Our friends arrived on time. We were so glad to see them. And on the same afternoon, our buddy boat, FinnIrish arrived in Nassau. They had been towed to Chub Cay and stayed there several days, maybe a week, until they could fix their engine. We were glad to see them able to move again.
We had planned to leave the next morning for the Exumas, work our way to Staniel Cay, then back up and across to Nassau with two days to catch the NCAA final game and visit Atlantis. Of course, right before we left the weather forecast changed. The wind and waves were going to pick up earlier than previously forecasted. So, we left as planned on Wednesday. It was a fairly bumpy ride, but not uncomfortable. We sailed for almost ten hours to Warderick Wells. It is so difficult to determine the best spot in the Exumas, it is all so beautiful. But if our trip was going to be cut short, I wanted them to see the waters of Warderick Wells. We picked up a mooring ball and enjoyed a lovely evening watching the sunset. We played so much Canasta while they were here, I believe we played that night after the sun set. I do remember that is was a nice evening for sleeping, just the right breeze to keep the air circulating in the boat.
The next morning, we went to the North Field, one of the most beautiful spots on earth, in my opinion. It was so chilly, we needed long-sleeved shirts or jackets. It was a little too chilly to snorkel without wet suits, so we snorkeled with the see-through bucket. Since we could not pick up the weather there, we decided to move north to Norman’s Cay. At Norman’s there is a tower close enough for Frank to keep an eye on the weather. We grilled rib eyes and enjoyed the evening sunset and cool breezes. Because there wasn’t another boat near us, it creates a feeling of solitude and peace. It was a lovely evening.
The next morning, they went to shore. I picked up a bug and wasn’t too chipper. After they returned, we looked at the weather. We seemed to have two days to get back, today with some wind, the next day with no wind. We chose to head back that day with a little bit of wind. Jeff sailed us back to Nassau, like he had done that many times. Because I was laying down, the three of them played Canasta in the cockpit underway. That should confirm that the wind was very light.
We docked and headed to the showers. Something happened to the water pressure and the shower was a drizzle. It took longer, but we managed to get clean. That was a local experience for them. When you cruise the Bahamas, showers can be a challenge sometimes. The pressure was fixed a few days, three showers later. In the Bahamas you deal with what you got.
We were disappointed that they were going to spend so many days in Nassau instead of the other islands. They went to the straw market, bought nice souvenirs. One was a hand carved ballerina that was gorgeous. Becky got her rum cakes. They had a nice lunch at a Greek restaurant. I stayed behind to rest in hopes of knocking out that bug sooner.
We spent some days relaxing in the sun, playing a lot of Canasta, some four-handed, some six-handed with our buddy boat folks, watching NCAA basketball. Boy was it getting exciting. Jeff is from Kentucky and their daughter graduated from University of Florida. Well, Jeff didn’t expect Kentucky to make it that far in the tournament, so he committed to pull for Florida. With each Kentucky game, it appeared that Jeff may be in a dilemma. It appeared we could be looking at a Florida/Kentucky showdown. Well, all the games were really good, but shockingly Florida lost to Connecticut. Then Kentucky lost to Connecticut. Our boat was really rocking during the final four and final games. We just advised the boats around us that we were watching basketball, we weren’t fighting!
We made our trip over to Atlantis. Even though we have been several times, we enjoy watching first-timers enjoy the aquarium. We have described it in the past, but it is new every time you see it. They had recently been to the Chihully museum in Seattle. Atlantis has a lot of his glasswork on display. Some of it is so large, it is mesmerizing. Okay, Frank did play a little Three Card Poker, hit a straight flush among other smaller, yet profitable hands and cashed in winnings of about $500-600 for a short time.
It came time to have to say goodby to our friends. They left with great souvenirs, shells, sea glass and beautiful memories of the Bahama waters. Like I’ve always said, you can see it in pictures and videos, but you have to come to the Bahamas to see it yourself. It can’t be captured.
They were our first visitors on the boat. We were very comfortable with them. I felt bad because I couldn’t be the hostess I’d planned, but they just pitched in like they were here all the time. We look forward to having them again.
We were in Nassau several more days before we were able to move. We did leave and sailed back to Warderick Wells. We scooted out a couple of days before forecasted high winds. We moved into the protected area of the North Field. We will be here for Easter pot luck at the Rangers’ house. It’s a very nice place to be. It has also reminded us of Jeff and Becky’s reaction to the beauty.
Until next time, remember the significance of Easter. It is the most important day of the year!