Bahamas – March 5 - 23

On March 5, we left West End and headed to Spanish Cay, a small, undeveloped island with beautiful beaches. We stayed at Spanish Cay Marina and rented golf carts to explore the island looking for treasures. We hung out, and played ping pong and shuffleboard.

Sunset at Spanish Cay

Carolyn Searching for Goodies at Spanish Cay

Pam and Bob Explore Spanish Cay

Joey and Rhonda at Spanish Cay

Jill and Richard at Spanish Cay

Natural Beauty at Spanish Cay

Bruce Blows his Conch at Sundown (Every Night)

March 6 – 8

Green Turtle Cay is larger and more developed than Spanish Cay. We stayed at the Green Turtle Club and again rented golf carts to see the 3-mile island. Instructions to get into town were to follow the roads with the electric lines. The downtown area, New Plymouth, had a few grocery stores, restaurants, bars, and some beaches to explore. We stopped at the famous Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar, Home of the Famous Goombay Smash (a mixed drink with various types of rums and juices). Check out island banking hours!

Downtown Green Turtle Cay

Banking Hours  – Green Turtle Cay

Bob, Pam, Rob, Carolyn and Jerry at Blue Bee Bar at Green Turtle Cay

Deb and Rob at Blue Bee Bar at Green Turtle Cay

Green Turtle Cay

Green Turtle Cay

Shoe Tree at Green Turtle Cay 

March 9 – 18

We made it to Abaco, and stayed at Mangoes at Marsh Harbour. Ray and Lisa, the dockmaster and office manager, were the nicest, most accommodating people to work with. Ray walked the docks and was really conscientious about all of our boats being tied properly to accommodate the varying tides. Lisa opened her office doors to let me work in there whenever I wanted to, since the Internet signal was substantially better there than on the boat. After a few days, they even asked me to lock up when I left! It sure made it easier and less stressful to get my work done! The city itself had seen better times when walking in one direction, and was more touristy with cute shops when walking the other way. When preparing for this trip, we thought we would have a hard time finding groceries, restaurants, Internet connection and phone service. All are false. Although there is just one large grocery store on Abaco, there are plenty of smaller stores to buy provisions. Internet is available at every marina. Phone service is expensive, but easily accessible by either bringing an “unlocked” phone, purchasing a SIM card, and loading it with money that is purchased in $10, $20 or $50 increments; or buying an unlocked phone once you get here, and loading it with money. It's an expensive way to communicate – about 80¢ a minute. Another way to communicate is through the Internet, by using MagicJack or Skype.

There were brush fires in the distance, which we found out are common. The dryness and heat start the fires, and the island is not equipped to put the fires out. Although it looks like the fire is very close to us, it was actually in the distance – although ashes traveled and covered our boats.

From Marsh Harbour, we took a ferry to Guana Key to spend a Sunday afternoon at Nippers, a well-known restaurant with tiki huts and a pool. This colorful destination attracts families, friends and spring-breakers. From the upper balcony, there was a beautiful view of the beach.

We took another day trip to Hopetown, a quaint village on Elbow Cay with good restaurants, resorts, beautiful beaches, and its famous lighthouse. The weather wasn't good the day we were there, but we didn't want to miss it. We took the ferry in, rented a golf cart, had lunch at Abaco Inn and walked through its historic town.

And a trip to Abaco would not be comlete without going to Pete's Pub in Little Harbour. Most of our friends took their boats there to anchor out, but because of work schedules and the need for Internet, we rented a car with Kathy and Richard (Rambler), leaving our boats docked at Mangoes. Pete's Pub has sand floors, tiki huts, a beautful walkway leading to the ocean, and a gallery with many of Pete's original sculptures. It was the first time I had hogfish, which was really good. It is customary for visitors to sign their t-shirts and staple them to the beams throughout the pub. In following tradition, Rob bought a new shirt, and the “A Team,” our Bahamas group, signed their boat names on Sophie's Bat Mitzvah shirt which Rob had been wearing. When you visit Pete's, be sure to find the shirt! After Pete's, we went to Sandy Point to look for shells, and then headed back to Mangoes. We then enjoyed a rib dinner (the best ribs ever) at the Jib Room, located across the harbor. Every Wednesday the Jib Room has its rib dinner, and every Saturday its steak dinner (which we also went to) followed by dancing to the music of a “saw band” and the limbo.

