A Walk on the Beach

Some days are  a walk on the beach. Today we had some big surf to and attempts to capture it took up most of the morning. These photos were shot by Gayle, who has a great eye, great patience and a great camera.

Under the Sea

Anemone with Shrimp

Fan coral with tongue snail

Grunt Fish Swarming

We have had the fortunate experience of snorkeling with Bill and Gaylel Plaia, both marine biologists with a passion for exploring the reefs. Their catamaranis named Spiralserpula. Spria is a sea worm and serpula is named after Gail and the research that she did on that topic.Let’s just say they have solid expertise in all creatures in the reefs. They have been snorkeling alongside of us, wearing weight belts and diving down deep, to point out the intricacies of the sponges, sea worms, coral buds and a plethora of fish and urchins. It has been a great learning experience.   Gayle shot these photos on our last outing. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Georgetown: Daycare for Cruisers

Each morning the Georgetown Cruisers net is aired over the VHF radio. A typical round of opportunities for occupying all of this wonderful free time might include:

o   Beach Yoga

o   Beach Meditation

o   Weather Seminars

o   Volleyball

o   MahJong

o   Texas Hold’em

o   Trivial Pursuit

o   Bridge

o   Scabble

o   Stich and Bitch

o   Women Artists at Work 

o   Softball

o   Kayak Groups

o   Walking Groups

o   Snorkeling

o   Pilates

o   Beach Bonfires

o   Beach Cocktail Parties

o   Scratch and Rake

o   Beach Church

o   Talent Shows

o   Sailing races

o   Cribbage

 We are eager to participate and enjoy the annual race week in the Exumas. The fun begins tomorrow and goes on for 10 days. I  believe we are entering the kayak race, the coconut race and perhaps the talent show for Judy.

Some pre-hiking advice!

 On the boat with Wi-fi, this is a glorious thing. So, now we begin the part of the trip with just the two of us and we are starting to set up some of the routines of this journey.How does one spend the day?The glorious weather certainly dictates my mindset for  being on the water. This morning I will kayak with a new friend, Gail, and we are meeting some other women for a hike at 11. Snakes are abundant, but the adventure must continue!   Andy has been busy this week with the Chris Parker, a marine weather expert on the Bahamas, giving lectures each morning. It's pretty technical, but he has a real interest and Chris specializes on micro forecasts for this area. We will return to the boat for lunch and boat project hour, which has a tendancy to turn into boat project afternoon...however,  this afternoon we are going out a few miles to snorkel with Gail and her husband. They are taking their Hawaiian sling to try to catch some lobsters so there could be alot fo learn from that experience.  Tonight there is another beach bonfire. And so it goes.  

Farewell to Sarah and Todd

We enjoyed our time spent with Sarah and Todd aboard the Double Diamond.  Much time relaxing and hanging out, with some fun events on the beach, grilling and chilling on the boat. Todd was helpful in problem solving with the ongoing mechanical issues. He was very helpful in the heavy lifting department. What a body!  He left us his workout routine, so you probably won’t recognize Andy and me the next time you see us. We be buff.  Sarah and I created some kitchen concoctions to keep the boys happy and enjoyed our beach yoga, a great way to start the day.  Spending this quality time with family and friends will always be a cherished part of this trip.

Bahamain Sunday…. Snorkel and the Pig Roast

Sarah hits the beach

We headed out in the morning to a few coral reefs to try some snorkeling. The coral was plentiful  and we saw a few brightly colored fish…so on to another spot seeking more sea life. Jude decided to swim back to the boat and was immediately confronted with 3 large rays, each 3 feet across. So, reconsidering the swim, she had a quick dinghy pick up and all were content. With a few tropical drinks to quench our thirst, we prepared to go to the pig roast. 

Kalik one more time

Todd zipped over to the Chat and Chill to get the details of the event. Their response,” When the pig is ready we eat it, when we eat it all the pig roast is done” This is Bahamian event planning. ! We hung out at Volleyball Beach; chatted with a myriad of characters, tossed back some Kaliks and rum punch and enjoyed the pig. Time for an afternoon nap!

