Marina Gibson, Jeannie and Nancy.

How can we leave this place???
We left Clarence Town on Jan 31st on a close-hauled course for 40 miles, arriving off Landrail Point Settlement late in the day with just enough light to weave in between the coral heads to the anchorage. We quickly found the bottom to be just hard marl, a soft smooth rock, impossible to anchor in. After a couple of tries, Seabird snagged on a sharp rock, securing themselves, but we had no success. And just to make it more entertaining, our anchor windlass decided to act up, so that I was lowering and raising a 50 lb. anchor and 100' of chain by hand. After six tries, Bruce checked out a mooring nearby and reported it solid, so we picked it up. That was enough for the day as it had been a hard sail to windward all day so we settled in, secure 1/4 mile off the white sandy beach.
Next morning we went ashore in the tiny community. There is a sort of small boat harbor where we tied our dinghies and started exploring. Soon we were chatting with David Nadal who has been visiting the area for 20 years. He is a photographer and diver, so I arranged to go diving with him next day. We passed a number of residents who turned out to be the friendliest people we have ever met. Wandering around, a boat heading out fishing saw us and turned around to come back and give us directions to an old seventeenth century plantation. Walking the path to it, we marveled at the labor that it must have taken to clear this hard land and build miles of stone fences. We found the ruins, overgrown with bushes re-claiming the land. We wandered through trying to imagine life here at that time... and the difference between the lives of the owners and the slaves.
Back in town we passed Marina Gibsons "Gibson's Restaurant No. 1" and stopped in. Marina was very cordial and welcomed us to sit and talk, listening to our stories and talking about her life on Crooked Island as a girl, and her ancestors who had lived there before her for three generations. We soon figured out that the restaurant no longer operated, but she served us cold drinks anyway. After a nice visit in the cool of her "parlor", we headed out for the store, where we were astonished at the well-stocked shelves. More purchases, then heading back, we stopped at Landrail Point Public Library where we met Sherika Wright, the librarian.
A small structure, it was well equipped with books and internet computers. Every day children from the school come for help on projects and homework.
Then back to the boat for lunch and off again to see the old lighthouse on nearby Bird Island. The structure towers 180' above the rocky shore, and although reported to be in service was dark at night. At its base were accommodation for two light keepers and their families, now crumbling. As we were wandering around, a helicopter circled the light and landed. Were we trespassing? No, just a couple flying back to Atlanta from Dominican Republic stopping to see it. Back in the dinghy, we found a small coral garden near the anchorage where we snorkeled amongst the elkhorn coral, sponges, fan corals and brightly colored fish.
After a busy day, we were soundly asleep early. Next morning I had some boat chores... fix the windlass, re-set the rudder position feedback sensor on the autopilot, and wash the salt off (again). Then ashore to drop some books at the library and back for diving. In this area of the Bahamas, the depths plunge to thousands of feet deep just 1/2 mile off shore. And at the dropoff, the coral grows in profusion. David and I took the dinghies out, anchored in 40' and dropped over the side. Swimming just 1/4 mile out, we came to the wall... spectacular. Davis spent the time photographing the coral while I just swam staring at the beauty. Forty minutes later we were back in the dinghies, and back for a late lunch. I occupied myself in the afternoon by investigating an overheating problem with the generator. Fixed without too much fuss, but lots of cusses, working in the heat in the cockpit locker. In the evening we went ashore to see David and his wife Ann, then up to Gibson's Restaurant No. 2 where we had ordered two take-away fish dinners from Willie Gibson, Marina's daughter. We had met Willie's husband earlier in the day, and he was there again to join us in a delicious glass on ice-cold lemonade (Landrail Point is dry). We had met Willie's uncle (Marina's brother) and his grandson earlier in the day, so now had met the entire family. But it was not just the Gibsons who were so friendly. We could not pass anyone without a friendly hello or comment.
Back aboard, Willie's dinner was delicious, and so huge that we have an entire dinner left over for tomorrow. And speaking of tomorrow, its time to go. There is a good weather window for crossing to Jamaica starting Friday some time, so we'll head down to the bottom of the islands to "stage" and head out from there. But if we go, I had firm instructions to call Willie on the VHF radio and say good-by. That will not be easy, as we have had the best two days in all our cruising here.