02 May 2017 | Green Cove Springs, FL
26 April 2017 | Great Sale Cay, Abaco
30 March 2017 | Snake Cay
09 March 2017 | Hope Town
19 February 2017 | Aboard Sweet Freedom
19 February 2017 | Between Elbow and Johnny's Cay
Heading north...
02 May 2017 | Green Cove Springs, FL
HOT
We have been cruising for seven straight long windy, wavy days. Along the way we were able to have some good times with good friends, and that made it all worthwhile. We had a wonderful winter in the Abacos, but now it's time to get Sweet Freedom ready for her summer nap. We enjoyed the friends and family who visited us, and made great new friends in Hope Town. We'll stop in Vienna, Virginia to attend Patrick's promotion ceremony to Lieutenant Colonel (#proudparents), and then a stop to visit Terence and Noreen (and, hopefully Noella😊) in NJ. Then, home to VT! (The photo is Capt. Bill driving past Jacksonville yesterday.)
Great Sale to Lake Worth!
26 April 2017 | Great Sale Cay, Abaco
We left Great Sale Cay at 6:15 this morning, and anchored in Lake Worth -North Palm Beach by 8 p.m. Long day, but pretty calm seas except for the last few hours of confused, rolly conditions. Ugh. Bill caught a good sized mahi enroute so that slowed us down for a bit. We spent a pleasant last night at Great Sale Cay (and yes, that's how it is spelled). It's funny. We love our time in this paradise, but now we are anxious to get home and see family and friends. We still have to cruise up to the Jacksonville area where we store the boat, and that will take some time. We'll be driving to Virginia by May 12th to attend Patrick's promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. After that, it's Vermont bound!
Sure, looks calm now...
25 April 2017
We left Green Turtle Cay at 6:45 this morning, heading for Mangrove Cay. We expected 15-20 knot winds with 3-4 foot waves - not ideal, but we wanted to be poised to cross to Florida tomorrow which is predicted to be a good day. Unfortunately, the waves proved to be more like 6 feet right on the nose, breaking over the bridge. This slowed our speed, and caused a white knuckled trip. Sweet Freedom came through for us, and we cut our trip a bit short. We are now safely anchored off Great Sale Cay, and will resume travel in the morning.
Patrick, Sarah, Liam, and Kiera in the Abacos
19 April 2017
We just dropped off Pat, Sarah, Liam, and Kiera in Marsh Harbor for their journey back to Virginia. Their week here went so fast, and we were sorry to see them go. Yesterday, we anchored off Mermaid Reef, and we all went snorkeling while Bill did some boat bottom cleaning. Afterwards, we anchored off Matt Lowe's Cay where we snorkeled along the coral edge of the island. It was a good spot out of the east wind, so we stayed the night. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and star gazing for their last night in Abaco. During the week, we embraced our "tour guide" persona, and "did Hope Town." Rented bikes and stand-up paddle boards, swam in the ocean and the pools, went to Easter service and egg hunt, played bingo aka "Jacks!" at Captain Jacks, took beach walks, played beach bocce, corn hole, and giant Jenga, and climbed the lighthouse- we did it all. We did some socializing with Mary and Ken, and Steve and Sarah (and their guests) along the way - lots of rum, etc. and good times. Now it's time to plan our trip home, so we are waiting for a weather window. We'll be sorry to leave this paradise, but at the same time, happy to be heading home.
Sea Beans!
09 April 2017
Here's a photo of our sea bean collection from this year. They drift in on the tide, and come from trees and vines that grow on tropical shores all over the world. We walk the beach for about an hour almost every day, but since these are a rare discovery, it is always cause for celebration when one is found. The beans tend to hide in the seaweed that comes ashore, and are perfectly camouflaged. Hamburger beans are aptly named - they're the ones that look like little Big Macs...They come from as far away as South America, and finding one is believed to bring good luck. You can see a couple of "Sea Hearts" which are also called "Monkey Ladders" in the photo. These grow on a six foot bean pod in Costa Rica! One of our favorites is the Gray Sea Pearl. Some tropical islands use these to play Mancala. So you're thinking we have too much time on our hands...maybe, but we enjoy finding these little treasures, and learning about them!
Abaco Rage
05 April 2017
This awesome photo was taken by Sarah on L'Acadie. The beautiful sailing vessel is an Abaco Rage, and she races here in the Sea of Abaco. I've included a link if you'd like to find out more about these boats, and for some interesting racing rules such as: "If a crew member falls off, he must be picked up. The boat must finish with the same number of people that started."
Copy and paste into your browser: http://blog.kindred-spirit.net/2016/02/07/al-and-the-abaco-rage/