Coming Home to St. Petersburg

Monday morning, June 22nd, we spent a little time walking around Ft. Myers Beach shopping for a new swimsuit for me before leaving our mooring and topping off with fuel at Ballard Oil. We were underway by 1:00 p.m. with choppy Bay waters and gusty northwest winds. We traveled about forty miles to anchor at Cape Haze by 6:30 p.m. Another hot, muggy day.

The car ferry getting ready to cross the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

On Tuesday we made it as far as Longboat Key with another seven hours under our belts. The northwest winds were howling and Bay waters were a bit beyond choppy, especially Sarasota Bay where we got sprayed in the face with saltwater through the flybridge windows!

A storm blew through overnight, mostly wind, but it kept the Captain awake and on edge for a while. Another boat had anchored behind us late Tuesday evening and Todd watched it as it began dragging when the wind hit. Fortunately it wasn’t dragging toward “Life’s2Short” and the people on board were on top of the situation and were able to get safely re-anchored a short time later. I slept through the entire incident, storm and all!

Wednesday morning was nice and calm for our remaining three hours to Cathy’s house off Boca Ciega Bay where I promptly tackled several weeks of laundry while enjoying the air conditioning!

“Life’s2Short” tied up to her home-away-from-home.

Thursday was spent catching up on three months of mail and working on a variety of boat projects, including our spotlight which the Captain finally decided would have to be replaced.

The Captain working on replacing the spotlight.

Our friends from Crystal River, Bob & Phillis, were in the Tampa area so they came by Cathy’s to pick us up and we went to lunch at Sea Hags on St. Pete Beach where met Art & Trish, fellow boaters and friends of Bob & Phillis. Apparently Art & Trish had planned to go to the Exumas this spring but had to cancel at the last minute due to some boat issues.

When we got back to Cathy’s, we borrowed her car to go to West Marine to purchase a new spotlight and then to Wal-Mart for the dreaded restocking run. We finally made it back by 6:00 with a car full of shopping bags and decided to order in Chinese food and relax for the remainder of the evening.

Friday was mostly cloudy with rain off and on as we continued tackling our list of boat projects and chores. By Saturday the majority of our work was done and we spent the day relaxing around Cathy’s pool with Steve & Lisa who drove down from the north Tampa area to spend the night.

Pool time at Cathy’s with Steve & Lisa and Taz.

That evening we grilled some of the Mahi-mahi we brought back from the Exumas for dinner and then spent the rest of the evening playing a game called Apples to Apples. The boys decided to turn in well before midnight, but the girls were having too much fun and stayed up until about 3:00 a.m. solving the world’s problems, or something like that!

Lisa & Brenda getting ready to play Apples to Apples.

Let the games begin!

After the boys called it a night the girls went for a 2:00 a.m. dip. They also mentioned something about a pillow fight but we didn’t believe them…or did we???

Steve, who had tried every trick in the book to relieve his hiccups, got advice on a new trick from Cathy that worked immediately!! It has something to do with putting a spoon on your forehead while drinking a glass of water, all the while concentrating on the light reflecting off the spoon…sounds crazy but it cured them!

We spent some time hanging around the pool again late Sunday morning before Steve & Lisa headed home and the rest of the day was spent doing a few minor projects and chores and relaxing. Todd took off about 11:00 p.m. to pick up our good friend Everett Hayes who flew down from Springfield, MO to help Todd move the boat from St. Petersburg to Demopolis, AL while I fly back to Missouri to visit family. Todd and Everett made a similar trip two years ago and are looking forward to another “guys on the go” adventure!

The morning after and all Lisa wants is a cheeseburger??

Today is Monday, June 29th, and the boys are making final preparations to pull away from the dock tomorrow morning to begin their journey north. We wish them safe, fun and trouble-free travels as they spend the next couple of weeks covering well over 500 miles. Bon Voyage!

The Captain took Everett over to St Pete Beach this morning so he could dip his toes in the sand and saltwater prior to beginning their trip north.

This past weekend for Everett was a busy one because of a family wedding so he took an opportunity to take a long nap Monday afternoon on Cathy’s porch.

Monday evening we were craving Mexican food so a “Trip to the VIP” was in order. Great margs & Mexican food was had by all!

Well it’s now Tuesday morning the last day of June and the Captain & Everett have decided to wait at least another day before heading north. The weather for the next 24 hours calls for gusty winds, thunderstorms, and lots & lots of rain. They hope the weather will break by noon tomorrow so they can start their “Guys Trip”.

Our Final Days in the Islands and the Long Journey Back to West Coast of Florida

After our morning conch-finding adventure in Normans Pond on Tuesday, June 9th, Todd and Jack & Susan went to a nearby beach to clean the conch while I finalized the blog update we planned to post at the Beach Club later that afternoon. However, when we got to the Beach Club we learned that they had been struck by lightning a few weeks ago and had not had Internet since. So, we all had a few drinks and a light meal and then went back to our respective boats for a quiet evening.

“Conch Cleaning Cay” located in Normans Cut. I really believe that this is the island on the Windows screen saver.

The Captain looks on as “Master-Concher” Jack shows him how it is done.

Troll gets in on the conch cleaning action.

Wednesday dawned as a calm, perfect morning to begin our long trek back to the United States. We were underway by 8:00 a.m. and within ten minutes were caught in the middle of a downpour for about twenty minutes. However, there was no wind and we had smooth water for the next 55 miles to West Bay at the west end of New Providence Island (where Nassau is located).

The anchorage at West Bay.

We were anchored by 3:00 p.m. and "Freyja" arrived around 4:30 p.m. We then picked Jack & Susan up in our dingy and took them around various parts of Lyford Cay, an exclusive residential community on New Providence Island, where we saw some really interesting sights!

A private residence, believe it or not, on the tip of Lyford Cay. Somebody has way too much money and way too much time!

That evening I fixed dinner and Todd delivered Jack & Susan's to them since they just wanted to relax aboard "Freyja." In return, Susan gave Todd some chocolate chip muffins she had baked earlier that day on the way to West Bay. What a treat!

Thursday was another calm, perfect morning as we struck out for Morgan's Bluff on Andros, the largest of all the Bahamian Islands with over 2300 square miles of land area. We left about 7:30 a.m. for the 30-mile journey and were anchored before noon. A little while later we went in to "town" where we saw a variety of produce being loaded on a ship headed for Nassau. We also saw the water barge leaving the dock as we were coming in to the harbor to anchor. Apparently, Andros is one of the major suppliers of fresh water to Nassau. Who would've guessed?

Arriving at our anchorage on Andros. Not a bad day to cross the Tongue of the Ocean.

One of the large water tankers on its way to Nassau.

The tanker dock at Morgan’s Bluff.

A few shots of the supply boat being loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables for transport to Nassau.

We had a beer at Willy's Water Bar and then went in search of a beach. It was a very hot day and, unfortunately, the water we found wasn't much cooler than the air! That evening Susan prepared fresh cracked conch for dinner with coconut rice, supplemented by my spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer. Great job on the conch, Jack & Susan!

Susan & Jack look on as the locals play a loud game of dominoes at Willy’s.

A local family pries slugs from the rocky bank at low tide. They told us that they put these slugs in salads and they are delicious! The father also told the Captain that these slugs work better than Viagra……..go figure??

Happy hour ala Andros.

Jack & Susan aboard “Freyja.”

While we were talking to the Andros locals on Thursday, we learned that Crabfest, Andros's biggest celebration of the year, was starting on Friday in Fresh Creek (south of Morgan's Bluff); however, we decided not to stay due to forecasted unsettled weather that was supposed to be moving in by Saturday evening and at least some of us felt we needed to get across the Bahama Bank before it hit. So we were off again early Friday morning for another long day.

It was hot, hot, hot with minor swells through the remainder of the Tongue of the Ocean (about three hours) and then another four-and-a-half hours to our anchorage on the Bahama Bank, around 3:00 p.m. Jack & Susan arrived between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. to find us floating in the water, hanging on to our swim platform so that the current didn't sweep us away! Jack & Susan joined us in the water for a bit and then we called it an evening.

Hanging under the swim deck on the Bahama Bank trying to escape the heat.

Saturday was hot and lumpy overnight on the Bank with swells slapping the boat and making sleep difficult. We were underway again by 8:00 a.m. and arrived at Cat Cay about 12:30 p.m. Jack & Susan arrived within the hour and we picked them up in our dinghy and went to the restaurant for a nice, air-conditioned lunch. Wow, we had forgotten what air conditioning felt like!!!

Cat Cay’s official song.

The marina at Cat Cay.

After we returned to our boats, Susan decided she wanted to do some exploring so Jack put their dinghy down and we both took our dinghies all the way around South Cat Cay to a beach on the Gulf side where we found some sea glass and Jack pointed out several turtle beds in the sand. On the way back we tried a short cut and had to tow the dinghies across some shallow water.

Tote that barge!

We hauled anchor at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 14th, to cross the Gulf Stream back to Florida. When we first went through the pass at Cat Cay heading west, we were confronted by three- to four-foot swells hitting us on the beam, making it very "rolly" for about the first hour. In fact, we trekked south so that the swells hit us on the bow rather than the beam, but it eventually calmed down nicely and we had an uneventful, if long, trip to Miami.

We dropped anchor off Key Biscayne at 3:00 p.m. in the midst of hundreds of locals out on their boats for the weekend. Jack & Susan arrived between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. but we were all hot and tired and none of us wanted to get off our boats, so I took some time and posted our blog update through June 9th (which I had planned to upload from Normans Cay) and Todd started catching up on e-mail.

Welcome back to the states, take me back to the quiet waters of the Exumas!

"Freyja" was off and running by 7:00 Monday morning but we didn't get underway until about 8:30 a.m. We traveled six hours and anchored in Blackwater Sound in front of The Big Chill, an outdoor bar, which we went to a few hours later for drinks and appetizers with Jack & Susan. We then came back to "Life's2Short" for spinach lasagna and had another fun evening with good friends.

An ultra-light takes off in front of “Life’s2Short” as we pass under the Jewfish Creek Bridge.

