Packing up!
02 March 2007 | Joe's Sound, Long Island
Jim Lea
On Thursday, we went snorkeling, as usual, in the morning, and then took the bikes ashore in the afternoon and biked up to the nearby Cape Santa Maria Resort. It was only a 3 mile ride, but on a dusty track (not really a road) on a hot day, so we were ready for a nice limeade on the beach when we arrived. We were able to get on-line and get caught up with most stuff. But we can catch up on the rest in Canada next week. In the evening, a bunch of the boats in the anchorage went ashore on a beach for drinks and nibbles. It was a great way to get to meet some of them we have been waving at, as either we or they passed in our dinghies. It was a nice evening, watching the sunset across Exuma Sound. Then back on board for a roast chicken dinner. Now we're down to just two fillets of mahi-mahi in the freezer, and lots of left-overs! Today (Friday), we began cleaning up the boat in preparation for heading off on Sunday. And it's time to start thinking about what to take. Passports are the obvious ones, but things like our exit visas that we got when we arrived 4 months ago, our cruising permit to avoid duty (37%) on things we bring back, mail for friends we are taking back to Canada, etc.) Then at noon, we dinghied over to the Calabash Bay Resort for lunch. We split a conch salad and a Grouper sandwich, both delicious. Then we chatted with some other boaters, and returned. Of the six boats in the anchorage last night, three were Canadian, and all three of us were from the Maritimes!! A first for us to run into Maritimers. Both boats are from Digby. One is a 48.8 Defever Offshore Trawler, owned by Sherman and Barb Haynes, and the other is a Catalina about 38', but I didn't catch the owners names. Another coincidence, all three of us ran aground getting in here! The entry is the most difficult we have ever attempted, and we have been thinking about the exit. And so have Sherman and Barb, as their trawler draws 6', and they are also leaving tomorrow. But I have been watching the tides and slack high water should be about 8:00 am. So we want to be first out, in case someone else runs aground and traps us in here. There are no tide tables for anywhere except Nassau, and the tide times are significantly different across the Bahamas due to the large banks and the varying size of the cuts that give tidal waters access to the banks. So observation is the best rule. In the afternoon, we explored the mangrove channels left by the low tide, and had a swim to cool off about 4:00 pm, then back to the boat, take the dinghy motor off in preparation for leaving early tomorrow, and tidying up. Then the last of the mahi-mahi out of the freezer with grilled potatoes and carrote (the last of the vegetables). Tomorrow night will be leftovers.