We moved from White Sound to Black Sound to embrace our diversity and get a slip at the Leeward Yacht Club.

It’s a smallish marina with only a few sailboats and the rest big ol’ trawlers.  Not much diversity there. But we got a slip on the T dock in the shadow of those big boys so they blocked the wind for us.

And this place is our dream come true, with a little outdoor bar/grill and a tennis court.

Yes!!! You heard me, our very own tennis court.

Of course Ed made me leave the racquets at home in the bag with the big bottles of wine and vodka, so we had no racquets or balls.  He was worried about weight on the plane.

Of course our racquets ARE pretty heavy I guess.

But not to worry!  The marina office had spare racquets and paddles.

Paddles for Pickle Ball!!  

Now if you’re not familiar with the sport, it’s setting the world on fire among the 60+ crowd.  

Because the court is smaller and you don’t have to move as much.  Which is important for those of us who have had back surgeries and knee replacements.

So our first day here we got a little indoctrination on the sport and will be playing with people from all over the island on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Then we are playing tennis every other morning.  Ed had to adjust the rock holding down the middle of the net because it’s a little high.  But no complaints! If we play a lot maybe we won’t be so terrible when we come home for league play.

More to come as Ed develops his strategies to become the reigning pickle ball king – a sport he swore before that he would never play til he was 80.

We’ve been to the little settlement of New Plymouth a couple times by foot and once by dinghy.

It’s about a 30 minute walk and a 15 minute dinghy ride.

Sundowners is our 5pm destination, where the sunsets are gorgeous and the drinks are $1 off – not a great deal but hey every little bit helps.

And our bartender is Caroline, one of the pickle ball contenders.  

Small island.

   
    
    
 
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

We took a 15-minute dinghy ride over to New Plymouth on Tuesday afternoon and walked around.

Nothing much has changed since last year; actually it was pretty quiet everywhere.

There’s a new restaurant – I thought it was called Asian Foo until I realized the “d” was covered up by the Open sign- it’s Asian Food.

Guy riding by on a golf cart said “great food.”  Ed wants to try their sushi; I’m not so sure.  Fresh wahoo and mahi here anytime, but I’m not sure about raw imports.

We had probably the warmest day yet yesterday, in the high 70s.  We spent the afternoon on the beach watching kite boarders sail on the clear blue seas.

We learned that the 39-year old chef, Dominique, at the restaurant there had suddenly died at his 39th birthday party, right there last Saturday.  They don’t know why.

Last night we ate at Green Turtle Club across the bay, for steak night!  A 10 ounce strip steak with potato, salad and bread for $25, really good deal!

Ziggy got some tasty morsels too.

Later I had to stream Ed’s ballgame on my phone so he could watch the Heels beat up on the Woofies. He could only see 2/3 of the game on the screen but he was happy.   They got off to a slow start at first, but they came through.

We woke up in the night to a hard blow – 30+ winds – and rain several times.  Cap’n Ed had planned ahead so we were able to once again catch the rainwater and fill up our water tanks.

We’ve learned that many of the Abacos homes have big rain cisterns for drinking water, so they’re happy when it rains too.

The blow continued this morning, and temps had dropped into the 60s.  We had to shut the outside door into the boat cause it was too cold.

I concentrated in my jigsaw puzzle and we watched old Gunsmoke and Andy Griffith shows on TVLand, one of just a few cable channels the marina offers.

It’s probably the most entertaining.  Did you know Miss Kitty ran a brothel?  I didn’t know that when I was a kid.

I just thought she had really good hair and perfect makeup to be living out there in the Wild West.

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

Our last day at Great Giana Cay was spent enjoying the debaucherie (sp?) at Nippers, the famous bar on the beach.

Ziggy had gotten attacked by a little dog and the wild cat Eddie that lives there the day before, so she had slinked in carefully to avoid another assault.  They had given us free conch salad due to her attack so it wasn’t all for naught.

Well, despite its reputation on Sundays, it wasn’t really that crazy, at least not while we were there.  The have a big pig roast buffet, with bbq, macaroni and cheese to die for, peas and rice, Johnny cakes, potato salad and some kind of bread pudding.  It was all you can eat for $26 – kinda steep but worth it if you go back for seconds.

I couldn’t do that, but from the looks of some of the diners around me, they more than made up for me.

The music was a lot of throwback 60s interspersed with Bahamian Junkanoo- cool.

We were told later we missed the best entertainment – when a young couple went out in the surf, took their swimsuits off and couldn’t get them back on.  So they ran around the beach naked for awhile.

Back home they would get arrested, at Nippers they got cheers.

We left Guana early this morning to sail the 3-4 hours to Green Turtle Cay.  To reach this island you have to traverse the much-dreaded Whale Channel.

You go outside on the ocean around Whale Cay, and if conditions in the ocean are in any way rough, the Whale can get really treacherous.

They call it a “rage,” if the Whale whips it up.  You’ve heard of mad cows, I think a mad whale might be meaner.

Where’s Captain Ahab when you need him? Not Jonah though.

