Georgetown, Great Exuma

Georgetown, Great Exuma
There is a Paradise!!!!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Howdy, faithful followers! I’m sure I’ve probably lost a few during the past few weeks, but we have been extremely busy since returning to the USA. As I write this, we are in Los Angeles, waiting for our connecting flight to Seattle. We have a 3 hour layover, so it is the perfect opportunity to write without interruption. I can’t believe it is already the 3rd of June!! One month ago, we were still in Nassau, Bahamas, waiting to cross to Bimini.

When I last left you, we were still in Warderick Wells, at the Land and Sea Park, waiting on weather to improve, so we could sail to Nassau. We spent a windy, warm day with our sailing friends on Easter Sunday. The Park Ranger invited everyone to his residence for a pot luck meal. There were probably 50 people that gathered and shared a fine meal. It was the only pot luck I have ever been to that had NO desserts!! Of course, it is late in the sailing season and everyone is low on provisions, and no one wants to heat up their boats baking something in their oven. AND, there were no Easter eggs in sight, and NO bunny rabbits! We did say a prayer before dinner though.

One of the boats traveling with us at the time, was called True North. The captain, Dennis, is a dentist from Deadwood, South Dakota. He and his wife, Debbie, had picked up guests in Emerald Bay two weeks earlier, and it was time for them to fly home. However, with the high winds and waves, they were not going to make it to Nassau in time for their scheduled flight. They decided to charter a seaplane to pick them up in Warderick Wells, on Monday, April 25th. They were waiting on the beach for the plane, when they got a call that the seaplane would not make it, due to thunderstorms surrounding Nassau. Bummer! Shortly after they returned to the boat, the skies clouded over and the thunder and lightning storm surrounded us! Boy, did it ever rain. All day. We not only saw lightning, we heard it as it arced across the bay!!! It was really very scary! One hit from the lightning, and we could lose all of our electronics. We spent the hours aboard Nightingale, playing cards and dominos, to keep our minds off of the storm. I thought we might have to spend the night there, since the rain would not let up, but about dusk it let up long enough for us to escape back to Dream Ketcher.

The next day, the seaplane landed safely, just outside the harbor and charged in to the beach to pick up Steve and Kitty. Then we watched as the pilot jockeyed for the correct position in the wind and waves, then sped up quickly and lifted into the blue sky. It was definitely exciting to watch!!

On Wednesday the 27th, we finally got the break we needed and we headed north to Norman’s Cay. This island used to be owned by a drug Lord, who had his own private air strip. One of his planes went down, out in the east bay, and is now used as a diving spot. At very low tide, you can see the top of the plane. There are now only a few people living on the island, and they run a restaurant and small resort. We had read that they had the best hamburgers in the islands, so we decided to see for ourselves. Each burger was $18.00, but it was good!

The next morning we headed for Nassau, and stayed at the same marina as we had previously. Once again we spent one day downtown at the straw market, looking for last minute gifts. Gail and I were intent on finding a vendor who makes jewelry from sea glass. She had changed her location, but after a little effort, we found her and admired her work. I became convinced that I could create similar works of art, so I resolved to find as much sea glass as possible in Bimini.

Late that afternoon, we headed over to Atlantis, to spend a little more time in the casino, and see the aquarium one more time. We had a great time. Dave and Gene in the bar, and Gail and I on the slots! As always, the time flew by before I could win my millions! Dave was enjoying a cold one and struck up a casual conversation with the guy sitting next to him. As it always does the conversation turns to where are you from, “Seattle,” Dave says. “I’m from Aberdeen,” says the guy seated next to him. “Really?” Dave says, “I just retired from Rayonier in Hoquiam.” “I used to work for Rayonier,” the guy responds, and the conversation went to, do you know so and so, or so and so and sure enough, 4000 miles from Hoquiam, he finds a connection to Rayonier. It is truly a small world.

We spent the rest of the time in Nassau reprovisioning the boat, doing laundry, and catching up on email. Just as it did when we were first in Nassau, the wind picked up and prevented us from leaving. It was still sunny and warm, just very windy, which makes the water very choppy! It was great weather for swimming in the pool, and we took advantage of the many restaurants nearby. We were especially impressed with a Chinese restaurant only a few blocks away. We were able to have all of our favorites; Singapore Noodles, Pot Stickers, and General Tso’s chicken. The best part was….it tasted exactly like our favorite restaurant back home, Chinese Garden in Longview, Washington!!!! Since moving to Olympia in 2003, we have not been able to find a good Chinese restaurant that measures up to Chinese Garden. We had to come thousands of miles away, to Nassau. What a delightful surprise that was!!!

Finally, on Wednesday, May 4th, we were able to leave Nassau and head for Bimini. It is a long way from Nassau to Bimini. Last time we made this crossing, we spent the night anchored on the bank, with three other boats. This time, we decided to sail all day, and night, and arrive in Bimini on Thursday morning. It worked really well. The first day we sailed on “the tongue of the ocean”, which is thousands of feet deep. Then, about dusk, we crossed onto the Bahama bank, which is an average of 15 feet deep. Dave and I took turns at the helm throughout the night, and I found it very comforting to be sailing with 6 other boats. It was a beautiful clear starry night, and we kept in touch by radio to check on everyone’s progress.

