We have been busy with visits from friends. Cecelia and Andy were here last week. We had a nice week with lots of beach time and dancing. We also enjoyed a day sail last Sunday with lunch on board Bay Breezin'. Don and Judy have had guests too. Last week they had son Nathan and this week,son Seth, his wife Becky and their son Zane. They invited us to explore some new places with them and I am ready to get out on the water for a few days. Let's go!
3/15
We left Treasure Cay at 9:30 a.m., with Nemo following. It was mostly sunny with S.E. Winds at 10-15 knots. It was a beautiful day with a cool breeze. This is a welcomed change after a few days of running the air conditioner. Spring has arrived and is quickly warming into summer-like weather. Bird songs are in the air. Hummingbirds and butterflies are everywhere and the curly tails are getting big and fat. The wind is on our nose, so we motored all the way to Hope Town on Elbow Cay. There are about 40 boats anchored outside. Nemo anchored out and we went in the harbor. The moorings are full, but there is a slip available at the Lighthouse marina. It is 1:30 p.m. when we are tied up. Don, Judy and crew come in on their tender. We get our in the water and follow them across the harbor to the dinghy dock at the Sailing club. We all walked up the charming streets to the ice cream shop. Rum raisin, chocolate and coconut ice cream made in Nassau were the flavors of choice. It was delicious! Don and Judy take us all up to the Reef Bar and Grill for rum drinks. The view of the reefs on the Atlantic side is beautiful. Set jumped in the pool and then we headed down the steps to the beach with our snorkel gear. The water was calm and the reefs were full of small reef fish and beautiful coral. I saw a Parrot fish and a Bluehead Wrasse. Judy swam with a couple of rays.
After drying out a bit we walked back to the other side of the island and rode back across the harbor to our boats.
3/16
We were up at first light. We took a walk up to the lighthouse. I climbed to the top for a few pictures. I never get tired of seeing this beautiful old lighthouse. After a stop in the gift shop, we returned to prepare for departure. There was a huge manatee hanging out by our boat. He was drinking the fresh water that someone left dripping over the side. He kept using his flippers to scratch his nose where the water was tickling him. There was a large remora fish attached to him. Everyone stopped by to take pictures. We departed the marina at 10:00 a.m. Nemo was weighing anchor as we came out of the harbor. We followed them down to Tahiti Beach at the south end of Elbow Cay. The skies were clear with light S.W. winds. We anchored out and took our tenders in to the beach. There were lots of boats and people in the shallow water and on the beach. We walked the beach for an hour or so and as we were leaving, a "food truck" type boat arrived. The "Thirsty Cuda" was selling lunch and drinks. We took off across the water to Lubbers Quarters Cay. We had plans for lunch at Cracker P's. Cracker P's filled up quickly for lunch. We enjoyed Bahamian beers, burgers and grilled chicken, with slaw and peas and rice. We rode back to our anchored boats and headed north to Marsh Harbour. We followed Nemo into the harbor. They anchored and we rafted alongside. We rested a little and then put the tenders in to go to dinner at the Jib Room at Marsh Harbour marina. There was a buffet of Bahamian style grouper, steaks and grilled chicken with baked potato, steamed vegetables, tossed salad and bread. We shared brownies and ice cream with rum sauce for dessert. The entertainment started at 7:00. The music was accompanied by a couple of guys playing the saw and maracas. They had an assortment of saws and encouraged the audience to try playing them. Seth and Zane both played along. There was dancing and then they set up the limbo stick. The kids, and a few adults had fun trying to see how low they could go! Zane could really do the limbo! Then, when it was as low as it could go, they lit it on fire and a man did the limbo under it, almost flat on his back, while lighting his cigarette. It was a great evening. We managed to find our way back to the boats without too much trouble in the dark!
3/17
We slept a little later this morning. As soon as Carl suggested Jamie's Place for breakfast, we were all ready in a flash. We took our dingies into the dinghy dock by Mangoes and walked to Jamie's. It was closed! It was Sunday, but we hadn't even thought to check ahead. We walked across the street to Abaco Resort and marina and ran into someone who told us that breakfast was better at Colors by the Sea. He was headed there, so we followed along. It was a great recommendation! We had omelettes, pancakes, bacon and grits. We got our exercise and we didn't need to eat the rest of the day! We got back to the boats and we untied from Nemo to head back to Treasure Cay at 11:00 a.m. We arrived back at our slip at 1:30 p.m. After dinner we met at the gazebo on the beach for drinks and a game of Mexican train dominoes.