laptop for $5.00 daily, get your computer fixed by the owner, Julius, and even have an ice cream pop or buy a box of corn flakes.
We've had so many adventures since crossing the Gulf Stream with Lou's friend Peter and his girlfriend, Nancy. Here is an update from Florida to Georgetown:
The Crossing: The day before Peter and Nancy arrived, we were given a ride to the supermarket by Skip and Lydia of Flying Pig who we met at the anchorage in Miami. We picked up red onions which we can't live without and O'Douhl's beer for Peter.
On the way to the "staging area" (where you get ready to leave), we ran aground and had to hail Sea Tow to haul us off. Just as we got free, we saw a long line of sailboats heading in a different direction. A veteran cruiser, Bob of Cygnet, advised us to follow them to Biscayne Bay where it would be calmer, and the next morning before dawn we followed 2 catamarans out of the channel toward the Gulf. We motorsailed along with 22 other boats on a beautiful sunny day. (Everyone had been waiting for the right weather window.) Most of them went on to Nassau for an overnight crossing, but we headed into Bimini and pulled into a marina (only $25.00/day) for facilities and easy exploring. Lou went to customs and immigration while we waited aboard. That night we toasted with a saved bottle of champagne to the successful and easy crossing! (thanks to Lou's exceptional navigationa
l abilities.)
Bimini: We rented a golf cart to explore Bimini. Along the way, we stopped at a beach stand (the only one on the island) for freshly made conch salad and grilled conch made by Sherri and her husband. Conch is the culinary mainstay of the Bahamas and is used in everything. You can find it everywhere you go, from 
small shells to the queens which are the best. At sundown, the cruisers often blow their conch (Lou cut off the tip and dug out a hole and is getting pretty good. The sound is like a ram's horn.) and you can sometimes hear them answering one another in different tones from various boats. The salad was delicious, but we had to wait a while for them to go get the conch for preparation, so we walked along the beach with their little boy.
The Berry Islands: We had our first overnight passage and took 3 hour shifts alternating with Peter and Nancy. We prepared food in advance for us to nibble on overnight and had a brisk sail averaging 20 kts. The stars were lovely, and we passed only a few freighters, easy to see in the dark from far away.
The morning was clear, warm, sunny and inviting for exploration, so we went ashore for a walk and had an impromptu snack on the beach. PIC
Nassau: Our sail into Nassau was 20+ winds heeled way over to the toe rails. It was thrilling to be sailing once again, and we could hardly remember all of those days motoring down the ICW. We crossed the Tongue of the Ocean where the depths are so great that the depth sounder no longer registers. Unfortunately, when we needed to use the engine, it suddenly died; although Lou bled it along with Nancy's able assistance
(I get queasy down below and she has a cast iron stomach), we couldn't get 
started and had to anchor under sail into the Nassau harbor. Once again, Lou's skills, both netoworking and sailing, got us safely anchored just inside the harbor where the Haitian work boats pick up merchandise to bring back home. Another sailboat was anchored nearby with engine problems as well. He suggested bleeding the engine once again, and this time it worked! Turns out that all of the heeling over while sailing had caused an air lock. 
The next day we reanchored across from the Atlantis on Paradise Island and used it as a base for fun acitivities. One day we motored to a nearby island for swimming and walking and the guys spotted a huge ray near shore as well as an octopus spurting ink and going after prey.
Alas, we had to say goodbye to Peter and Nancy who headed back to the snow in Wisconsin. This was Nancy's first real sailing trip and she certainly had a varied experience. She was also a definite asset, as Peter was, helping with sailing, the overnight, in the galley, and lots of fun for Lou to play with. Aarghh!
After they left, we hooked up with Fred,
our Nyack boat neighbor aboard North Star and Mark, his cruising buddy on Ibis. During sundo
wners on our boat (This is a cruising tradition. Everyone supplies a snack and brings their own drinks to make it easy for the host.), we made arrangements to travel towards George Town together along with their friends Al and Lynn on Renaissance.