In the morning, we had a gorgeous sail into Bimini, without the difficulty we had previously. We followed the deep blue band of water safely into the harbor, and moored once again at Bimini Blue Water Resort. That afternoon, Gail and I headed for the beach to hunt for sea glass, and could not believe our good fortune. I filled up both of the pockets of my shorts, and vowed to bring a baggie with me the next day.

On this stay in Bimini, the resort pool was open, and we made good use of it in the hot weather. We also spent a day touring the island with two other couples who had not done so before. We rented a 6 passenger golf cart and went to the resort at the far north end of the island. We checked out the condos and homes for sale, and the marina and shops. We also took time out to visit their beautiful pool area. It is a large round pool with a fountain in the center. Surrounding the pool is a tier of shallow water with lounge chairs. You can lay in the chair and let your feet hang in the water. It felt great!! I’ve never seen a pool like that before.

We decided to have another fabulous cook out, and took full advantage of the barbecue area. Instead of lobster, we grilled steak. It tasted sooooo good! All of us are a little tired of seafood. We also had dinner our last night in Bimini, at the Big Game Club. The next day, some of us would be parting ways, as we headed for the USA. True North and Big Easy were heading for Marathon, Florida, and Nightingale and us for Stuart and Fort Worth.

Sunday, May 8th, Mother’s Day, we all headed out of Bimini, and had a very gentle crossing of the gulfstream. We had heard that the Coast Guard had stepped up security following the killing of Bin Laden, and we were sure we would probably be stopped and boarded. Thankfully, that did not happen. We got into Lake Worth around 6:00pm, and spent a quiet night on the anchor. It was really depressing to be anchored in 8 feet of water and you couldn’t see the bottom. What a difference from the Bahamas.

We were up early the next morning and sailed further north to Fort Pierce, to the same marina we spent 5 weeks at last winter. We were pleased to find that our friends on Why Knot, Howell and Jo, were back again, too!! When we parted in February from Fort Pierce, they went to the Abaco’s, and we went to the Exumas. We had a great time catching up. We also ran into our friends on Shin Fain, and High Spirits. That meant dinner in the same restaurant, 3 days in a row. Oh well, it was worth it!!!

While in Fort Pierce, we also met up with Gene and Gail, from Nightingale. They had rented a car in Stuart, and picked us up for a shopping trip in Vero Beach. After stuffing the trunk of the car with as much as we could, we headed for the beach and had lunch shoreside at Waldo’s. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the ocean was as tame as a pool. One woman was floating on a blowup mattress!

The next day, we headed out bright and early for a long day on the water, up to Coco Beach. Why Knot decided to join us on the trip up the ICW, so that evening, we took the dinghy over to their boat for some Tex Mex cooking. Dave and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite, and our German chocolate cake was a big hit with Jo.

Morning came too fast, and we were up early again for another long day on the water. Everything was great until we passed Titusville, then we were attacked by Love Bugs. No, not VW’s, these are bugs that fly while mating, that are rampant in some areas of Florida. They covered every white surface of the boat, of which there are plenty, and kept trying to land on us. I finally took the cowards way out and went below, leaving Dave to fend for himself. A few miles out of Titusville, they disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Thank goodness!!!!

That night, Why Knot and Dream Ketcher took advantage of the marina in Daytona. We had a quiet night, then rose early again and continued our trek north. Why Knot stayed behind to do some needed maintenance. It was cloudy and you could feel a storm brewing. Late in the afternoon it finally hit. The visibility was terrible, making it very difficult to see the channel. When the rain came, it came with a vengeance!! And, the thunder and lightning had us on edge. There was no place to stop, so we just kept on going, and thankfully, by the time we arrived in St. Augustine, the storm had passed. We had dinner at our favorite restaurant, O. C. Wight’s, and listened to a guitarist we heard there, last time, who sounds just like James Taylor! It was awesome!!

We took the next two days off, and spent some time roaming through our favorite old city. Of course, a trip to St. Augustine would not be complete without partaking of the delicious gelato! We were greatly surprised to run into San Francisco Dave, and his friend, who we had not seen since we were in Green Cove Springs together, one year ago. They are headed for the Florida Keys. We enjoyed catching up with them and made plans to go to the Bahamas together next winter.

On Tuesday, May 17th, we continued north to Jacksonville, where we spent the night at the free dock downtown. There was only one other boat there. In the morning we began the last leg of our journey, the trip back to Green Cove Springs. It was a bittersweet trip up the St. John River, and we arrived at our destination in the early afternoon, then tried to find a functional mooring ball to tie to. Once that was accomplished, we took the inflatable over to the dinghy dock, and set foot on land, once again in our home away from home.