Mangoes Marina at Marsh Harbour

Jill Getting Braids at Marsh Harbour

Fire at Marsh Harbour

 Sunset at Marsh Harbour

George and his Conch Salad

Jerry with Tractor by Nippers – Guana Cay

Nippers – Guana Cay

Bruce, Richard, Jerry, Bob, Tom, Richard, Joey and Rob at Nippers

Beach at Nippers

Rob at Nippers on Guana Cay

Hope Town

The Calm Before the Storm – Hopetown

Hopetown

Hopetown

Light House at Hope Town

Saw Band at the Jib Room

Rob Playing with the Saw Band at the Jib Room

Limbo at the Jib Room

Little Harbour

Pete's Pub Gallery

Walkway to the Beach from Pete's Pub

Goodies on the Beach at Little Harbour

Walkway at Pete's Pub

(Sitting) Linda, Tom, Bob and Pam
(Standing) Chris, Richard, Kathy, Rob, Deb, Jill and Bruce
The "A Team" Signed Sophie's Bat Mitzvah T-Shirt
to leave at Pete's Pub

Rob Staples Sophie's Shirt to the Beam at Pete's Pub

Sign at Little Harbour

March 18 – 23

While many beaches are beautiful, Treasure Cay's 3-mile beach is awesome. The beach is located directly across the street from the marina, and we spent a lot of time walking, and searching for shells, sand dollars and star fish. We had a few pot-luck dinners, and enjoyed our famous “$10 dinner” with Pam and Bob (Mint Julep) at Burners. On our last day at Treasure Cay, I went with Jill, Carolyn and Rhonda to Abaco Ceramics, which is a 2-person operation. Karen owns the shop and does all of the painting and marketing, and her assistant cleans all of the greenware. I enjoyed the tour of her studio, which was the cleanest pottery studio I had ever seen (mom and dad, I know I have some cleaning to do when I get back home!) We got back to the marina just in time for a day trip on “Toy Box” with Frank, Sheri, Joey and Rhonda. First we went diving for conch (well Frank and Joey dove and got a dozen), and then we went snorkling around Fish Cays. It was great fun except for when I started feeling queasy from the rockin' and rollin'. We got back, I made some conch salad, we had another pot-luck dinner, and went to a bonfire on the beach, which was a perfect ending to a perfect visit.

Treasure Cay

Deb at Treasure Cay

Treasure Cay Beach

Greg, Jerry, Carolyn, Don, Sheri, Rhonda, Rob, Fraya and Barbara at a Pot-Luck Dinner

Two Curly-Tails

Pay Phones – and People Use Them!

Christmas Palm

Treasure Cay Beach

Linda, Carolyn and Pam Searching for Goodies at Treasure Cay

Pam, Bob and Rob at Treasure Cay

Treasure Cay

Thanks Greg! Photo of Super Moon

Frank Takes Us on an Outing

Sheri and Joey on Toy Box

Sheri, Frank, Rhonda and Joey

Sheri, Debby and Rhonda on Toy Box (Nice job on the angle, Joey!)

Cleaning and Cutting a Conch Shell to Make a Horn

Rob Relaxing on Lady Royal

Fish Cays (Snorkling)

Showering on the Deck of Toy Box After Snorkling

Bonfire at Treasure Cay

March 23

We left Treasure Cay this morning with Mint Julep to go back to Fish Cays for some more snorkling. The waters were rougher, and not as many fish came out to play. We then anchored by Baker's Bay and took the dingy around to a coral reef on the opposite side of the island. As soon as we jumped off the dinghy, an underwater paradise was staring us in the face. Beautiful coral reefs, as well as schools of fish in many varieties, sizes and colors, surrounded us. The water was cold, but we got past that as we took in our underwater environment. We're now on our way to Black Sound, back on Green Turtle Cay, where more adventures are sure to abound!

March 2 - 4 ... BAHAMAS!

The captains' meeting was held at 6 a.m. to determine if weather was good enough to head to the Bahamas. Rob asked my opinion prior to the meeting, and my vote was “no, it's going to be too rough out there.” We were the only ones staying back. After talking it over and having a brief conversation with Mint Julep, we decided to “stick our nose out there,” knowing that we can always turn back if the waves exceeded our comfort level. When we left Lake Worth at 7:30 a.m. the waves were not too bad. Once hitting the gulf stream, the waves picked up. By this time, we were committed. With only 4 hours left to go, we were rockin' and rollin' with waves that I estimate to be 5-6 footers. We crossed with seven other boats: Q's End, Bade Boomer, Mint Julep, Sassy, RhoJo, Rambler and Finally. We were never concerned about our safety, just our comfort. Once we saw land, the colors of the water were amazing, making the trip worthwhile. 

First View of the Beach

The marina and resort at West End are beautiful, the people we're with are great, and we've been keeping ourselves busy for the past few days. We rode bicycles into town, which is a depressed area. Conch shells line the waters and the town isn't much to speak of. We also enjoyed a trip to Freeport and Lucaya, where we shopped and visited the casino; and back at West End, we watched a local shuck Conch shells, bought Conch, and made salads; enjoyed a pot-luck dinner; and played many games of left, right, center. We're staying here until the winds settle down, and will then head to an anchorage and Green Turtle Cay on our way to Marsh Harbour.