On Tuesday "Freyja" was off early again - they were only about seventeen miles from home at this point! - and we left around 8:30 a.m. Since it had been so consistently hot, we decided to stay at Don & Alina's dock in Islamorada since we knew they had 50 amp power available for us to use and by this time we were seriously in need of some air conditioning!

By 11:00 a.m. we were plugged in and I defrosted the refrigerator and chest freezer while Todd helped Don unload a pallet full of 30-lb. bags of dirt - ugh! He then went to work on our toilet that mysteriously decided it didn't want to flush that morning and thankfully found a corroded wire that had come loose. He also cleaned the salt water off our beach chairs and umbrella, life jackets, etc. All-in-all, a busy day!

That evening we met Jack & Susan at Don & Alina's house for a wonderful dinner of baby back ribs, fresh corn on the cob, salad with Susan's homemade dressing and mango mousse pie, supplemented by mango martinis no less! Thanks for hosting us, Don & Alina, both at your dock and at your home!

Awesome ribs Alina, thanks so much!

The crew of L2S waiting to enjoy some babybacks!

Nice smiles ladies!

Jack and Don enjoying happy hour……nice smiles guys!

Dinner and relaxation at Don & Alina’s beautiful home.

Don tries his luck with Catch Phrase, don’t think he will be rushing out to purchase this game any time soon!

Tuesday evening turned stormy overnight with quite a bit of wind and lightning but no rain. Don & Alina live on the Bay side of Florida Bay so their dock is exposed to the open Bay waters and we had a rather noisy night on the boat when the wind picked up and the water got rough. Nonetheless, we were thankful just to be tied to a dock!

Wednesday morning Todd & I took Jack's truck to do some basic re-provisioning and then I fixed cole slaw and Vidalia onion dip to take to Jack & Susan's that evening for a grilled Mahi-mahi dinner with Don & Alina. Jack picked us up about 5:30 p.m. and we had another great meal (sadly, our last for a while) with Jack & Susan and Don & Alina. We then said our good-byes and went back to "Life's2Short" where we enjoyed our final evening of air conditioning for a while!

A tourist photo in front of “Larry-Lobster” on our way to dinner at Freyja’s home.

Dinner and relaxation at Susan & Jacks beautiful home, thanks again everybody!

We left Don & Alina's dock at 7:45 a.m. Thursday and traveled 7-1/2 hours to anchor in Little Shark River in the Florida Everglades. It was another long, hot day and within 45 minutes of anchoring we got hit by heavy rain with quite a bit of lightning but not much wind and it moved off fairly quickly. On the "up" side, it cooled things down nicely; on the "down" side, the mosquitoes and no-see-ums came out in force so we had to go down below and shut everything up for the remainder of the evening. As Skipper Bob says about the mosquitoes in Little Shark: "Bring your shotgun!"

Here comes the storm on the Little Shark River. The Little Shark is one of the main tributaries that drains the Everglades on the west coast of Florida.

Headed out of the Little Shark on Friday morning……still getting bit by the no-see—ums!

Friday was another long day of about eight hours to get to Little Marco/Keewaydin Island but we had calm seas in the Gulf of Mexico and good, if hot, weather. After we got anchored some storms blew up between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., but nothing bad and only light rain for us.

Saturday was a short day of about five hours and we were on a mooring ball in Estero Bay at Ft. Myers Beach by 1:00 p.m. The hot, muggy weather continues to plague us, but I guess that's just Florida in the summertime! We got cleaned up and dinghied over to Bonita Bill's about 3:00 p.m. where we had a sandwich and a few drinks and caught up with several of the people we've gotten to know there over the past few years; namely, Kerby, Tony, Byron, Barb and Kendra.

Kerby enjoys a cold one after a long day behind the bar.

Byron, Barb, and Kerby at Bonita Bill’s.

We were back aboard "Life's2Short" by 5:00 p.m. but we told Kerby we'd come back about 8:00 when he got off work. So we went back to Bonita Bill’s and hung out with Kerby for a while and then went over to the newly opened Dixie Fish Company where we ran in to Byron and Barb again. Then it was back to the boat for the evening since the Captain committed to help Kerby with Bonita Bill’s Father’s Day all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast starting at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning!

Todd reported to “work” early and then came back to pick me up when Mike & Harriet arrived about 9:30 a.m. Mike & Harriet live on their boat, “Dual Dreams,” at the Ft. Myers City Marina when they are not cruising so we made plans to get together while we were in town. The last time we saw them was at Little Farmers Cay in the Exumas.

Harriet & Mike.

Another couple, Terry & Larry, who recently returned from the Exumas on their boat “Outer Reef” also joined us at Bonita Bill’s where we spent the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon talking about a wide variety of subjects and listening to some very good live music from a one-man band called Two Hands.

The gang relaxing after the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast…it seems all we do is eat, and sometimes drink!

The Captain gets in one final shot with Kerby & Byron, see you guys for St. Pats Day next year!

Today is Monday, June 22nd, and after taking on 350 gallons of fuel at Ballard Oil ($2.30/gallon) we will be leaving Ft. Myers Beach for points north. We hope to be in St. Petersburg no later than Thursday where we will spend a few days with Cathy, get caught up on laundry and do some major re-provisioning before continuing the journey across the Gulf of Mexico and in to the Midwest river systems.

An Update from the Captain

Note: As you will read below, we had hoped to post this update from Normans Cay on June 9th, but when we got to the Beach Club we were informed that their Internet had been struck by lightning a few weeks prior. Such is life in the islands, mon!

Good day faithful readers, it's me the Captain. I have decided to give the Admiral a much needed break from writing the blog update, so bear with me as I take you through our past 12 days aboard L2S.

On Friday the 29th of May, as promised, Paul & Doug on "1/2 Off" picked me up about 10:00 and I was off on another adventure to fish and snorkel an area about 35 miles southwest of Staniel Cay. Paul's new Intrepid off-shore fishing boat is a showpiece complete with all the bells & whistles. With twin 250hp Yamahas, state of the art GPS & chartplotter, autopilot, bow-thruster, trim-tabs, and Sirrius radio on board we cruised about 35 mph to our first stop to snorkel. There is a shallow coral reef in about 15 feet of water just before you reach the Tongue of the Ocean that is pristine and rarely visited by anybody because of its remote location about half way between Staniel Cay to the east and Andros to the west. After donning our snorkel gear and getting out our spear guns we were ready to find some fresh grouper for dinner later that night. Well, our luck was not so good, Paul ended up following a nice grouper for what he said felt like "27 miles" but the fish stayed just out of range of his spear. Meanwhile Doug & I found a nice grouper that we hit three times with our spears but the bugger found a cave in the reef and got away from us before we could get to it. After spending an hour in the water with no more luck we decided it was time to grab a bite of lunch {thanks Monica} and head out into the Tongue to see if we could do better with our fishing rods.

"Off Island" with "1/2 Off" tied along side.



Doug takes the controls of "1/2 Off" while...



Paul takes a nap on the way to our diving spot.



Getting ready to snorkel around Boobie Rocks.



As we headed to our next stop I was amazed at how quickly the bottom goes from 20 feet on the Bahama Bank to over 3500 feet in the Tongue of the Ocean in a matter of a mile, quite the underwater canyon! Paul and Doug knew of a buoy (more like a 15 x 15 platform)that the Navy uses for its submarine radar systems that is literally anchored in 4000' feet of water, imagine stringing that cable to the bottom of the ocean floor! Like the snorkel area we had just come from. this buoy area is very remote and rarely fished by anybody. Because of its remote location the floating platform acts a fish magnet beyond belief. When we arrived the birds were feeding, always a good sign, and it wasn't long until we had our first Mahi-mahi on board. Since Paul & Doug just needed enough fish for dinner they were ready to head back after just one fish. Well, after I whined about going back so soon they gave in and made one more pass around the buoy, I just couldn't believe that they would go 80 miles round trip for one fish? Besides that, I was in high-octane fishing mode and wanted to catch more fish knowing that there were some fellow boaters back in the anchorage that would LOVE fresh Mahi for dinner. We made one more pass around the buoy and hooked up again to a nice Mahi. As we were reeling it in the sharks started chasing the Mahi and it was leaping out of the water to avoid being eaten by them, there must have been 20 or 30 sharks that were hanging around the buoy just looking for their next meal! Just as we were about to land the second Mahi another Mahi started following the hooked one and I yelled to Doug, "Get another line in the water and see if we can get a double-hook-up." Sure enough Doug pitched the bait into the water and and the Mahi swam over and took the bait. "Double-hook-up" I yelled and a few moments later we had a total of three Mahi on board! As much as I hated to leave and head back to the boat we now had plenty of fish for the entire gang.

Another Mahi-mahi gets ready to "come aboard!"



Doug gets ready to bring one on board while Paul watches.



The Captain enjoying his time reeling one in.



The fruits of our labor!



Heading back in from our fishing trip Doug & Paul were not looking forward to cleaning the fish so I happily volunteered to do the job, it was the least I could do after spending a wonderful day on the water with them. Thanks again guys, it was truly one of the best highlights of this year's trip to the Exumas!!

After Paul & Doug dropped me off I radioed "In Your Dreams", "Freyja", and "WhatDazeIt?", who had just arrived from Black Point and told them to stop by the boat with some Ziplocs as I had plenty of fish for them from the day's adventure...needless to say it didn't take them long to show up!

After cleaning the fish and getting myself cleaned up we were off to "Off Island" for a wonderful dinner of pan seared Mahi, fresh bread & salad, and outstanding red & white wine. It was great to catch up with Doug, Paul, and Monica and we truly enjoyed another great evening aboard Paul's beautiful yacht. Doug has even made us an offer to fly his plane to Knoxville this fall when we are there, pick us up, and then fly us back to his home in the Ashville, NC area to spend a few days with he and his family. Count on us calling you Doug, it sounds like a great time!

Paul & Monica preparing our night's feast while...



Brenda & Doug enjoy the sunset view from "Off Island."



The salon inside "Off Island;" quite nice isn't it?



Saturday morning around 4:00 a.m. one of the dreaded thunderstorms from the west hit us in the anchorage, never a fun time. The rain hit, winds were clocked at 40mph, and it didn't take long for the waves to build and make for a VERY stressful time. The anchor held, the storm blew through, the Captain de-stressed, and we were both back in bed by 5:30 a..m. safe & sound...God I hate those storms when I live on a boat!