On Saturday, Dream Ketcher was hauled out and placed on jack stands in the work yard. It was then that the work really began!!! We packed box after box with things to send home: clothes, gifts, shells, tools, etc. We mailed about 8 boxes priority, and 8 more parcel post. Then we rented a small storage locker and filled it with sails, cushions, the dodger, bedding, towels, etc. Over the next 5 days, we managed to fill the floor area of the locker and half way up the walls. Next, we wiped down every surface on the interior with a solution of water and vinegar to prevent mold, and then I wiped down every wood surface with Murphy’s Oil Soap. That boat is spic and span inside!!!

One of the last jobs was cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer. We came back with more frozen meat than we had planned, so we doled it out to friends that were continuing north and to some friends that live in the marina. Then Dave got the awesome job of diving into the depths again, to clean the bottom of the units. I have to admit that both the refrigerator and the freezer served us very well. It is an old system, but considering the outside temperatures we were in, and the temperature of the water, the units stayed very cold. The frozen meat was frozen solid!

Once everything was clean and tidy, and everything was off the boat that we deemed necessary, the boat was moved to the long term storage area. She is covered with a black netting to prevent leaves and bugs from landing on the deck, and to protect the deck from UV rays. I was amazed at how well that works! Then it was time to say goodbye to our home for the last year.

We had rented a van from Enterprise to help move things to storage, and now that we were done, we decided to use it to go visit our friends Dave and Renee from Lunar Sea, at their new condo in Pompano Beach near Fort Lauderdale. We drove part way down on Thursday the 26th, and stayed at a Marriott in Melbourne for the night. We had a delicious Mexican dinner not too far from the hotel.

On Friday, we drove on down to Pompano to enjoy a few days with our friends and see the over 55 community they are now living in. It is really quite something! It is a huge facility, and has all the amenities that you could ever need. We were really impressed with their woodworking shop, a real Man’s dream shop. Their condo was very nice and very quiet. I hope we have something similar one day.

We spent one afternoon at the local casino. We had a good lunch at the buffet, then settled in for some fun in the casino. After a couple of hours, it was time to go, but we could not find Dave and Renee, so Dave went to look for them and I decided to donate a little more money to the slots. Within 5 minutes, I had won $110.00. That was fun!!

All too soon, it was time to head back to Jacksonville, before the crunch of holiday traffic. Ever since watching the Masters in April, we had been wanting to play golf, so on Monday, Memorial Day, we rented some clubs and headed to a course we’d been eyeing on Fleming Island. It was the perfect day for golf, not too hot, and with a nice cool breeze. It took us the first nine holes to remember how to play the game, but we did okay on the back nine. Can ‘t wait to do it again!!!

On Tuesday the 31st, Dave and I flew up to Washington DC, to spend a little time with our son, Austin, and his wife Cindy. He works at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, just across the river from DC. He is the Operations Supervisor and has spent the last 6 months helping them get a restaurant up and running. We had a fabulous meal in the new Bell 20 – An American Tavern, and got to celebrate Cindy’s recent graduation from Georgetown Law. She has already accepted a job with the Justice Department in Newark, NJ, and they will be moving to New York City in September. Can’t wait to visit them there!!! We are sooooo proud of both of them, and we are so happy to see them attaining their goals!

We also got to spend some time with our new grand puppy, Tiger, a Shiba Inu. She is so cute, and very independent. She is not a snuggler, and I was bound and determined that I would get in a one time cuddle, and I did! I had to use a little bribery with cheese and crackers, but it worked! We got to spend time with her at the dog park, and saw her in action, playing with her friends, and with her best bud, Roxey. This Roxey is a black lab mix, that wants nothing more than to be cuddled. Hope Tiger picks up a little of that from Roxey!

Wednesday night, while Austin was working, Cindy, Dave and I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, in 3-D. It was great fun!!

On Thursday, Austin accompanied Dave and I as we toured the old Ford’s Theater, where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. It includes a museum that tells all about Lincoln before and after he became President. It was pretty fascinating!

Then Austin was off to work, and Dave and I spent the rest of the afternoon in Annapolis, stocking up on T-shirts for Dave, and buying a few last minute gifts. We had a nice late lunch on the sidewalk, taking in the view of the water and people watching.

Now it’s Friday June 3rd, and we will be arriving in Seattle on Dave’s Mother’s Birthday! We get in around 6:45pm, so we’ll head straight to dinner out to celebrate. We can’t believe we have been living on the boat for a year now. We had so much fun, learned an incredible amount, and made so many new friends along the way! We are looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family, but will miss the good weather and blue water of the Bahamas. However, the Bahamas is no place to be during the Hurricane season, which started June 1st and will continue until November 15th. So, we plan to be home until after the Christmas Holiday, and then we’ll head back to Florida and the Bahamas for another 6 months. Six months on, six months off, sounds pretty good doesn’t it?????

Love and Hugs,

The Admiral

1 comment:

Judy said...

Enjoyed reading the final wrap-up! The sunset picture from Georgetown is gorgeous - I had it pegged before I even noticed where it was taken. What a wonderful adventure you've had! And more to come. Congrats on a successful first year.