They say things come in threes and we got our 
share of that the next day First, we got hit by a driving rain in our dinghy coming back from doing laundry. We were like wet rats when we arrived at the boat, but the laundry was dry due to Lou's foresight. (He offered to buy a large garbage bag from the marina to wrap the laundry in.) Somehow while boarding the boat in the rain, my eye glasses broke. Luckily, I had a spare pair which I've been using ever since. Then, that afternoon, during the storm, a neighboring boat alerted us that our anchor was dragging, so we had to reanchor. Finally, our dinghy somehow came loose, and we had to pick up the anchor once again to retrieve it. Well, that was three, so I knew it would end there, but it didn't stop us from having a sleepless night during the high winds and rain fearful that we would drag again.
Next day, we set off to see iguanas...
Allan's Cay: This island (cay is pronounced key) is a protected area for the Bahamian rock iguanas which are only found in the Bahamas. (makes sense doesn't it?) When you arrive, they see you coming and rush out to get fed. They seldom bite, and people feed them by hand though it is not recommended. 
We kept our distance, and had a lovely walk along the beach. Here is a picture of sea life through the water - a couple of conch shells and starfish. Amazing to see how clear it is!
Norman's Cay: We hooked up with Fred, Mark, Lynn and Al here and had a busy tim
e dinghying to a sunken plane left over from the drug running days on the island, practicing climbing into the dinghy from the water (I couldn't, so Lou constructed a step made 
out of a metal rod), and beach combing between islands during low tide. 
Warderick Wells and the Exuma Land and Sea Park: This park was established to protect and maintain the coral reefs and flora and fauna of the Bahamas while furthering research. It is the first island in the Exumas Island chain and consists of a number of islands. They control 
the number of boats by requiring a reservation for a mooring. During our stay, we walked to BooBoo Hill on one of the many cleared trails (volunteers and rangers do the work), did snorkeling in a fast current (Fred had to tow us back to our dinghy since we were drifting off course), and attended Happy Hour on the beach complete with bonfire.
Compass Cay: After a lovely sail doing 5 to 6 kts, we walked along a shallow creek leading out to Exuma Sound. The Exuma Islands are bordered on the west by the Bahamian Banks, a shallow area with depths averaging about 15 feet. On the east lies Exuma Sound which leads eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. The western side of the islands is calm, quiet and shallow while the east is often wild and windy with depths of over a thousand feet. The beach we walked along was full of flotsam and jetsum, common on beaches bordering the sound, and it is fascinating to see the junk that washes ashore. In addition, we are enjoying developing a collection of interesting shells, coral, and beans. Around the corner we explored Rachel's Bubble Bath, an area where the waves of the sound break over the lim
estone rocks creating bubbles in a clear, calm pool.
Staniel Cay: Our early morning departure for this island (usually after listening to the 6:30 a.m. weather forecast), netted a large mahi for Al who enjoys fishing as he sails along the Sound. (Several days later, Lynn graciously invited us all over for fish chowder.) After a walk to the grocery store and airport, we saw 2 huge
stingrays and a nurseshark doing circles around the town dock waiting for the fishing boats to come in. Later, word got out that a boat was bringing in a hammerhead shark. Unlike the nurse shark which is harmless, the hammerhead is a
predator and the locals go after them with spears when they are sighted. Lou took the following pictures of it being taken ashore and gutted. The next day, we went snorkeling through a rock grotto full of stunning fish which surrounded us when we shook out crumbs we brought in a ziplock bag.
One morning, we went over to a nearby bay to feed the pigs. Pigs? Yes, pigs. Amazingly, 
there a few pigs that live on the island and are kept healthy and fat by cruisers who come by with veggies and snacks. As if that wasn't enough, we rode our dinghies over to a nearby island over a mile away, for the walk from hell (as Lynn put it) up and down 
the limestone cliffs, through the sand, rocks and overgrowth along the sound.
e dinghying to a sunken plane left over from the drug running days on the island, practicing climbing into the dinghy from the water (I couldn't, so Lou constructed a step made out of a metal rod), and beach combing between islands during low tide.
