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Current Location: Highbourne Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 12 Weather: Partly sunny, windy, mid-70s Highlights: Took an early morning dinghy ride up the mangrove creek on the north side of Shroud Cay. Creek winds its way across the island to a small beach/inlet on the sound side, where you can climb a small hill and get a pretty good view of the island. Connected to a 2nd creek across the middle part of the island on the way back, where we saw several turtles. Back to the boat before noon, then raised anchor and motor-sailed up to Highbourne Cay to find shelter from the strong NE winds expected over the next few days. Mac and cheese with hot dogs for dinner tonight - one of my favs!
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Current Location: Shroud Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 16 Weather: Partly sunny, breezy, mid-70s Highlights: Got an early start this morning, dropping the mooring around 8AM and heading up to Shroud Cay. Dropped anchor around noon, then took the dinghy over to the cut where we found some good coral reefs and snorkelling. Current was very strong, so we ended up towing each other up current, then drifting back down through the reef. Did that a few times, then back to the boat for reading, dinner (stir-fried veggies with sausage), and early bedtime. Current Location: Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Cloudy, thundershowers, clearing late afternoon, low-70s Highlights: And . . . one more night interrupted by some wicked storms and high winds. Fortunate to be on a mooring ball - much less stress, but still worries about lightening. Heavy rain lasted until mid-morning, then occasional showers before clearing up after noon. We took the opportunity to hike up BooBoo hill to cast our offering (painted sign) to the local island gods. Back to the boat for grilled chicken, rice, and vegetables for dinner, then light reading and early bedtime for (hopefully) a good night's sleep tonight. Current Location: Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 12 Weather: Partly sunny, breezy, mid-70s Highlights: Another night with little sleep - thunderstorms came in around 3AM, including strong winds, and our anchor started to drag on us, setting off the anchor watch alarm. Fortunately, it set again fairly quickly, but we were up and down the rest of the night keeping an eye on things. Decided we had enough of anchoring for the week, so raised anchor around 10:30 and motor-sailed up to Warderick Wells to grab a mooring for 2 nights. Arrived around 1PM, and spent rest of the afternoon catching up on sleep, reading, and painting/decorating our driftwood plaque to drop off tomorrow on BooBoo Hill. Spaghetti for dinner tonight, then we decided was a good night for a movie, so watched Jodie Foster in "The Brave One" before turning in. Current Location: Fowl Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 16 Weather: Cloudy, thundershowers, low-70s Highlights: Woke up this morning around 2AM thinking we were at a Hollywood party, with flashbulbs going off everywhere. Not so lucky - actually in the middle of a big thunder and lightening system, and shortly afterwards, the heavens opened up and the boat got a good wash-down. Always worrisome when you've got a big metal stick on top of your house, but we were lucky this time. Raised anchor around 10AM, then motored in calm seas and light winds up to Fowl Cay. Dropped anchor around 1PM, and spent rest of day catching up on sleep. Terry got some snorkeling and fishing in before dinner, but didn't catch anything worth keeping. Early bedtime - forecast calling for some bad weather again tonight/early morning. Current Location: Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Partly cloudy, breezy, mid-70s Highlights: Finished up some projects this morning, then turned the gen on and made about 175 gallons of water. Light dinner and early bedtime tonight - supposed to be some nasty weather headed our way tomorrow. Current Location: Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Partly cloudy, breezy, high-70s Highlights: Went into town this morning for provisions, and also picked up a couple of fishing lures to replace some that were lost last week. Took care of a couple of small boat projects, then reading and relaxing rest of day. Current Location: Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 33 Weather: Partly cloudy, breezy, high-70s Highlights: Left the marina around 9AM on the ebb tide, and had a nice sail in 15-knot winds and 4-foot following seas up to the Settlement. Came in through Farmer's Cut, and did the last 10 NM on the bank side - much smoother sailing! Couple of thunder storms around us, but we somehow managed to avoid getting wet (or electrified). Grilled fish for dinner tonight, then reading and catching up with emails and blog before turning in. Current Location: Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-70s Highlights: Laundry day today. Amy did several loads, incluing sheets and towels, while Terry checked the engines out and helped hang the clothes out to dry. Went over to Palapas for an early dinner (hamburgers and fries), then back to the