We woke later that morning to warm & muggy temps, pulled the anchor and headed over to Sampson Cay Marina to take on water and a little fuel. After having three of us on board the previous week, and this being the last water stop until we got back to the states, we figured we might as well top off the water tanks. I also wanted to take on about a 100 gallons of fuel as I have been having a problem with one fuel tank and didn't want to chance running out of fuel before we arrived back in the states, that would NOT be fun.

After leaving the marina we headed north to the Pipe Creek area and found a nice anchorage where we would spend the next three nights. "Freyja" and "WhatDazeIt?" had also moved and were now anchored in Pipe Creek After the previous night's storm "In Your Dreams" decided to spend a few days north of us at Compass Cay Marina. About 3:00 p.m. all of us met at a beautiful sandy lagoon on Joe Cay and enjoyed happy hour floating around in the warm water and discussing that morning's rough weather. While we were enjoying happy hour "1/2 Off" motored through our area and had MORE fresh fish for us, seems they went back out to the Tongue to fish again and had good luck. I swear that buoy in the Tongue must be some kind of fish-magnet! That evening "Freyja" invited us over for a fresh Mahi dinner (go figure!) and a great evening on the back of their sailboat, thanks you two it was very yummy!

Sunday morning Tom & Jackie from "In Your Dreams" and I went for a long hike on the Sound side of Thomas Cay. We didn't find a bunch of treasures but we did find a small beach where we were lucky enough to pick up two pockets full of blue sea glass, a much sought-after color for sea glass collectors. Right as we were finishing up our hike the clouds opened up and it began to rain...again. It continued to rain off & on all day so happy hour was cancelled and everybody spent the day on board reading and relaxing.

The Pipe Creek Yacht Club, anyone can be a member!



Tom ("In Your Dreams") stalking bonefish on the flats around Pipe Creek.



Monday morning we awoke to more clouds and some drizzle but decided to pull the anchor anyway and head north to the mooring field at Cambridge Cay. The trip took about 1.5 hours and the entire time we were watching a very black cloud creep our way asking ourselves "would we make it to the mooring ball before the storm hit?" With luck the storm hit us a few minuets after we got attached to the ball, it was close but we made it. The rain & wind stopped about 4:00 p.m. and the Admiral and I took a dinghy trip over to O'Briens Cay where we found a very nice half-moon beach. While we were beach combing we found a number of heart beans, hamburger beans, and even a sea purse bean. These beans, or seeds, wash up on the shore from areas as far away as South America and Africa, some of them are quite beautiful and are used to make jewelry. Those of us who collect them are referred to as "Beaners", did you just learn something new?

The Admiral searches the coastline of O'Briens Cay for treasures.



Searching, searching, searching.



"Look at the tiny sea biscuit I found, honey!"



"Freyja" arrived in the mooring field shortly before we returned from our dinghy adventure, they had decided to hang in Pipe Creek and wait out the storm that had hit all of us earlier that morning. We had "Freyja" over for a chicken & mushroom dinner later that night and introduced them to the game "Catch Phrase". I think a good time was had by all, even though I don't think Jack was very impressed with the game??

Tuesday morning dawned calm & sunny - yeah! I went back over to hike the rocky shores of O'Briens Cay to see if I could find more treasures and returned with more fishing net floats and other miscellaneous surprises. It's amazing all the interesting things a person can find that have washed up on the shores over the years, if sea beans can wash in from all over the world you can imagine the other "stuff" that finds its way to the shores of the Exumas. We had happy hour with Susan & Jack on a nice sandy point and then went to "Freyja" for a wonderful dinner of sweet potato encrusted Mahi-mahi. After dinner we played more Catch Phrase and enjoyed Brenda's homemade orange-glazed banana nut bread that she had baked earlier in the day. As much as I hate to admit it, the girls kicked the boys butts in Catch Phrase four games to one!

Wednesday morning was sunny again and "WhatDazeIt?" arrived in the mooring field mid-morning. Bruce & Sheila on "Bahama Star", who were in the area and we had been talking to on the VHF radio, picked us up on their sailboat about 3:00 p.m. and took us with their charter guests back over to Compass Cay. The charter guests wanted to see Rachel's Bubble Bath so Bahama Star's first mate Eric took the guests to the beach via their dinghy while Bruce & Sheila and Brenda & I caught up on our travels this past year.

Sheila, Eric, and Bruce ham it up on "Bahama Star".



Heading to Rachel's Bubble Bath aboard "Bahama Star".



Captain Bruce meets Troll.



After returning to the Cambridge mooring field "Bahama Star" took a mooring and returned us back to L2S, but not before inviting us back over for dinner. "WhatDazeIt?" and "Freyja" also stopped by "Bahama Star" for a visit & tour and Mike & Mary brought along M.E. & H.I.D., both of which were quite the hit with the charter guests. We decided to decline the dinner invitation, they seemed busy enough with their "paying" guests, but we promised we would dinghy back over for after-dinner entertainment. By the time we returned to "Bahama Star" the singing & dancing had already began. We promptly poured ourselves some rum punch and joined in the festivities. Brenda became quite enamoured with "Bahama Star's" young first mate Eric and later informed me that "If I was 20 years younger...!" I have to admit he was quite the handsome stud and it was fun watching the wife flirt with this young "Captain Ron"! I finally got the Admiral back to the boat about 11:30, much to her disappointment. ;-) Thanks again Bruce & Sheila for a great evening aboard your sailboat, I hope we didn't keep the other boaters up too late with all our singing & dancing.

Bruce showing off his dinner masterpiece, while first mate Nicki looks on.



Another rainy & stormy looking morning on Thursday. We left Cambridge saying our goodbyes to "WhatDazeIt?" as this was the last time we would see them until sometime later this fall on the river systems. Our destination was Exuma Park headquarters at Warderick Wells so we could update the blog and spend some time hiking and snorkeling the area. "Freyja" left Cambridge with us and followed us out the narrow cut to the south. We had an uneventful trip in the rain & drizzle and arrived shortly after noon in the park. It continued to drizzle all afternoon but stopped around 4:00 and the sun tried to peak out. The boaters in the mooring field organized a happy hour social on the porch at park headquarters which began around 5:00. It was a great group of about 20 folks and the appetizers were outstanding, in fact all the food was so good we just decided to make a dinner out of the snacks.....as did other boaters. We retired to the boat and watched "Walk the Line" on DVD, which we had borrowed from "Freyja."

Boaters' social at the Exumas Land & Sea Park headquarters.



Susan gets her dog-fix at the social.



Early Friday morning the wind picked up again but the rain held off and we awoke to beautiful sunny skies. I spent the morning changing the oil in the engines and replacing the engine zincs on the motors and generator. While I was doing that Brenda worked on updating the blog from Cathy's visit, an update that took her over six hours by the time she got all the pictures posted! However, we were able to get an Internet signal while we were on the mooring ball so the Admiral enjoyed not having to leave the boat for this update. The wind picked up in the afternoon so we moved to another mooring ball that was more protected from the southerly wind. We invited "Freyja" over for dinner where we enjoyed Susan's homemade margaritas and Brenda's Burrito Casserole, both were muy bueno! In addition, Susan brought over some incedible baked bread that we enjoyed over the next few days. After dinner we conned Jack into another few rounds of Catch Phrase which kept us up until after 11:00. Jack, don't forget about the "Little Japanese men in black suits along with orange things that swim in the water and suck air!" a.k.a - "Ninja Turtles" :-)

Michelle works the phone and radios at park headquarters, love those volunteers!



Susan & Jack dinghy over to L2S for a visit.



Once again early Saturday morning we were awakened around 5:00 a.m. to thunder, which meant more rain & wind. However this time we were tied to a mooring ball so let it blow baby blow, there was no need to worry as I sat on the flybridge and enjoyed the light show. Went back to bed for a while after the storm let up and then awoke around 8:00 to beautiful sunny skies...yahoo! As you can tell by now we have not had the greatest weather this year. Last year we had two small sprinkles and only one storm to deal with the entire trip. In the past three weeks we've had one storm after another with lightning in the skies every night and mostly cloudy skies at least part of every day. The nights have been pretty stressful; however, it's still paradise and we are living each day to its fullest.

Around 11:00 "1/2 Off" stopped by the mooring field to see us, they had been fishing out in the Tongue again and brought us MORE fish. Needless to say our freezer is now full of Mahi and we appreciate Doug & Paul keeping us fed these past eight days!. After "1/2 Off" left the Admiral & I took a hike back to Boo-Boo Hill to see the new signs that have been put up since we were there last. "In Your Dreams", "Tide "Hiker", "Rickshaw", "Dual Dreams", "Freyja", and "September Song" had all put up their works of art.

Back up on Boo-Boo Hill.



L2S in the anchorage at Warderick Wells.



Low tide was around 1:30 p.m. so the Captain, along with Jack & Susan, grabbed the snorkle gear and dove the reef that is located just off the mooring field. Exuma Park is a no-take zone, which means there is no fishing, lobstering, conching, or removal of any type of sealife. Therefore you see unbelievable ammounts of fish & sealife. Every reef has lobster on it, some of those guys are HUGE. And when I say HUGE I'm talking lobster that would feed two people each, I'm sure some of those lobster must weigh over ten pounds! I must have counted 30+ lobster in 45 minuets of snorkeling...now where did I put that drawn butter!

Late that afternoon we took "Freyja" to one of our favorite beaches, Naked Beach, where we enjoyed a sunny & rain-free afternoon hanging out in this beautiful part of the world. As we dinghed back from Naked Beach we stopped by and saw Steve & Diane aboard "Aurora", they had just made a long run from Nassau and were worn out so we only talked for a few moments. Exuma Park also hosts (they provide ice which is great) a social every Saturday evening so it was back over to the beach for a continued happy hour following Naked Beach. Everybody brings a little snack and it's amazing the boaters you meet who know boaters you know. We even met a couple who knew Mo ("MOTU")and were in the same harbor as her when she lost her sailboat to Hurricaine Ivan in Grenada in 2004...small world out here on the water!

