Adonai saving the best for last. 1000 Oaks California Troop 718 with Troop 2222 is adventuring on the Sea of Abaco this week . Our group of 16 young men and adult leaders are a joy as we finish up the 13 weeks of Bahama Sea Base High Adventure Program 2015. Arriving ready for action with all aboard Adonai heads out of Marsh Harbor over to Mermaid Reef where the fish are plentiful and the swimmers fine.The water is warm and clear quite a change from the California coast.

Sunday we head south to Sandy Cay filling our day with swimming and exploring. The reef is filled with wonder as the elk horn and stag horn coral shoot towards the surface reflecting its perfect beauty in the light of the day. Eventual "we done reach" Grieg Cay for a fun challenge of coconuts. They live high up in the trees before they find themselves being smashed on rocks or beaten with a hammer from a scouts hand. Fresh from the tree is the most delicious way to enjoy a coconut. Next we are hunting for conch, that is if you have any energy left to fight the current to seek out these culinary treasures. After finding and retrieving our limit of five. We have only just begun it is time to get the conch hammer and harvest the creature from the shell and clean it. This is very messy work but it is how you prepare the fillets to be ready for slicing and pounding to the tenderness state. Once this process is complete there is just a couple more steps of egg and breading before dropping them into the skillet! A close to California Abalone the gift of sweetness from the sea is finally savored.

Tahiti Beach! The morning sun has risen and our navy seal swim, run, walk, crawl race is about to begin. First one to dry land wins a prize. Captain loves this race and today he takes the lead, close on his heals is a team of scouts. Not a coconut is safe today with practice on Grieg Cay the scouts have perfected the art of coco hunting and smashing. Next stop after lunch is the light house in Hope Town and we are praying for dingy to make it through the day. Dingy has been feeling some what deflated and slightly tired these days. Imagine over 200 scouts climbing on your rubber hulls each week, climbing in and out. Six o'clock rolls around and Dingy is making it back from town to Adonai to head out towards Man o War Cay for a quite night with our anchor buried in the sand.

The sunrises and so the anchor rises. My favorite stop of the entire week is today at North Guana Reef. As we round the corner to the open Alantic the wind is blowing and the grey sky is dissipating bringing forth sunshine, just perfect for the reef! What an enthusiastic group this week, our guys loved the conch so much yesterday that after the reef we found ourselves hunting again searching the bottom to pull up the the treasured conch from the sand and grass lands of the sea. The day turns to the night and tonight's big surprise is a fresh water shower brings us into Treasure Cay. So many smiles with clean shiny hair are ready for the steaks searing on the grill along with the killer potatoes wrapped in foil. No thorns for our roses today as the sun is going down our anchor is goes down and we are next . Little did we know Dingy was about to go down! The stars appear one by one filling the sky beyond measure. The night turned to a chill in the wee hours and all is perfectly well.

The sun is rising. I look out to see the new day and something looks out of sorts half filled with the sea is dingy sinking partially into the sea! "Captain dinghy is sinking " A slight interruption to what captain thought was going to be his peaceful morning coffee. Using team work , lines, pumps and human sweat dingy floats once again. Only 2 days are left to the trip but Dingy is just saying " I have had enough. " I am happy and sad at the same time. Dingy is being left behind finding a new home at Treasure Cay. Adonai heads out of the harbor without her faithful friend trailing behind all is quiet as we wave farewell.

With out Dingy our speed has picked up as we cross over the Sea of Abaco to the sunken barge. The barge is filled with fish and interesting debris below always a scout favorite. Evening is coming again the day is just not long enough here. To finish up our fabulous week is Water Cay this time we all have to swim in for the skits and bon-fire with marshmallows. The coconut tress are shaking as we land the beach! Hotdogs are grilled out on Adonai afterwards and the night sky falls with the milky-way stretching as far as you can see.

It is now Thursday and today is the day we head back into Marsh Harbor. First we take a last stop on Man O War Ca, thanks to Captain Simmon who ferried us in. The island is friendly and quiet, many businesses are closing for a break after the busy summer. Captain Ted picks us up at the fuel dock with Adonai and its time to head back to the dock in Marsh Harbor we have to be in by 3 p.m. What a great week after cleaning Adonai we all hike over to Jakes for our last supper together tired and hungry from a week of great play.

Until we see each other again we have great memories of a week spent on the Sea of Abaco under the glorious stars of heaven. Adonai standing by 78.............