boat and watched a couple of "Man in the High Castle" episodes before turning in for the night. Current Location: Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-70s Highlights: Stuffed a "reluctant to go home" David and Helen into their taxi at 10AM today, then turned our attention to cleaning and putting the boat back to normal. Spent about 30 minutes on that nonsense, then said tomorrow's another day, let's relax and chill out. Spent rest of day napping, getting some dinner, and reading before turning in for the night. Current Location: Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 26 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-70s Highlights: Raised anchor around 8AM and motor-sailed out to the sound and down to Emerald Bay. Wind was out of the east, so we were only able to raise sails for about 1/3 of the trip, but otherwise, had good weather and fairly calm seas. David hooked a couple of fish, but wasn't able to bring any home, mostly due to old fish line and weak leaders (couldn't possibly be the fisherman ;-)). Need to put "good fishing gear" on this year's X-Mas list (hint hint). Motored into the marina around 3PM, buttoned up the boat, and then went over to the beach and resort pool for some R&R. Back to the boat for drinks and showers, then 7PM dinner reservations at the pool-side restaurant. Current Location: Rudder Cut Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 14 Weather: Sunny, breezy, mid-70s Highlights: Got an early start today, raising anchor around 7:30 AM and motor-sailing down the bank to Rudder Cut. Anchored in about 8 feet of gin-clear water just south of David Copperfield's private island, and had a great mixed-fish dinner (salmon, mahi-mahi, and freshly-caught mackerel), cole slaw, and rice. Took a dinghy ride around the island after dinner, then back to the boat for reading and early bed-time. Current Location: Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 12 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-70s Highlights: Started the day early, raising anchor around 7:30 and sailing in beautiful conditions down the bank to Black Point Settlement. David finally caught (and landed) our first fish, a good-sized spanish mackerel. Dropped anchor around 10AM, then Amy, David, & Helen took a hike along the ocean shore, picking up polished glass, shells, and other treasures along the way. Terry stayed with the boat to run the water maker and relax. David & Helen treated everyone to dinner at Deshamba's (cracked conch, mac & cheese, rice with pigeon peas, and salad for all - yummy!). Back to the boat for another game of dominoes, where Helen again reminded everyone that the captain doesn't always win. Star gazing, updating the blog, and light reading before turning in for the night. Current Location: Fowl Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 5 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-70s Highlights: Started the day at high slack tide (10am) with a quick snorkel in Thunderball Grotto. Had the place to ourselves, which was pretty cool, and definitely a different experience than last time when Amy and I went at low tide. Back to the boat to raise anchor and motor around for a quick visit with the pigs, then motored into light NE winds up to Fowl Cay. Dropped anchor off Sampson Cay, then took the dinghy into Fowl Cay to snorkel that area, then over to the Rocky Dundas caves. Tide was low, but swells were really kicking up, so getting into the caves was quite an adventure (and not as much fun as last time). Back to the boat for dinner, then Terry cleaned up the dishes while the rest took a walk along the beach. Long day for everyone resulted in early lights out. Current Location: Staniel Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 31 Weather: Cloudy, heavy rain showers, mid-70s Highlights: Raised anchor and sails early for a long trip up to Staniel Cay. Had good sailing for 1st 2 hours, then ran into our first serious rain shower (visibility dropped to about 200 feet). Sun came back out, but wind died down, so had to motor-sail the rest of the trip. Dropped anchor near Thunderball Grotto and took the dinghy into town to pick up some groceries at Burkes. Back to the boat for dinner (grilled chicken, corn on the cob, beans, and brownies), then played dominoes again, where Helen reminded everyone (included the captain) that the captain doesn't always win. Current Location: Lee Stocking Island, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 12 Weather: Sunny windy, high-70s Highlights: Left Emerald Bay at slack tide (8:30) and motor-sailed up the coast to Lee Stocking Island. Gave our guests their first experience with a "rage" coming into the LS cut, which they thought was pretty cool. Dropped anchor around noon, and took the dinghy in for an afternoon hike up to the highest point in the Exumas. Hot and sweaty after the hike, so everyone jumped into the water to cool off, then settled down for a dinner of pork shish kabobs with pineapples, veggies, and corn, with fresh brownies for desert. Played dominoes after dinner, and Terry reminded everyone that the captain of the ship always wins. Current Location: Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-80s