Hideko and I rented a car today to explore Provo a bit more. As we were getting ready in the morning we got a call on the VHF from Audrey and crew. We met Andre, Jose and their daughter Audrey in Bimini and then again at Norman Cay. It was great to hear that they were in Provo and we decided to explore together.

Audrey was anchored in Sapodilla bay so we picked them up and began to drive around the island in a counter clockwise pattern.

We drove around the electric green banks of Chalk Sound for a bit admiring the stunning colors of the shallow water. Then we made our way up to the North end of the island to see the Conk farm. They had closed for tours but we could still see in through the gate. The Conk farm produces over 1,000 Conk per day! It is an amazing place and incredibly important to the preservation on the Queen conk in these parts. Once again you don't find conk in the Bahamas like you do here, I would expect largely due to the farm.

We then visited the Leeward Marina. This marina is basically a dock and is used mostly by charter day boats taking visitors sight seeing or fishing. There are three real marinas on the island, Leeward, the Caicos Shipyard where we are, and the Turtle Cove which is inaccessible to mortals in a north wind/break.

After some yummy Conk Hush Puppies we drove through the tourist district at Grace Beach where all of the large resorts and little shops are. We parked the car and walked south on the beach all the way to Turtle Cove. It is a nice beach and each resort has its beach bar and shops. The reef breaks the swell about a mile off shore but the inner water is still choppy on a windy day and there are lots of coral heads so navigation is very tricky.

After looking around Turtle Cove we decided to grab dinner. I took a cab back to the car to bring it up while we waited to be served. They have buses and cabs here. The buses are cheaper but the cabs aren't bad if you get a quote up front. They all have meters but I've never seen one turned on. The most I've paid for a cab was $15, and that was from Turtle Cove to the shipyard, which is almost as far as you can go on the island. We ate at the Tiki Hut which was pretty good and right on the water.

Andre and I discussed the crossing to Luperon a bit and conferred on weather. It looks like we will both be heading over on Thursday. DR here we come.