Warderick Wells and the Exuma Land and Sea Park: This park was established to protect and maintain the coral reefs and flora and fauna of the Bahamas while furthering research. It is the first island in the Exumas Island chain and consists of a number of islands. They control 
the number of boats by requiring a reservation for a mooring. During our stay, we walked to BooBoo Hill on one of the many cleared trails (volunteers and rangers do the work), did snorkeling in a fast current (Fred had to tow us back to our dinghy since we were drifting off course), and attended Happy Hour on the beach complete with bonfire.
Compass Cay: After a lovely sail doing 5 to 6 kts, we walked along a shallow creek leading out to Exuma Sound. The Exuma Islands are bordered on the west by the Bahamian Banks, a shallow area with depths averaging about 15 feet. On the east lies Exuma Sound which leads eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. The western side of the islands is calm, quiet and shallow while the east is often wild and windy with depths of over a thousand feet. The beach we walked along was full of flotsam and jetsum, common on beaches bordering the sound, and it is fascinating to see the junk that washes ashore. In addition, we are enjoying developing a collection of interesting shells, coral, and beans. Around the corner we explored Rachel's Bubble Bath, an area where the waves of the sound break over the lim
estone rocks creating bubbles in a clear, calm pool.
Staniel Cay: Our early morning departure for this island (usually after listening to the 6:30 a.m. weather forecast), netted a large mahi for Al who enjoys fishing as he sails along the Sound. (Several days later, Lynn graciously invited us all over for fish chowder.) After a walk to the grocery store and airport, we saw 2 huge stingrays and a nurseshark doing circles around the town dock waiting for the fishing boats to come in. Later, word got out that a boat was bringing in a hammerhead shark. Unlike the nurse shark which is harmless, the hammerhead is a
predator and the locals go after them with spears when they are sighted. Lou took the following pictures of it being taken ashore and gutted. The next day, we went snorkeling through a rock grotto full of stunning fish which surrounded us when we shook out crumbs we brought in a ziplock bag.One morning, we went over to a nearby bay to feed the pigs. Pigs? Yes, pigs. Amazingly, 
there a few pigs that live on the island and are kept healthy and fat by cruisers who come by with veggies and snacks. As if that wasn't enough, we rode our dinghies over to a nearby island over a mile away, for the walk from hell (as Lynn put it) up and down 
the limestone cliffs, through the sand, rocks and overgrowth along the sound.
Little Farmer's Cay: We came here for the Farmers' Cay First Friday in February Festival, or 5Fs. People come from surrounding islands as far as Nassau to participate in or watch the reg
atta. The cruisers organized a flea market, contests, and a scavenger hunt for the kids. We ate alot of native food: macaroni and cheese, ribs, fried fish, cole slaw and had a local drink that Lou said looked like windex, but packed a wallop. Super Bowl Sunday we headed to a small marina, Farmer's Cay Yacht Club, and watched the Giants upset the Patriots in the last minute of the game.
Cave Cay: During our happy hour on the beach with cruisers from the anchorage, we watched the sunset and witnessed a Green Flash, a phenomenon seen in the Bahamas when the sun disappears along the horizon. The crowd of cruisers cheered in excitement though the flash is so short that you can easily miss it.
Next stop - Georgetown - our destination for a while where we did laundry, filled up with water and fuel, bought groceries at the local supermarket which gets deliveries from Nassau and the States, and fixed our new outboard motor...
atta. The cruisers organized a flea market, contests, and a scavenger hunt for the kids. We ate alot of native food: macaroni and cheese, ribs, fried fish, cole slaw and had a local drink that Lou said looked like windex, but packed a wallop. Super Bowl Sunday we headed to a small marina, Farmer's Cay Yacht Club, and watched the Giants upset the Patriots in the last minute of the game.
Cave Cay: During our happy hour on the beach with cruisers from the anchorage, we watched the sunset and witnessed a Green Flash, a phenomenon seen in the Bahamas when the sun disappears along the horizon. The crowd of cruisers cheered in excitement though the flash is so short that you can easily miss it.
Next stop - Georgetown - our destination for a while where we did laundry, filled up with water and fuel, bought groceries at the local supermarket which gets deliveries from Nassau and the States, and fixed our new outboard motor... 