Earendil and Kasidah are finally side by side at the same marina in the Bahamas. We tried to catch up with Jon and Arline all last season, and the closest we got was when we were both in Nassau at different marinas, they were coming back and we were going out. We plan to enjoy the next few days together. There is a cold front coming through tonight. The winds may get up to 30 to 35 knots. We’re happy to be tied up snug in this marina.

Today was the last day of the weather window we used to get here. It was still this morning and quite nice all day. After a long, hot shower I decided to take a bit of a walk. The marina sits on the inside of a peninsula formed by the marina, the harbor, the cut into the harbor and the surrounding sea. I walked down that peninsula. I wanted to try to find a way out to the ocean (the banks, as the shallows around the Bahamas are called) or to the cut. I was able to find both.

All beaches in the Bahamas are public, and there are lots of places from land where there is beach access. I was pleased to find a sign for beach access along the road and followed it back to a lovely little beach. I found a sand dollar, which I collected. Coming back to the main road I continued down until I came to the cut. There was a track going off towards the ocean side of the cut and I followed it back and came to a terrace-like area where the signs for boaters entering the cut are posted. I put pictures of my walk in the gallery.

I started back and was going to see just how long it would take to get back to the marina, but one of the workers from the marina came by and gave me a ride in his truck. That’s typical of Bahamians. I have never met more friendly people. It’s so nice to be back here. When I first went out this morning I was listening to the silence. I heard one vehicle, a motorcycle, come near and stop. It was so quiet I heard a man sneeze on the other side of the marina.

Jon and Arline took their dinghy out to try to get some conch. They brought back three large conchs. They gave us one. Barry, from the marina, showed Bud and Arline how to clean them. Then Jon made conch fritters out of their two and invited all the cruisers for a happy hour. We took some chips and hummus and everyone brought drinks. There were at least 12 boaters that gathered. Arline had champagne that she poured into little paper cups and we all toasted the cruising life “no matter what it costs” said Jon. We met some nice people as usual. There’s a couple here from Oak Orchard, Anna and Greg, who left the same year we did and are on a ketch. So our little gathering had three boats from Lake Ontario (and another one from Ottawa, which isn’t that far). There’s a picture of the folks at the conch fritter happy hour in the gallery, too. Arline and I aren’t in the group because we were both taking pictures for our blogs.