Conch Shells Dumped on Water's Edge

Pool Overlooking the Ocean

Conch at Resort Beach

Joey, Tom and Bruce Catching Rays

Pretty Flowers... Can You Identify?

Lined Up at the Marina

Joey All Pimped Out

Deb and Rob at the Straw Market in Lucaya

Group Shot!

Rob Playing Djembe Drum at Sunset

Carolyn, Jerry and Rob on the Dock

Local Cleaning Conch for Us to Buy

Pam and Bob's Excitement Grows in Left, Right, Center

Carolyn, Richard and Jill Playing Left, Right, Center

January 23 – March 1

January 25 – March 1

We left Venice and went to Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda, Bob and Pam Shircliff's (Mint Julep's) home marina. It's a beautiful place, right in the heart of things in the boating world, and miles away from anything else. It's close to the islands (Cabbage Key, Sanibel, Captiva, etc.), has beautiful sunsets, and even sports karaoke every Thursday night. We met Jerry and Carolyn Walker (Sassy) and made a few side trips from there. One was to Matlacha, an artsy community on Pine Island, with an old-Florida flair, where my favorite gallery was Lovegrove. We also had the pleasure of going on a day trip on Mint Julep to Cabbage Key for lunch, where guests still follow a long-ago fishermen's tradition of signing a dollar and taping it to the wall. We also visited Captiva and Sanibel, both of which are great places to shell. Brian flew to Fort Myers, came with us back to Burnt Store, and traveled with us to Tween Waters Marina on Captiva. We took a ferry to Caya Costa, an island that can only be reached by boat, to go shelling, and saw amazing dolphins on the way back. We also visited the beach on Captiva before traveling to Fort Myers. A few days after Brian went home, Julie came to visit. The rocky motion wasn't thrilling her, so we spent time at some hotels in the area. We shopped a little bit, hung out, and took Lady Royal on a day trip. We also had dinner with Becky one night, since she was in town interviewing.

Back of Lovegrove Gallery – Matlacha 

Lovegrove Gallery – Matlacha

Carolyn and Pam – Cabbage Key

Jim, Pam, Bob and Linda – Punta Gorda

Brian on Lady Royal

Another Beautiful Sunset

Favorite Sunset... Thanks, Brian!

Guess Who?

Brian and Deb at Joe's Crab Shack 

Brian, Deb and Rob at Joe's Crab Shack 

Julie, Rob and Becky – Joe's Crab Shack

Rob and Becky Dig In  – Fort Myers

Ahhhh... Julie Spends Another Day in Paradise – Fort Myers

Deb and Julie Chilling at Hotel – Fort Myers

 For my birthday, we got up early and went shelling, which I find to be totally addicting. We spent the morning at Captiva and Caya Costa, then had a great dinner at The Veranda, which had great food and a beautiful patio. I highly recommend it to those traveling to Fort Myers. While in Fort Myers, we also went to visit the Edison and Ford homes, both of which have interesting histories; and we enjoyed the Edison Festival of Lights, an annual parade that attracts more than 200,000 people, fills the roads, and has a tradition of letting people come and mark their spots with their names on duct tape weeks before the event starts. Fireworks and numerous floats, bands, cars, etc. – along with music, an art show and more make this an event that the community looks forward to.

Shelling at Caya Costa

A Dolphin Birthday Treat – Caya Costa

Edison Festival of Lights – Fort Myers

Rob's Bright Idea – Edison Festival of Lights

And the month wouldn't have been complete without a visit from Rachel and Brian, who flew to Miami, came with us back to Fort Myers, and traveled with us across the Okeechobee to Lake Worth. When on the east coast, we had lunch with Hallie and Steve, dinner with Bob and Margery, and a barbeque with Louis and Louise (General Delivery), and Jean-Marie and Agnes (Na Maka), and it was great seeing all of them.

Rachel and Brian – Loopers in Training – Fort Myers

Rachel, Brian, Rob and I – Stuart, FL

The Okeechobee was reminiscent of the TennTom. The main difference was alligators. The Okeechobee is full of them, and they're easy to spot. Unfortunately, none of them wanted to sun themselves to pose for photos. When heading toward Lake Worth, homes on the waterway were amazing, and we saw more pleasure boats than we've seen since leaving home.

One of Many Alligators

We're currently at Riviera Beach Municipal Marina waiting for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas with Mint Julep, Sassy, Finally, Ques End, Rambler, Rho-Jo, and Bade Boomer. More to come from the Bahamas!