A Bananaquit comes aboard L2S for a little sugar.



The Admiral prepares spinach cheese swirls for the Saturday evening social.



L2S introduces "Freyja" to Naked Beach.



Jack taking his evening dip while Susan looks on.



We woke Sunday morning to cloudy skies and noticed we had some rain overnight, go figure. Our plan for the day was to leave Warderick Wells and the park headquarters and head north to Hawksbill Cay. We got underway around 9:30 for the two hour trip. We had clouds & rain most of the way and decided to go ahead and take a mooring ball. Shortly after we got tied up a smaller powerboat pulled in front of us and anchored. He had a loud generator that kept running & running, finally I went over and asked him if he was going to run his generator all day? He informed me that he was having issues with his batteries and that he had to run it 20 out of 24 hours a day. Since I didn't want to listen to this noise all day we came off the mooring ball and went on down the beach and anchored, it was nice to have quiet again!

We then went for a walk on the beach and enjoyed the sun that finally came out. Later that afternoon "Freyja" and L2S went to find a beach where we could have happy hour and collect wood for a fire. We had decided the previous day that we wanted to roast hot dogs and have s'mores Sunday night and watch the full moon rise. We then took the dinghy on to the north end of Hawksbill Cay which has to be one of the most beautiful places in the entire Exumas chain, don't miss it if you get down here!

Enjoying a nice afternoon on Hawksbill Cay.



Photos of the northern end of Hawksbill Cay, so VERY beautiful!







After visiting the north end we went back to our boats, collected our evening dinner & drinks and went back to the beach we had found earlier. The hot dogs, s'mores, and fire were most enjoyed by all of us, the only disappointment was that it was cloudy so we missed the full moon.

Jack & Susan get ready for the evening hotdog roast & fire.



Brenda gets ready to make a true "white man's fire!"



By early Monday morning the wind had shifted to the south and our anchorage at Hawksbill had become rather "rolly" and uncomfortable. L2S and "Freyja" pulled anchor and decided that we would head on up to the cut at Normans where we knew it would be calm and sure enough, it was. Later on Monday we went to the beach for happy hour and fed the seagulls while we enjoyed a very nice & sunny afternoon. Monday night we did dinner on the boat, watched a little "Sopranos" on the DVD, and then hit the hay early.

Enjoying another beautiful beach on Boot Cay as the seagulls look on.





"Freyja" at anchor in Normans Cut.



It is now Tuesday, June 9th, and we spent the morning on the dinghies exploring the pond on Normans Cay at high tide with Jack & Susan. It is a very beautiful place, similar in some ways to the north end of Hawksbill, and we even found a few conch that we plan on cleaning so Susan can make one or more of her conch specialties (she has many). After our dinghy trip Jack & Susan came over for breakfast enchiladas and mimosas. Thanks for the champagne, Susan!

Fresh conch for dinner tonight!



A few shots of the area between Boot Cay and Normans Pond.







As soon as the Admiral proofs my blog update and we clean the conch, we will head over to the Beach Club where they have Internet, have a cold Kalik or two and update the blog. This will be the last blog update until we reach Florida as we hope to make the crossing around the 16th, weather permitting. We will send out a group e-mail letting many of you know we are back safe & sound in the good ol' USA. Even though the weather has been unsettled this trip it has been a wonderful time revisiting this special place and seeing all the special folks along the way. Hope all is well with each and everyone of you!

Cap'n T

Cathy Visits the Exumas

When we last left you on May 20th, we were at Black Point taking care of a variety of chores. We had planned to head north that afternoon but Tom & Jackie ("In Your Dreams") came up from Little Farmers so we decided to hang there another day. About 4:00 p.m. we joined Jack & Susan ("Freyja") and Tom & Jackie on the beach for Susan's homemade white sangria and then "Freyja" and "Life's2Short" went to Lorraine's for dinner that evening.

Thursday dawned cloudy with some light rain but we needed to head to Sampson Cay marina to fill up with water, as it had been thirty days since our last fill-up, and get settled at Big Majors in preparation for Cathy's arrival Friday afternoon. Cathy is a dear friend of ours who lives in St. Petersburg and we are thrilled that she agreed to visit us in the Exumas this year!

While we were at Sampson Cay marina, Stanley, who Todd originally met several weeks ago when we were anchored between Staniel Cay and Black Point, came in to the marina with a boat full of fresh fish and we ended up buying half of a large hogfish snapper to grill for Cathy's first evening with us.

Stanley with the fish he and his buddies speared in 60 to 80 feet of water! That's the hogfish snapper he is holding.



The sharks at Sampson Cay circling Stanley's boat waiting for a treat!



We were anchored at Big Majors Spot by 2:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon reading and relaxing. It ended up raining all day, which is very unusual in the Exumas, but it finally cleared off about 6:00 p.m.

Friday morning was spent cleaning the boat up a bit and then we dinghied to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club mid-afternoon to meet Cathy. We had a few drinks there, came back to "Life's2Short" and promptly went to the beach for happy hour.

Cathy got to fly in the co-pilot's seat on the Watermakers Air flight to Staniel Cay. How cool is that!



Cathy arrives at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club by golf cart shortly after landing.



Together again....!



Among other items, Cathy brought the party hats. Party glasses to follow.



Cathy meets her fishing guide, Foodey. Instant buds they were!



Cathy's first Exumas happy hour on the beach at Big Majors.



The Captain donning a pair of the party glasses Cathy brought for us.



Todd had made arrangements with Foodey, who is a friend of Stanley's, to take Cathy deep sea fishing for a half-day on Saturday; however, it was somewhat stormy Saturday morning and they weren't sure they were going to go. But it finally stopped raining around 11:00 a.m. and they decided to brave it. The seas were pretty rough, probably three- to five-feet, and they got drenched with salt water but ended up catching a barracuda and two Mahi-mahi and even had a sailfish on the line for a while, although everyone was so awed by it that no one thought to take a photo before it broke free!

Off on our day of rough and wet fishing.



What a smile...FISH ON!!!



Looks like it's going to be fresh Mahi-mahi for dinner tonight!



By 2:30 they had had enough so they stopped by "Life's2Short" to pick me up and we all went to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to clean the fish. Actually, the Captain cleaned the fish while Cathy & I went to the bar for a cold beverage! Upon returning to the boat we packed up and headed for the beach for a relaxing happy hour.

Nice biceps, Cathy. Fishing is great exercise!



Troll getting up close and personal with Mr. Cuda.



Sunday morning we moved to an anchorage on the west side of Pipe Cay and did some exploring, including the DECCA Station (now in ruins) which we believe was used by the Navy during the Cuban missile crisis. By the time we returned to "Life's2Short," more rain had moved in so we stayed put for a few hours waiting for it to pass.

A previous cruiser's work of art at the DECCA station on Pipe Cay.



Enjoying the water around the old DECCA station.



About 2:00 p.m. we moved to an anchorage at Fowl Cay (a.k.a. Chicken Cay) and went to check out the beach there for happy hour. It was still cloudy but at least the rain had stopped.

Heading out for another anchorage and adventure.



The girls checking out our anchorage at Chicken Cay - what a view! ;-)



Sorry about the view!



The view from our happy hour beach on Chicken Cay.



Rough weather rolls in, batten down the hatches!



Unfortunately, when we returned from the beach storms were forming to the east and the wind starting blowing out of the east/northeast causing the anchorage to get quite surgey. So we once again hauled anchor (for the third time that day!) and moved to the west side of Compass Cay.

Monday was a beautifully calm and sunny morning so we dinghied over to Compass Cay marina for a quick visit and then through a shallow bay just north of our anchorage to show Cathy the huge starfish we found in there last year. As luck would have it, we were there at high tide so Cathy had to don her snorkel to dive down and pick one up!

The infamous "friendly" sharks at Compass Cay marina.



Cathy finds her first starfish!



By this time the wind had switched back to the south/southwest so we returned to the anchorage at Fowl/Chicken Cay and Todd & Cathy did some snorkeling in the vicinity after lunch. Unfortunately, they saw both a reef shark and a barracuda on their first dive so they quickly found another nearby reef to check out!

When they returned we all went to snorkel the caves at Rocky Dundas - my first time in the water since we arrived in the Exumas on April 8th! Even though the water is still a little cooler than I prefer, we had a good time and returned to "Life's2Short" in time to go to the beach for happy hour where we gathered a nice pile of wood for an evening fire. But by the time we had finished dinner, the storm clouds were moving in - again - and our fire got rained out.

Tuesday was another beautifully calm and sunny morning and we headed to Rachel's Bubble bath just before high tide. The Captain's timing was perfect and even though Exuma Sound was calm, the bubble bath did not disappoint.

Headed to the Bubble Bath on Compass Cay.



A must-see when in this area.





The view from the top.









An Osprey watches us as we head back to the dinghy.





After cruising through starfish bay again, we returned to "Life's2Short" for a quick lunch and then moved to an anchorage at Bell Island. From there we took a dinghy trip north to Little Halls Pond where Todd & Cathy did some more snorkeling and then we went west to Sandy Cay which literally has a mile-long strip of sand that is exposed at low tide. A very cool place and one of Cathy's favorites!



The Captain & Admiral have a quiet walk on Sandy Cay.



On the way back to Bell Island we cut over to the east side of Little Halls Pond where we came across some of the Bahamians who work on the island, which is owned by Johnny Depp. We pulled in to one of the coves near the dock where the workers' boat was tied up and they came down to the beach in a golf cart to chat with us.

Cathy makes more friends with the Bahamians.



They were very friendly and invited us to go party with them that evening at Sampson and/or Staniel Cays, but we decided to return to our own little beach at Bell Island which turned out to be almost more fun than we could handle!

All I can say is we tried and tried to have fun while Cathy was here - mission accomplished!













Todd & Cathy went to snorkel the Sea Aquarium late Wednesday morning while I prepared brunch and then they cruised by Little Halls Pond again to talk to their new friends. The Bahamians spoke highly of Johnny Depp and his family and are very grateful to be working there. What a nice group of guys!

Cathy enjoys her morning at the Sea Aquarium.





Some of the homemade beach furniture on Little Halls Pond Cay.





