March 7-13

Enough excuses about weather, tides ...

We left Green Turtle Cay just after noon, at hgh tide, and traveled four miles north to anchor at Manjack Cay with Jim and Danette. They will be returning to Florida while we plan to head south around Whale Cay which will put us in the southern Abacos. The 'Whale' is an almost legendary passage in the ocean to get around the shallow water on the Sea of Abaco.

Once around the Whale, which featured very kind six to eight foot waves, we headed for Marsh Harbour. This is the largest city in the Abacos and a very good place for restocking. It may not be the prettiest spot in the Bahamas, though, and so the next morning we headed over to Hopetown on Elbow Cay.

Hopetown is a very popular cruising and vacation destination. The Hopetown lighthouse is the signature landmark that overlooks the harbour and provides a measure of warning to mariners about the dangerous reefs on the ocean side. It is still in use and open to the public. There are spectacular panoramic views from the walkway around the top, basically unobstructed by the protective netting.

February 27 – March 6

We have been making a number of excuses for why we are finding it hard to leave Green Turtle Cay. We have milked the weather concerns pretty well, and have also complained that it is difficult to get out of the sound because the tide is always low. Perhaps closer to the truth, though, is that it is actually a fun place to be. More than once we have commented that it is our Hotel California.

When the whim strikes him, Donny will announce a 'party in the backyard'. These impromptu events gather the 'penguins' together for food, music and fun. Conch salad was on the menu and I was more than happy for the cooking lesson.

Rake 'n scrape is a very colourful style of Bahamian music. Along with his other talents, Matt is an accomplished rake 'n scrape musician. The playing involves dragging and scraping a knife along the teeth of a saw which he bends to form different sounds, all the while dancing furiously. It is great fun, and while the stereo is accompanying loudly, quite a show.

We have been hoping to get to Nippers on Great Guana Cay in time for the Barefoot Man concert. Getting there involves a short passage on the ocean around Whale Cay. By far the most difficult part of this is the movement from shallow to deep water and back again on either side of the cay.

To no one's surprise, the weather has not co-operated and so we rented a boat that can make the trip through the shallower water inside the cay. Twelve of us have pooled our resources for the trip – Jim and Danette from mv/Peace, seven lovely ladies from Villa Pascia, Corinne and me and Matt, the driver. Unfortunately, the lovely ladies did not enjoy the trip quite as much as the cruisers.

The Barefoot Man concert is an annual event at Nippers and a real hoot. The drinks are plentiful, the music very good and we have heard that the inhibitions disappear as the day turns to evening.