Sarah and Andy Bartending

Fun Family Afternoon

Sailing the Bay

More problem solving on the engine

Another morning of Yoga for the ladies  and the new Honda motor now giving us grief, Andy back to Mario to do some problem solving.  Waiting on the beach for a ride, we were hot and sticky and so Andy splurged for a couple of extra large rum punches.  We all got a new attitude.

Spent the afternoon sailing out to the ocean, chilling with the breezes.  Todd and Sarah found enjoyment in a variation of the beer game, Caps….known now in Georgetown as Key Lime. Can you get the lime in the coconut, or cup as it were.

We moved the big boat down to Sand Dollar Beach to be in the vicinity of good snorkeling in the

morning. Todd and Sarah buzzed into town to buy some fish, which is sold at the barbershop. Nice wine, a relaxing dinner.

New Motor for the Double D

Say goodbye to the Yamaha. Say hello to the Honda. Mario, Todd’s BFF,  the local Bahamian mechanic, gave a list of reasons to bury the Yamaha, and happened to have his own personal motor for sale. After months of frustration with the old motor, the boys opted for a newer version. Today they are back at the shop working out the problems with that one.

Todd’s boyish spirit got thinking  about all the ropes and pulleys on the boat and the fact that he should be able to swing  “Tarzan” style from the boat and drop into the water. This challenged Andy’s engineering mind, and the two of them spent time trying to create the  “swingout feeling  “ that Todd was seeking. After numerous attempts at the “ the thrill” they had to settle for the drop and plop.  Pics to come. 

Cocktails took place on the Queens beach at a bonfire with local musicians. Lots of fun banter and sailing stories and some great alcohol inspired singing and instruments. Todd was amazed, but the infamous ladder that he was assigned to play at his first family Christmas was part of the band. 

Sarah and Todd join the DD Crews

Sarah, Todd and Judy arrived to make the Georgetown Crew complete.  The weather is balmy, the turquoise water still holding and Double Diamond was happily anchored in Monument Beach.   After a quick stop at the boat, we headed out to the Chat the Chill for a quick lunch. The Kalik’s were cold and the burgers were on the grill. A good transition plan.

Day 2: That damn motor stops working AGAIN!

Heading out to yoga on the beach this morning and the motor just died.  So we reached for the oars and found only one.  Todd started paddling like an Indian in a canoe.  The current was strong, and a nearby sailor could tell we needed a rescue.  He brought us back to DD and his wife gave Sarah and Judy a ride to Yoga, Todd stayed behind to help Andy with the motor.  

Todd's Connection from North Shore Magazine help with the Motor

Yoga on the Beach

Here they come to save the day!

We then heard over the radio that someone had found an oar…good news!!  Without a working motor, Andy and Todd headed out in the kayak to retrieve the oar.  In their travels they came across a sail boat from Newburyport MA, Todd started chatting up the nice couple and realized that they had his magazine, Northshore, aboard the boat!  They also had an extra outboard motor, which they let us use until ours is fixed.  A very successful outing by the boys came home with the oar and a motor.  Things are really turning around...

On to Georgetown

Racing Fleet

Class C racers on the winning boat!

We had a nice sail to Little Farmers Cay. This is a pretty small cay, but it does have an airstrip ( which doubles as a road and walkway when no planes are landing). We happened to be there for their annual 5F’s festival- First Friday in February Farmers Festival. There were maybe 50 cruising boats there,as well as boatloads of Bahamians. There were two days of racing the local sailboats ,which came in from various settlements.





 We were told they were having the Superbowl on widescreen tv, so we stayed there Sunday. Turns out, what they had was a play-by-play graphical display, not the real game, so that was a letdown, as well as the game result. Monday, we headed for Georgetown,which was a trip out in the ocean for much of the day. There are a lot of boats here, 300?, but the harbor is large, and the boats are mostly in several desirable locations, We got water and fuel for the first time in 2 weeks on Tuesday, and checked out the town. It has all the essentials, except to get internet you have to bring your laptop to town. With all the boats, there are lots of loosely organized activities, such as volleyball, card games, etc., many taking place right on a beach with a little restaurant and bar called the Chat-and-Chill. Dave played in a volleyball game Wednesday. Wed. a dinghy stopped by, and it was a couple with a MaineCat 41, so we had a good chat with them. Today we plan to go into town and try to post this blog. Hope it works!

Andy and Dave