We left Bell Island early Wednesday afternoon and fished via the Sound from Compass to Staniel Cay with no luck - probably because the seas were calm! After we got anchored at Big Majors, we met "In Your Dreams" and "Freyja" on the beach for happy hour and then went to "In Your Dreams" where we all had fresh Mahi for dinner, courtesy of Todd & Cathy's fishing trip with Foodey. Thanks for hosting us, Tom & Jackie!

Back at Big Majors with Cathy, watching the wild goats that live on the island.





Getting "rum-punched" with "In Your Dreams" and "Freyja."



Thursday was a mellow morning and was primarily spent getting things together for Cathy's departure. She was originally scheduled to leave Wednesday but we talked her in to staying an extra day. We tried for more but she wouldn't go for it! At any rate, we loaded everything up about 12:30 p.m. and dinghied over to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to meet Tom & Jackie and Jack & Susan for lunch.

After a very active, fun-filled five days we were all worn out and the plane that was flying in to take Cathy back to Florida was running late, but they finally headed to the airport about 4:00 p.m., even though we learned later that they didn't actually depart Staniel Cay until 5:30 p.m. - a two-hour delay! Poor Cathy had to be exhausted by the time she landed in Ft. Lauderdale and drove another four hours home, but she made it home safely and that's all that really matters. Thanks for allowing us to host you on "Life's2Short" in the Exumas, Cathy. We had a blast!

As we were relaxing on the boat Thursday evening, Todd spotted a motor yacht anchored north of Big Majors Spot that he thought was "Off Island," which we knew from our trip here last year. Since he couldn't quite make out the boat name using the binoculars, he dinghied over to check it out and he was right - it was "Off Island." Todd spoke with Paul, Doug & Monica, and Paul invited us to join them on Friday for a fishing and snorkeling trip several miles out on the Bahama Bank, near the Tongue of the Ocean. Not being a big fan of open water, I declined but Todd was very excited to join them!

Friday morning Todd changed the oil in the generator first thing and then got his gear together for the day's adventure. Paul and Doug picked Todd up at 10:00 a.m. in Paul's beautiful new Intrepid fishing boat, named "1/2 Off." While Todd was gone I took advantage of the opportunity to catch up on our blog notes over the past nine days, even though we probably won't be able to post it until we reach the Park Headquarters at Warderick Wells (which is where we are today, June 5th).

With that I will end this update and the next one will begin with Todd's fishing adventure aboard "1/2 Off." Hopefully we will have a chance to post a final Exumas update from Normans Cay before we start making our way west sometime within the next week, weather permitting.

Off the Beaten Path

After a busy day of laundry and blogging on Friday, May 1st, we spent a quiet 10th anniversary evening aboard "Life's2Short." The Captain had originally planned to take me to Lorraine's Cafe for dinner that evening, but we decided to wait until the rest of our group arrived on Saturday.

The Admiral works on the blog at Lorraine's Cafe, by far the best Internet service in the Exumas...at least that's been our experience.



One of the Black Point locals cleaning a mess of Mahi-mahi. Notice the boat in the background, there were three guys on that craft and they were fishing out in the Sound in three- to four-foot waves. Gutsy guys!



The Defever 4 ("September Song," "Gypsies in the Palace," "Tide Hiker," and "Rickshaw") arrived from Big Majors Saturday morning about the time we dinghied over to the Government Dock to check out the local craft fair.





Everybody's excited when the supply and mail boat arrives at the dock.



What a great bunch of Bahamian kids!



As we walked around town, we eventually came across everyone in our group as they checked out Black Point for the first time. That evening, the ten of us enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Lorraine's, complete with anniversary cake! Thanks for joining us, guys!!!

The Captain plays with Lorraine's granddaughter before dinner is served.



The Admiral plays bartender for the gang.



Thanks again for baking the 10th anniversary cake, Lorraine (pictured on the left). What a special treat for a special occasion!



Todd presents some gifts to the local K-9th grade school for their spring graduating class. Roberta (pictured in the center) who is the Principal/English teacher is also Lorraine's sister-in-law.



Todd invited everyone to join us Sunday morning for a trip to what we call Sea Glass beach. "Tide Hiker" and "Rickshaw" decided to go later, so we set off about 9:30 a.m. with Bob & Stephanie ("September Song") and Doug & Tammy ("Gypsies") and spent a couple of hours combing the beach for sea glass.

The beautiful anchorage at Black Point.



That afternoon the same six of us gathered on a nearby beach for happy hour and collected wood for an evening bonfire. Just before sunset all ten of us met on the beach and enjoyed our final evening together as a group in the Exumas, roasting marshmallows over the fire to make s'mores, courtesy of "Tide Hiker." Thanks, Norm & Vicki!

"September Song" and "Gypsies in the Palace" took off Monday morning for Georgetown; "Tide Hiker" and "Rickshaw" went to Little Farmers Cay; and "Life's2Short" just headed south, destination unknown. As we neared Little Farmers, we were hailed on the VHF by Mike & Harriett of "Dual Dreams" who we met more than three years ago through mutual friends (Mike & Mary Hall - "WhatDazeIt?") when we were boat shopping in Florida.

Mike & Harriett were sitting at Ocean Cabin on Little Farmers having lunch and heard us talking on the radio to "Tide Hiker" and "Rickshaw." So, we dropped anchor near "Dual Dreams" and dinghied over to Ocean Cabin where we spent the afternoon having a "few" Kaliks and catching up. Mike & Harriett crossed over to the Exumas around March 10th, spent several weeks in Georgetown and are now working their way back north.

While we were at Ocean Cabin, Norm & Vicki ("Tide Hiker") and Rick ("Rickshaw"), who had each taken a mooring at Little Farmers, stopped in to have a drink and meet Terry, the owner of Ocean Cabin. We headed back to our boat a little later and ended up going over to "Dual Dreams" for a while that evening before calling it a night.

Found in the men's room at Ocean Cabin!



"Dual Dreams" (Mike & Harriett) join "Rickshaw," "Tide Hiker" and "Life's2Short" at Ocean Cabin. The owner of Ocean Cabin, Terry, is in the foreground.



Island transportation?



Mike & Harriett aboard "Dual Dreams."



We left Little Farmers Tuesday morning and continued south past Cave and Musha Cays to anchor at Rudder Cut Cay which has a very nice beach with shade from surrounding rock, a really neat cave carved out of the rock and a beautiful nearby reef.

The marina at Cave Cay - very nice, but it didn't appear to be in operation.



Our private happy hour beach on Rudder Cut Cay, one of our favorite anchorages to date!



A very neat cave on Rudder Cut Cay.



Late Wednesday morning we left for Lee Stocking Island, home of the Perry Institute for Marine Science (a.k.a. Caribbean Marine Research Center), to meet up with "Tide Hiker." We made the trip right about low tide and, as a result, encountered some pretty skinny water around the Pimlico Cays, bumping the sandy bottom once. That afternoon we joined Norm & Vicki on the beach for happy hour.

The Tug and Barge Rocks just south of Lee Stocking Island.



We took a guided tour of the research facility late Thursday morning along with six other boaters. Due to lack of funding, there hasn't been much activity at the facility over the past couple of years. They currently have only two full-time staff, down from sixteen to twenty just a few years ago, although they do have groups from various colleges that come over on occasion to do grant-funded research.

Photos of our tour at the Caribbean Marine Research Center.







Our tour guide, Sarah.





The only decompression tank in the Bahamas.







We had Norm & Vicki over for dinner Thursday evening and then they headed back north via the Sound early Friday morning to reconnect with "Rickshaw." Along the way they caught at least one Mahi-mahi that we know of before we lost radio contact. We moved south a few more miles to Square Rock Cay where we did a little exploring and the Captain did some snorkeling before going to a nearby beach for happy hour.

Scenes from the Square Rock Cay area, quite pretty!













Todd went hiking on the east side of Square Rock Cay Saturday morning and then we hauled anchor and moved to Barreterre. This time we went fairly close to high tide, which was good since the water along the island going in to Barreterre was on the skinny side! It is interesting to note that the water around Square Rock Cay, Barreterre and points south takes on a greenish tinge, even though it is still quite clear.

Barreterre is small settlement on Great Exuma Island that appears to gradually be dying out, but the people were very nice. We walked to Rayann's Convenience Store where we bought a loaf of bread and a phone card that works with cell phones. We then went to The Bonefish Lodge where we visited with Mackenzie and had a few Kaliks. (Mackenzie had told us we could use his cell phone to call our mothers on Mother's Day if we would buy a cell phone card from Rayann's.)

Our anchorage at Barreterre.









Saturday afternoon at The Bonefish Lodge.



Other than going to The Bonefish Lodge about 2:00 p.m. on Sunday to make our Mother's Day phone calls, we spent a quiet day reading and relaxing on the boat. We left Barreterre Monday morning and travelled about two hours to Goat Cay and then spent another hour getting anchored! After five attempts, we finally anchored between Lignumvitae Cay and Little Darby Island, with Goat Cay to our southwest.

Tim McGraw & Faith Hill's new home being built on Goat Cay. They invited us to dinner but we were not able to join them due to other commitments - right!



We found a beautiful beach with a shade tree on Lignumvitae Cay for happy hour and then scoped out another beach for a possible campfire the next evening. Todd did some snorkeling in a reef just off Little Darby Island Tuesday morning while I kept watch in the dinghy and then we went over to our campfire beach to gather firewood. While we were there a fuel barge came in to offload some fuel at Goat Cay on its way north from Georgetown, an odd sight in such a remote environment!

Photos of the reef on the southeast end of Little Darby Island.









Tuesday afternoon we returned to our shade tree beach for happy hour, came back to the boat for a quick dinner and then buzzed over to campfire beach just before dark where the Captain built a very nice fire and we enjoyed a lovely, if a bit breezy, evening on the beach.

Our happy hour beach on Lignumvitae Cay, very quiet in this area as we only saw four boats in eight days.



Todd went hiking on Lignumvitae Cay Wednesday morning and then did a little more snorkeling before returning to the boat around 11:00 a.m. with a dinghy full of various sizes and shapes of floats that he found while hiking. We later moved back to Rudder Cut Cay and went to our cliff-shaded beach for happy hour.

