamas. We then head north again towards Eleuthera where the Zutter-Larsons and Leia and family will join us. Then its the Abacos, Florida and Georgia.

We have decided not to venture south to the Virgin Islands. Upon doing more intensive research and listening to and reading weather forecasts, we realized that it was the wrong time of year to do this. Better starting in April and May. We did not relish the trade winds (20-30 knots) and big seas on our nose for up to 9 days running or taking the alternate route of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands for 3-4 weeks, travelling mostly at night to take advantage of the lighter winds. Given that our refrigerator is not that reliable right now, it is probably the right decision. Hopefully, now that most of our projects are completed now, we will be able to relax and enjoy being cruisers for a while.

We have rented a car for the next 2 days to pick up the Keebles, and replenish our stores for a couple of weeks. Hopefully we can head south either Wednesday pm or Thursday, weather permitting. Another front is expected to blow through on the weekend so we want to ensure we have a good protected anchorage.

Not too sure how much wifi we will have for the next 2 weeks, so will update when I can.