Highlights: Got everything re-organized for our visitors today, and cleaned the boat from top to bottom. David and Helen arrived around 6pm, and were properly appreciative of the clean boat, so we treated them to a dinner of lamb chops with all the fixings. After dinner, had great conversation catching up on family, friends, travels, and world events before turning in for the night. Current Location: Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-80s Highlights: Started getting the boat ready for David and Helen's visit (they arrive tomorrow evening). We decided they would be most comfortable in the owner's cabin/suite, so we're freeing up some drawer and closet space and moving personal stuff over to the other 2 cabins. Current Location: Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 13 Weather: Sunny, breezy, high-80s Highlights: Ran the watermaker for about 5 hours this morning while Amy made a batch of rolls, then lifted anchor and had a brisk sail in 15-18 knot winds back down to Emerald Bay Marina. Tied up around 3:30, then went down to the resort pool and restaurant to relax and get a late lunch/early dinner (burgers and fries for both of us). Back to the boat around 6 for some reading and early bed time Current Location: Leaf Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 32 Weather: Sunny, breezy, low-80s Highlights: Took the dinghy into Staniel Cay to drop of mail (tax returns), and pick up some provisions for the week ahead. Good selection of produce, but all 3 stores that we checked were totally out of meats. Provision boat comes tomorrow, but we can't wait, so maybe we'll pick some up when we return with David and Helen. Raised anchor around 11 am, and motor-sailed in calm seas (but 15-knot headwinds) down to Lee Stocking Island. Dropped anchor around 5:30 off Leaf Cay, then light dinner, and watched "The Revenant" before heading off to bed. Current Location: Bay of Pigs, Big Majors Spot, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 8 Weather: Sunny, breezy, low-80s Highlights: Snorkeled the corals around the boat this morning, and picked up a pretty good-sized conch just off the boat. Took awhile to get it out of the shell, but finally pulled him out, and cut him up to use for conch fritters. Raised anchor, and motored around the sound side of the islands down to Big Majors Spot (off Staniel Cay). Light dinner, then watched "Margin Call", a movie about a stock brokerage firm dealing with a pending financial crisis. Good cast of characters, and interesting plot of greed, fraud, and capitalism that shows events (ficticious) leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. Current Location: Fowl Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Sunny, breezy, low-80s Highlights: Snorkeled the caves again this morning, then took the dinghy around the Cay to the marina to the beginning of a mangrove creek. Motored up the creek until stopped by the mangroves, then turned around and headed back. We were hoping for a repeat of the creek at Hawk's Nest, but only saw one turtle during the whole tripi (and nothing else). Back to the boat for dinner, reading, and early bed. Current Location: Fowl Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 11 Weather: Sunny, calm, high-70s Highlights: Dropped the mooring at WW at 9AM, and motored SE in calm seas with no wind down to Rocky Dundas / Fowl Cay. Dropped anchor around 11, had some lunch, then took the dinghy over to the caves on Rocky Dundas for some really cool snorkelling. Back to the anchorage around 3 for some additional good snorkelling near the boat. Light reading before a mac and cheese dinner with hot dogs, then chatted with Mom and Jennifer to catch up on news. Back in internet range, so updated the blog and organized some pics to post to FB before heading off to bed. Current Location: Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 0 Weather: Sunny, calm, high-70s Highlights: Decided that we liked yesterday's snorkelling spot so much, figured we would repeat it today, which we did, with great enjoyment. Back to the boat around 1PM for some R&R, then Happy Hour on the beach with about 30 other cruisers in the anchorage. Good conversation and appetizers, then back to the boat for a light dinner, reading, and early bedtime. Current Location: Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled: 7 Weather: Sunny, calm, high-70s / low 80s Highlights: Raised anchor around 9:30 (after doing one load of laundry), and motor-sailed in calm seas and light winds up to Warderick Wells, which is where the headquarters are located for the national park. Checked in around noon, then hiked the Causeway and Boo Boo Hill trails around the north end of the island. Back to the boat around 3, then took the dinghy around the SW point to the west shore for some really fabulous snorkelling (probably the best we've had so far here in the Bahamas). Dinner at 7 (black bean burgers, salad, and cocunut bars for desert), then turned on the blue UW lights and finally had some good-sized visitors (jacks or snapper, not sure) to watch for a while. Terry updated the log while Amy washed dishes, then some light reading and early bedtime. |
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