We stayed on the boat all day Thursday, reading and piddling, and were finally able to talk on the VHF to Mike & Mary aboard "WhatDazeIt?" as they were moving between Black Point and Little Farmers Cay. We told them where we were and to come on down if they wanted, but they seemed to think they would stay somewhere between Black Point and Little Farmers that evening and come to Rudder Cut on Friday, so we were very surprised to see them pull in to the bay about 5:30 while we were on the beach for happy hour!

Friday morning we went over to "WhatDazeIt?" for mimosas and then Todd and Mike & Mary did some snorkeling while I did bucket laundry on the bow of "Life's2Short." In fact, Mike & Mary came to my rescue when I accidentially dropped one of my buckets overboard while dumping out the dirty water! That afternoon we all went to the beach for happy hour and then over to see the cave at low tide.

Mike & Mary join us back at Rudder Cut Cay.





Checking out the caves on Rudder Cut Cay.







Mike spent a good part of Saturday morning working on his dinghy motor, which refused to start, and Todd went over to lend support. That afternoon, Todd and Mike went to snorkel the nearby reef at slack tide and then we towed Mike & Mary to the beach for happy hour where Mike continued to labor over his outboard. Todd had taken Mary back to the boat earlier, so we towed Mike back to "WhatDazeIt?" and then gave him our dinghy to use to potty the dogs that evening and the next morning.

Sunrise on Rudder Cut Cay featuring "WhatDazeIt?" at anchor.



Views of our anchorage on Rudder Cut Cay.



Another view of our happy hour beach.



We left Rudder Cut late Sunday morning and moved to a mooring ball at Little Farmers Cay where we met up with "In Your Dreams" and "Freyja." Tom had prepared a gallon of his rum punch (a.k.a. Tommyknockers), so we all converged on "In Your Dreams" and spent the next several hours catching up.

Late Monday morning Jack & Susan took us on a hike to a well-hidden grotto in the hillside north of Oven Rock on Great Guana Cay, a very cool place, both literally and figuratively, if you can find it! We then hiked over to a beach on the east side of the island before returning to our boats early that afternoon.

Heading out for our hike to the grotto on Great Guana Cay.





What a beautiful cave, thanks for sharing it with us Susan & Jack!











Most of the beaches on the Sound side of the Exumas are "collector beaches," meaning that they tend to collect trash and treasures that drift in from points east. When you see beaches like this, it makes you wish that man had never invented plastic!



That evening we all met at Ocean Cabin for a wonderful dinner and a most enjoyable evening with good friends. We even sang the Little Farmers theme song after dinner with Ocean Cabin's owners, Terry & Ernestine.

The view east from Ocean Cabin.



Terry & Ernestine's grandson and daughter.



Tom & Jackie, "Life's2Short," Terry, and Susan & Jack - great evening guys!



Singing the Farmer's Cay theme song with Terry & Ernstine.



After a rough, windy night on the mooring ball, we left Little Farmers late Tuesday morning, as did "Freyja," and went to Black Point to do laundry, catch up on e-mail and update the blog. The anchorage at Black Point was very unsettled with constant swells rolling in from the west so we were happy to get off the boat for a few hours. Then "Freyja" graciously invited us over to their boat for a marvelous dinner featuring fresh grilled grouper - what a treat! - but our visit was cut short by a much-needed rain shower.

Today is Wednesday, May 20th, and we plan to finish our business in Black Point this morning and continue north to Staniel Cay this afternoon. Our anchorage was rather uncomfortable last night - again - so we are ready to find some more settled water and hopefully get a full night's rest for a change.

Our good friend Cathy from St. Petersburg is flying in to Staniel Cay Friday afternoon and will be spending about five days with us aboard "Life's2Short," which will be great fun! She and the Captain have made plans to go deep sea fishing on Saturday, weather permitting, so hopefully we'll have some fresh Mahi-mahi to eat while she's here.

After Cathy leaves we will continue making our way north, with a target of mid-June to begin the long journey back to the States. Since we didn't make it to Andros on the way over, we may very well stop there on the way back. "Freyja" has also indicated an interest in going to Andros and we hope they will join us.

We should be able to update the blog again from the Exumas Land & Sea Park on our way north, probably around the end of May/first of June, and that will be our last update from the Exumas unless Andros has Internet access, which is improbable.

We will then work our way across the Bahama Bank and the Gulf Stream, around the tip of Florida to its west coast, across the Gulf of Mexico, along the Gulf coast to Mobile, up the Tenn-Tom and back into the Tennessee River system to Pickwick Lake and, ultimately, to Knoxville, TN by late summer/early fall. And, of course, we are looking forward to catching up with our many good friends along the way!

Happy 3rd B-Day Life's2Short!

This past week L2S and Brenda & Todd celebrated their 3rd year together, my how the time flies when you're having fun........or is it rum? The Captain thought he would share a couple of interesting facts & figures (at least interesting to him) over these past 3 years.

* We have journeyed more than 9000 miles over the past 36 months
* Have cruised through 7 states and been to the Bahamas twice
* Consumed 4850 gallons of fuel
* Do we dare count the cans of Keystone Light? :-)

But the single biggest reward of this cruising lifestyle is the hundreds & hundreds of fellow cruisers and local characters we have met along the way. We have so enjoyed spending time with each of them, some of whom we will continue to stay in contact with long after moving back on the dirt.

Happy Birthday again Life's2Short, what a wonderful and rewarding 3 years you have treated us to!!

And Happy 10th Anniversary to my Lovely Admiral!

Hey, hey it's the 1st of May and what a wonderful 10 years it's been with you by my side!! It's still hard to believe that 10 years ago today we were getting married on the back of our Sea Ray, did you ever think that you would be celebrating our 10th on a boat you call home? You are so very special and I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life! You complete me in ways you can't imagine, ways that I'm so thankful for each and every day. I don't know where our 20th will find us but you can bet it will be another adventure. Thanks again for being in my life you beautiful lover, you are the best!

Cap'n T

Will the Wind Never Stop Blowing?

We last updated the blog from the north mooring field at Warderick Wells on Friday, April 17th. We had planned to leave the north mooring field the next day and join the rest of the group at the south mooring field, but the wind was blowing so hard that we decided to sit tight another day.

The Admiral works on our previous blog update from the Exumas Land & Sea Park Headquarters. What a beautiful "office" to work out of!



Loved this boat name! Seems the grandma was the one who was supposed to come up with a name for the boat but every time she came up with a name her son said "That's nice but...." Thus the name "Nice Butt!"



The Bahamian "Coast Guard," called the Bahamas Defense Force.



Todd dinghied over to Park Headquarters early Saturday morning to work on e-mail and came back later that same morning with Captain Bruce from "Bahama Star" and his friend Mark in tow. Bruce owns a charter sailboat company based in South Carolina and spends several months a year sailing in the Bahamas. We met Bruce last year when we were at the south mooring field and just missed him this past summer when we were at the Maritime Center in Charleston, SC.

At any rate, we had Bloody Mary's and freshly baked banana bread and shared boat stories for a few hours before Todd ran Bruce and Mark back to Park Headquarters where the first mate was picking them up to take them back to "Bahama Star" which was on a mooring at Emerald Rock. Chances are good that we will cross paths with Captain Bruce again before we head back to the States in June.

Captain Bruce with the L2S crew.



About mid-afternoon "Rickshaw" came in to the north mooring field and Todd got in his dinghy to guide them to their assigned mooring ball. Rick & Lynnie chose to stay at the Normans Cay anchorage when the rest of the group went south a few days prior but had decided to brave the wind and seas to join us at Warderick Wells.

At 5:30 that afternoon we all gathered on the beach for the Park-sponsored boaters' social, a weekly Saturday afternoon event. The Park supplies a cooler of ice and the boaters all bring their drinks and an appetizer to share with the group. We had a fun time meeting and chatting with other boaters from a variety of countries and even ran across at least one couple that we met at the social last year.

Sunday morning Todd dinghied over to "Rickshaw" to discuss charts and then we left for the south mooring field about 11:00 a.m. Even though the south mooring field is only a few miles away via the Sound, it took us a over an hour to get there via the Bank. We poked our bow part-way out in the Sound when we left the north mooring field and quickly decided it was far too rough to attempt.

The rest of the gang had gone to Emerald Beach for the day so it was quiet in the south mooring field. We had planned to join them at the beach but didn't want to fight the waves in the dinghy to get there. Todd ended up doing a little snorkeling and then we went to Escape Beach for an abbreviated happy hour - it was too windy for the umbrella and the sun was too intense to stay on the beach without shade.

It was pretty breezy in the south mooring field so we decided to leave late Monday morning and found a protected anchorage a few miles south at Little Halls Pond. Todd did some more snorkeling and then we went to a very nice nearby beach for a few hours before retiring to the boat for the evening.

Lionfish, don't touch or you will know it.



Triggerfish.



Goldfish?? ;-)



Reef Snappers.



Sometime overnight the wind clocked more to the south and the anchorage got much rougher in the early morning hours, so we were up at 7:00 and on the move by 7:45 heading for an anchorage at Bell Island, near the Cambridge moorings. By noon "September Song," "Tide Hiker" and "Rickshaw" were on moorings at Cambridge. "Gypsies in the Palace" had put Colleen on board with "September Song" and went to the north mooring field at Warderick Wells to take care of some personal business.

Must be nice to have your own float-plane that you can land at any cay you want! We actually had to throttle back to allow the plane to take off right in front of us.



After we got anchored I did some bucket laundry on the bow and then Todd left to go snorkeling with the others. He returned about 3:30 and we went to the beach for a few hours before going over to "September Song" for a wonderful dinner featuring the Yellowfin tuna Todd caught on the way to Nassau. We had a great time feeding sharks off the back of "September Song" (which the mooring host scolded Bob for the next day) and playing Catch Phrase until after midnight.

The gang snorkeling at the Sea Aquarium.



A very large lobster hiding in his cave.



A Nassau Grouper with all sorts of Sergeant Majors around it.



Fans of purple coral.



Some kind of electric blue fish??



Angelfish.



