We checked into customs at Morgans Bluff, which is nothing to write home about, sat at anchor for 4 more days waiting for better weather. There is a lot of that in winter!!! Then we sailed south on Andros island, Bahamas largest, to the village of Fresh Creek for a short visit.
Finally we motored in flat seas across the deep "tongue of the ocean" to the Exuma chain of islands skipping Nassau. We'd been there and it's basicly a tourist trap!! Finally we get to see something interesting here in Allan's Cay, a lovely place, and our dinghy lock is corroded in the locked position. What luck!!! After an hour of penetrating oil spray it loosens enough to allow us to go ashore and see the unique iguanas.
We leave Allan's Cay, travel south to Wardwrick Wells Aquatic Nature Park but it's just too cool to dive so we hike and enjoy the scenery.
Actually the seascapes are more beautiful than the land in the Bahamas. We are finally getting used to sailing without markers and just using
old fashioned tecniques like eye navigation and depth sounding to find our way through the coral reefs, shoals and rocks.
We sail on to Georgetown which is also known as "chicken harbor" because so many boats that set off for the Caribbean end up just staying there.
There challenge grows as we leave there. Everything is spaced out more and seas are bigger with help further away. G'town is quite the social
scene but it wasn't our thing. We met so many great folks but a social club with bridge games, exercise classes, cocktail hours each day wasn't
what we were after. That sounds like home not the sea!!!
Marina in Fresh Creek,
Andros Island, Bahamas
Discovering
Coconut Rum
at Steven's Bar!!!
Yum!!!
The coast at Allan's Cay
Chuck feeds iguanas
unique to Allan's Cay
"Come on and
get dinner!"
 Wardwrick Wells Park |
 Anchored with dinghy ashore |
 Georgetown Harbor |
 Georgetown Shops |
 Conch salad for lunch! |
 G'town "Restaurant" with Wendy and Graham |
 Rum Cay beach |
 "Where's the dinghy, Chuck?" |
 Outside Kaye's |
 Drinks at Kaye's with gang |
 48" mahi mahi we caught! |
After we leave Georgetown and venture to the south because we ARE NOT "CHICKEN"... we sail to Rum Cay and meet up with other adventuresome cruisers
for tales and spirits as is the custom. The further south we go the more interesting the characters get, so far! Also the more interesting the weather gets.
We also have a tale of rescue of 2 catamaran couples in Mayaguana. We were in the right place to assist in getting these 2 couples on 2 different boats safely ashore.
We set out in our dinghy in rough seas and strong winds to go several miles to inform and encourage the only boat on the island equipped to travel the 18 miles to their
location. The strong front, the night before, had completely wrecked one on the coral reef and the other was in the process of sinking from 2 holes in the hull when the couple set off for shore
in their dinghy. There was simply no other boat on the lightly populated island to handle the rescue. The megayacht "Starship" was anchored several miles from us.
We pleaded with for help from their crew and the 28' dinghy. Chuck actually coordinated the rescue, looking for the 2 couples in different places on the island, talking on the radio.
[He won't write that but I can!] All were finally brought in safely and it was an exciting few days.
"Some of it's magic and some of it's tragic, but it's been a good life all the way." Jimmy Buffet
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