We were up before 7:00 a.m. Wednesday to go to Staniel Cay to pick up Colleen's husband, John, who was flying in that morning on Watermakers Air. Bob taxied Colleen over to "Life's2Short" and we headed out into the Sound, which was actually very calm, and began trolling a line as soon as we were outside the Park boundary. We didn't have any luck fishing, but John was waiting on the dock for us when we arrived and was happy to be reunited with his wife.

We spent a few hours on Staniel Cay making a few phone calls, doing some shopping, checking on mail for "September Song" and "Gypsies" and having a wonderful burger at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. By the time we were ready to leave, the wind had picked up considerably but the Captain still decided to go back via the Sound so they could fish. As luck would have it, the fish were hitting now that the water was getting rough so I had the pleasure of piloting "Life's2Short" while John, Colleen and Todd wrestled two nice Mahi-mahi, virtually back-to-back, into the boat.

Todd waits while Colleen reels in her Mahi-mahi.



L2S's swim deck is not an easy place to land these guys!



The Captain sits on the cooler while the Mahi-mahi thrash about. Notice the two tails sticking out of the cooler.



When we returned to Cambridge, we picked up a mooring ball and joined the rest of the group in the mooring field. Todd then got busy cleaning the catches of the day on the bow of "Life's2Short" while the rest of us "supervised" his efforts. That evening Norm & Vicki graciously hosted the entire group of twelve for dinner aboard "Tide Hiker," providing grilled pork loin while everyone else contributed a side dish. Another excellent meal!

Yeah baby!



And now the work begins....



We had planned to have another group dinner Thursday evening aboard "September Song" with the Mahi-mahi we had caught on the way back from Staniel Cay; however, the decision was made to postpone the gathering until Friday evening to give everyone a little break so we left the mooring field early Thursday afternoon and moved to an anchorage off Pipe Cay, near Compass Cay Marina. The trip was short and uneventful except for the incredibly rough open water at Conch Cut! Fortunately, the cut is only about a mile wide so we were through it relatively quickly and back into calmer water.

Once we got anchored, Todd radioed "Rickshaw" to get their e-mail address so he could send them a couple of photos he had taken and learned that Lynnie had lacerated her finger while they were tying to the mooring ball we had just vacated (because it was in calmer water) and that she was at Compass Cay Marina being attended to by a retired physician whose was staying at the marina aboard his boat, "Snow Crab." Since we were so close to the marina, we dinghied over to check on Rick & Lynnie and offer our support.

Cleaning out the cut on "Snow Crab."



A worried husband looks on as his wife is attended to by the good doctor.



While there we learned that they had boated to the marina in their tender and had gotten soaked going across Conch Cut. Knowing how rough it was crossing the cut in "Life's2Short," I can't even imagine how rough it must have been in a tender! Once Lynnie was fixed up we invited them to follow us back to "Life's2Short" where we loaded our dinghy, tied Rick's to the back of our boat, hauled anchor and took them back to Cambridge so they wouldn't have to endure as rough a ride going back. After what they had been through, neither of them needed to deal with that! Thankfully, Lynnie's finger wasn't severed or broken and with care and patience, it should heal nicely.

When we got to Cambridge, we decided to drop anchor just long enough to get Rick & Lynnie back in their tender and then we were going to go back to our anchorage at Pipe Cay. Unfortunately, Todd forgot about the tow rope on the tender when he went to back down on the anchor and it quickly wrapped itself around the prop! After a brief dip in the water Todd was able to cut the rope off the prop and shaft. Rick & Lynnie got into their tender, and Doug (from "Gypsies") was there to make sure Rick & Lynnie got back on board "Rickshaw" without incident. How's that for teamwork!

When we got back to Pipe Cay we found that a catamaran had taken our spot, so we chose another one closer to the marina and settled in for the evening. It was still windy, windy, windy so we moved again Friday morning to a nice shallow bay with a wonderful beach, called Janet's Beach, off Compass Cay. Todd did some snorkeling between the beach and the boat looking for sand dollars and then we spent a nice couple of hours on the beach. That evening we enjoyed fresh grilled Mahi-mahi for dinner, as did the rest of the group at the Cambridge mooring field, hosted by "September Song."

Late Saturday morning we dinghied over to the beach and followed the "goat path" inland from Janet's Beach. Along the way we came across the foundation of a house that once belonged to Tucker's family (Tucker owns Compass Cay Marina) and an old well that is now filled with dirt. The goat path came out in the back of the next bay to the north, which we believe is the same bay where we found all the big red starfish last year, so we walked the beach back around to the dinghy. Later that afternoon we went back to the beach for another pleasantly tranquil happy hour.

We left our anchorage at Compass Cay Sunday morning, stopped at Sampson Cay Marina to fill up with water and were anchored at Big Majors Spot by noon. The water really wasn't all that rough considering how windy it has been, but we had structured our route so that we would have as much protection as possible from shallow sand bores and islands along the way. And given the wind speed and direction, the anchorage at Big Majors is as nicely protected as any we've been in since we got to the Exumas.

After we got anchored, we noticed that the boat next to us was a Defever named "Silver Boots." Todd radioed Stephanie aboard "September Song" and learned that they had attended the Defever rendezvous a few months ago and are acquainted with the rest of our group. Todd later waved them over as they were passing by in their dinghy and we introduced ourselves to Jim & Pam who we will likely see again this summer somewhere on the Tennessee River. We then went to a nearby beach with a wonderful shade tree and spent a couple of hours reading and enjoying some land time.

"Lucky Stars" was also anchored at Big Majors when we arrived and Dan & Carol stopped by briefly Sunday evening as they were leaving "Silver Boots." That was the first time we had physically seen them since they left Allens Cay, the morning after we crossed from Nassau to the Exumas about two-and-a-half weeks ago.

Todd got up early Monday morning to change the oil in the generator and then spent the rest of the morning trying to help "Gypsies in the Palace" make arrangements to get their motor mount back from Staniel Cay. The rest of the group has been waiting at Cambridge with "Gypsies" while the broken motor mount was shuttled to Staniel Cay to be welded, but things don't happen very quickly on island time and it took longer than anticipated. Nonetheless, everything was finally taken care of and the part was delivered to "Gypsies" by mid-day.

In the meantime "Rickshaw" and "Tide Hiker" left Cambridge and made their way to Staniel Cay/Big Majors Spot in some pretty rough seas. As windy as it's been for the past few weeks, Monday was probably as windy a day as we've seen. When Todd tried to dinghy over to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club Monday morning to pick up the motor mount for Doug, he got hit by so much wind and rough water when he rounded the southern tip of Big Majors and headed east that he turned around and came back to the boat, saying it wasn't safe to be out there in something as small as our dinghy.

Monday afternoon we dinghied back over to our shade tree beach and were later joined by Norm & Vicki from "Tide Hiker." "Rickshaw" had gone in to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to spend a few days. Lynnie's finger is getting a little better each day, but she isn't able to get it wet so her activities on the boat are limited and she and Rick needed some land time.

"September Song" and "Gypsies in the Palace" made it to Big Majors Spot before noon on Tuesday and we all met at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for a late lunch. We hitched a ride with Bob & Stephanie on their tender, "Half Note," and took the north route, which is longer, but we were hoping for calmer water - WRONG! Todd was literally soaked by the time we got to the Yacht Club and Stephanie got more than her fair share as well. But none of us melted and we had a great time at the Yacht Club.

What a great group of folks!





Todd hangs a used "Life's2Short" flag at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.



Todd with our wonderful server Ruth.



It was almost 3:00 p.m. by the time we finished lunch. With the exception of Lynnie & Rick, the group decided to go to Club Thunderball that afternoon/evening for happy hour and all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta. None of us wanted to endure another dinghy ride back to our boats, so we proceeded directly from the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to Club Thunderball where we convinced them to start happy hour a wee bit early. As you can see from the photos, a fun time was had by all!

Happy Hour at Club Thunderball.



A view of the north end of Staniel Cay from Club Thunderball.



Big Boat Bob with the Kalik troll.



Our water taxi, "Half Note," compliments of Bob & Stephanie.



Wednesday morning Todd & I left Big Majors Spot and headed south to an anchorage off Bitter Guana Cay. While Todd was doing a little snorkeling he met Stanley, a local from Blackpoint, who was out spearing fish. Todd made a new friend and we had fresh Nassau grouper for dinner!

Todd went hiking Thursday morning in search of treasures on the east side of the island but didn't find much of interest. That afternoon we went to the beach for a couple of hours and were amazed at how brave (and big) some of the iguanas were! The popular spot for iguanas in the Exumas is Allens Cay, but they've got nothing on the iguanas at Bitter Guana Cay! There may not be quite as many of them on Bitter Guana, and they certainly don't see as many tourists as the ones at Allens, but they are not even remotely afraid of humans. It was kind of creepy being stalked by them! Unfortunately, Todd didn't have his camera so we didn't get any photos.

Today is Friday, May 1st, and we have moved south a few more miles to Blackpoint Settlement where we will catch up on laundry and update the blog. Today is also our 10th wedding anniversary and the Captain surprised me first thing this morning with a sparkling new wedding ring! It is an exact replica of the original ring, which I've always loved, only considerably larger and incredibly brilliant! What a wonderfully generous and thoughtful man!

What a wonderful lady!!!



We believe several of the rest of our group plan to join us at Blackpoint either later today or tomorrow so we will look forward to seeing them again. I should note that John & Colleen, one of the couples aboard "Gypsies in the Palace," decided to cut their trip short and fly back to the States from Staniel Cay yesterday. We enjoyed meeting them and wish them the best. Plans are to stay in touch and possibly spend some time boating together after we return to the States later this year.

As I close this post, I should mention that the wind is supposed to finally be calming down a bit over the next several days. We are hoping this has been the last "big" blow of the season but only time will tell! I know everyone we have been boating with is ready for the wind to lighten up and we also have friends who have been trying for weeks to get here from the States, so maybe they will finally be able to make it across. Safe journies to "Freyja," "In Your Dreams" and "WhateDazeIt?" as they make their way to the Exumas!

Back in the Exumas - Allens Cay to Warderick Wells

Our last blog update was Sunday, April 5th, from Nassau. That afternoon we joined the crew from "Gypsies in the Palace" poolside at the Nassau Harbour Club and were later joined by Bob & Stephanie from "September Song." That evening we passed around Tammy's forgotten key lime pie from the previous evening's dinner (life's too short, eat dessert first!), and Todd walked across the street in search of food, returning with an unclaimed Hawaiian pizza from Dominoes that afforded us one piece each.

On Monday the Captain purchased and installed a new macerater pump that was twice as expensive as it would have been in the States, and then we walked to Potters Cay for a late lunch of conch salad and cracked conch. About 5:30 p.m. we again joined the gang poolside and sampled rum cake purchased by "September Song" earlier that day at the rum factory in downtown Nassau and then Doug and Bob made a food run to get a bucket of chicken from KFC, which we all shared.

About 9:00 p.m. the rest of the gang retired to their boats but John wanted to watch the NCAA Championship game so John & Colleen and Todd & I walked to nearby Club Waterloo and spent the next couple of hours watching John's team fall behind. But we had a good time and were able to spend some additional time with John who was flying back to Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday to finish up some business in the States.

The cold front that had been forecast moved in early Tuesday morning and we had a little rain followed by breezy and much cooler conditions. Colleen gave the Captain a hair cut and then they walked to the Batelco office to get a prepaid phone card while I did laundry. That afternoon we walked over to "September Song" to review the weather forecast and use their computer access to send a few e-mails. It looked like Wednesday was going to be the day to leave so we made a final produce run to City Market that evening and stopped in at the Dairy Queen for a hot fudge sundae.

Sunset at Nassau Harbour Club.



Colleen, the beautician.



We left the Nassau Harbour Club at 10:15 Wednesday morning followed by Dan & Carol aboard "Lucky Stars." "Gypsies in the Palace" was waiting for a new watermaker membrane to be delivered later that day and "September Song" elected to wait with them. We arrived at Allens Cay about 4-1/2 hours later after a somewhat rolly ride, but mostly the waves pushed us from behind. The Captain and I were on the beach by 3:30 enjoying a wonderful afternoon.

"Gypsies in the Palace" and "September Song" arrived at the anchorage about 6:30 p.m. and managed to find a spot for the evening, even though the anchorage was quite crowded by then. Everyone made a brief appearance at the beach before retiring to their boats to make dinner.

It's soooooo good to be back in the Exumas!



Moonrise over Leaf Cay.



The setting moon over Allens Cay.



Thursday was another gorgeous day and Todd was up early taking sunrise photos. He then took Colleen exploring on Ship Channel Cay about 9:30 a.m. and didn't return until 1:30 p.m.! Apparently, they found a bar on the island and felt obliged to patronize it before returning to Allens Cay.

What a beautiful morning, the sun is rising in the east as the moon is setting in the west.







Some local Bahamian fishermen in the anchorage next to "Life's2Short."



That afternoon we picked Colleen up in the dinghy and went to the beach about 3:30. Just before leaving "Life's2Short" we heard Stephanie radio Bob, who was out in their tender, that she thought "September Song" was aground on the sandbar - and it was. Once the tide came up enough for them to float off, they moved "September Song" (for the third time that day!) and then joined us on the beach, as did Tammy & Doug. We all decided to break for dinner and then reconvene around 8:00 p.m. for a blazing campfire on the beach on a beautiful, fun full moon evening.

"September Song" "resting" on the bottom at low tide.



It just doesn't get any better than this!



Happy hour company on Iguana beach.



Good company and bad jokes around the campfire.



By Friday morning the wind had picked up and we decided to leave Allens Cay in search of a calmer anchorage. We settled on Long Cay, a few miles south, and spent a quiet couple of days doing a little exploring, snorkeling and hanging on the beach. "Lucky Stars" had left Allens Cay the previous morning and "September Song" and "Gypsies in the Palace" were going to wait at Allens for the arrival of "Tidehiker" and "Rickshaw" who were expected to arrive from Nassau on Saturday.

We left Long Cay on Easter Sunday about 9:30 a.m. and went out in the Sound where we met up with the four other boats from Allens and fished our way south to Normans Cay. Colleen was the only one who was successful that day, but she was very excited and proud to have caught a nice, 36-inch Mahi-mahi.

Colleen, the Mahi slayer, with boatmates Doug & Tammy.



Once "Life's2Short" was anchored we dinghied over to the Normans Cay Beach Club to check out their Easter brunch ($30 per person - no thanks!) and say hello to Stephan, one of the owners who we met last year. We then met up with "Gypsies in the Palace," "Tidehiker" and "Rickshaw" on the beach that afternoon and were all invited to dinner aboard "Gypsies in the Palace" that evening to share Colleen's catch of the day.

Sunset photos at Normans Cay, everybody is involved.





Colleen prepares the catch of the day - YUM, YUM!



The gang's all here for dinner.



About the time things were wrapping up on "Gypsies," we were invited over to a nearby boat where Mike from "Yamacraw" was hanging out with some friends. We met Mike last year when we were anchored at Normans Cay and took an impromptu afternoon ride with him and his crew to the northern tip of Normans Cay. "Yamacraw" is essentially a transport boat that makes runs between Nassau and some of the islands in the northern Exumas. At any rate, we took Colleen with us and had a great time listening to Mike play the guitar and sing old, familiar songs.

"Yamacraw" Mike entertains the group on "White Rat".









The tuna tower of "White Rat" with some serious fishing equipment. Can you tell they are here to fish?



We invited Mike over for a late breakfast on Monday and spent the rest of the day relaxing on the boat. Bob had made reservations for the group that evening at the Beach Club, so we joined them late Monday afternoon for happy hour drinks and dinner.

Americans and our Internet needs.



Dinner with the group at Normans Beach Club.



The wind picked up overnight and the anchorage became rolly and quite uncomfortable. Early Tuesday morning the Captain decided to move "Life's2Short" to the north of Skipjack Point, just a short distance away, where we were hoping the shallow point would help knock down the waves that were building from the south. The other boats quickly followed suit and we found somewhat calmer water.

Vicki aboard "Tidehiker" and Linnie aboard "Rickshaw" volunteered to provide entrees for a potluck on the beach later that afternoon, so everyone gathered about 4:00 p.m. and we had a nice get-together on a protected beach near the anchorage.

Doug & Tammy use the looky-bucket to check the anchor.



Potluck on the beach.





Rick & Linnie aboard Rickshaw."



By the time we returned from the potluck, the anchorage was fairly calm and we were all looking forward to a restful night; unfortunately, the water got rough again overnight. With winds predicted to come out of the southwest and west during the day on Wednesday, and with a line of thunderstorms moving our way from Andros, we all decided to move to yet another anchorage at the southern tip of Normans Cay. Once there we had much better wind protection and blessedly calm water, and the storms either went north or dissipated before they reached us.

Todd and I took a dinghy ride to the north about mid-afternoon but we had waited too long past high tide to go as far as we wanted and had to go out into the Sound to get back to our anchorage. However, just as we entered Normans Cut from the Sound, we found a beautiful beach where we sat up our chairs and umbrella and spent the next couple of hours relaxing and reading. Bob came by in his tender with Cassie and Godiva and stopped for a short while to let the dogs run and play.

"September Song," "Gypsies in the Palace" and "Tidehiker" left early Thursday morning for Warderick Wells. "Rickshaw" decided to stay at Normans for a few more days, and we ended up leaving around 11:00 a.m., also headed for Warderick Wells. We arrived at the north mooring field via Exuma Sound a couple of hours later and found that the other three boats weren't able to get in to the north mooring field and had taken a mooring in the south mooring field. At the time, they were planning to move to the north mooring field the next day, space permitting, so we went ahead and took a mooring in the north field.

The view from our sundeck at the Exumas Land & Sea Park north mooring field.



Once situated, we dinghied over to Naked Beach, one of our favorite beaches from last year, where we found a boat on the beach and saw a couple of people snorkeling the nearby reefs. The man, Jed, came out of the water shortly after we arrived and we were chatting with him on the beach while his wife, Page, continued to snorkel. We were all keeping an eye on her, periodically checking to make sure she was still out there, because the water was rough and the outgoing current was quite strong.

After a short while we weren't able to see her any longer, so Jed and Todd got in their boats and went searching for her around the corner. Sure enough, she had gotten too close to the edge of the reef and was literally carried away by the current! Once on the other side of the cay, the current lessened and she was able to swim to the side, away from the current, and grab on to the rocks at the edge of the water.

Todd spotted her first and had her hold on to the side of his dinghy while he towed her over to her husband. Needless to say, I was extremely relieved to see two people in Jed's boat when he came around the corner! Page was remarkably calm about the experience, but she knew to just "go with the flow" and to not fight the current. A valuable lesson for anyone who spends time in the ocean.

A short time later we noticed storms moving in from the west. They appeared to be staying west of us and were headed south, but there was a noticeable drop in temperature and we felt a few sprinkles, so we decided it would be prudent to get back to "Life's2Short" before we got caught in an unexpected downpour. Unfortunately, the rain did not come but we enjoyed a pleasantly cool, breezy evening aboard "Life's2Short."

Today is Friday, April 17th, and as I write this blog update, the Captain is hiking up to Boo Boo Hill to leave the "Life's2Short" boat sign he made and to see if the one from last year is still there.

A new year, a new sign.



Update: The Captain just returned and reports that last year's sign is still there and the new sign has been added to the "pile."

The boat sign pile on Boo-Boo Hill.



Our friend Lisa's troll poses with the new "Life's2Short" sign.



This afternoon we will dinghy over to Park Headquarters to update the blog and send a few e-mails. Tomorrow we plan to join the rest of the group at the south mooring field where we will probably spend a couple of days before moving further south to moorings at Cambridge. After that we will work our way to Staniel Cay where Colleen's husband, John, is flying into early next week.

Once John is back on board, "Gypsies in the Palace" will likely separate from the group and continue their journey to South America while the rest of us continue to play in the Exumas. We hope to be able to update the blog again from Staniel Cay, but their Internet access last year was very poor so that may or may not happen. If not, Blackpoint Settlement will be our next opportunity as we work our way south. We'll keep you posted to the extent possible!