Anyway Cap’n Ed had done his homework and found today to be the best conditions – light wind and the seas had had a couple of days to calm down.

So we set off, listening to the Cruisers Net for any reports from people crossing the Whale.

There were none, which was a bit concerning. But as we got near, Ed got on the radio and asked if anyone was in the Whale, could they give us a report?

One guy, I think a fisherman came back and said it was fine, no problem.  Whew!

Then he came back a few minutes later and said it was getting some fresh roll.  Whatever that means.

Well we had been in swells before so we thought it might be fine, better rolly than choppy.

And once we got there we got the swells.  Not too bad though, we’ve been in worse.

The worst thing about the Whale Ed said is you’re in it for several miles.

Nothing for a car, could be over an hour for a sailboat, even motoring like we had to do today.

But we made it and turned back into the Sea of Abaco to calm aquamarine waters. 

We are docked at the Bluff House Marina for now til the next westerly blow comes through on Wednesday.  They have free wifi and showers, laundry facilities and two bars/restaurants to enjoy.

Nice break, no stress, the Whale is behind us.  Only the Gulf crossing looms before us- but hey that could be weeks away!

   
    
    
    
   

   
    
    
  

  
    
    
    
   

Our last day at Great Giana Cay was spent enjoying the debaucherie (sp?) at Nippers, the famous bar on the beach.

Ziggy had gotten attacked by a little dog and the wild cat Eddie that lives there the day before, so she had slinked in carefully to avoid another assault.  They had given us free conch salad due to her attack so it wasn’t all for naught.

Well, despite its reputation on Sundays, it wasn’t really that crazy, at least not while we were there.  The have a big pig roast buffet, with bbq, macaroni and cheese to die for, peas and rice, Johnny cakes, potato salad and some kind of bread pudding.  It was all you can eat for $26 – kinda steep but worth it if you go back for seconds.

I couldn’t do that, but from the looks of some of the diners around me, they more than made up for me.

The music was a lot of throwback 60s interspersed with Bahamian Junkanoo- cool.

We were told later we missed the best entertainment – when a young couple went out in the surf, took their swimsuits off and couldn’t get them back on.  So they ran around the beach naked for awhile.

Back home they would get arrested, at Nippers they got cheers.

We left Guana early this morning to sail the 3-4 hours to Green Turtle Cay.  To reach this island you have to traverse the much-dreaded Whale Channel.

You go outside on the ocean around Whale Cay, and if conditions in the ocean are in any way rough, the Whale can get really treacherous.

They call it a “rage,” if the Whale whips it up.  You’ve heard of mad cows, I think a mad whale might be meaner.

Where’s Captain Ahab when you need him? Not Jonah though.

Anyway Cap’n Ed had done his homework and found today to be the best conditions – light wind and the seas had had a couple of days to calm down.

So we set off, listening to the Cruisers Net for any reports from people crossing the Whale.

There were none, which was a bit concerning. But as we got near, Ed got on the radio and asked if anyone was in the Whale, could they give us a report?

One guy, I think a fisherman came back and said it was fine, no problem.  Whew!

Then he came back a few minutes later and said it was getting some fresh roll.  Whatever that means.

Well we had been in swells before so we thought it might be fine, better rolly than choppy.

And once we got there we got the swells.  Not too bad though, we’ve been in worse.

The worst thing about the Whale Ed said is you’re in it for several miles.

Nothing for a car, could be over an hour for a sailboat, even motoring like we had to do today.

But we made it and turned back into the Sea of Abaco to calm aquamarine waters. 

We are docked at the Bluff House Marina for now til the next westerly blow comes through on Wednesday.  They have free wifi and showers, laundry facilities and two bars/restaurants to enjoy.

Nice break, no stress, the Whale is behind us.  Only the Gulf crossing looms before us- but hey that could be weeks away!

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

  
    
    
    
   

We left Marsh Harbor on a clear, calm Wednesday to sail up to Great Guana Cay, home of the famous celebrity- ridden private resort Baker’s Bay and the infamous beach bar Nipper’s.

We got up here within a couple hours and were tying up at Orchid’s Bay Marina when Ziggy decided to leap for the dock.  I saw her out of the corner of my eye and knew she was too far away.

“Ziggy wait!!!”  I yelled, but it was too late.

Dog in the drink. Again.  

The dock master yelled can she swim, but it was easily apparent she could, as soon as she hit the water.

Ed yelled at her to come to the back of the boat.  She tried to climb up the steps but the swim platform got in her way.

Ed dragged her out and we immediately helped her get on the dock safely.  Where I could hose her down.

Wet dog.  Again.

Oh well she needed a bath.

Guana Cay has a small settlement on the harbor with bars, a few shops and a tiny post office.  Nice grocery store and liquor store too!

Prerequisites for cruisers.

We wandered over to Grabbers on Fishers Bay, had the grabber punch (secret recipe, rum and some kind of fruit concoction) and enjoyed the view.

Yesterday we rented a golf cart and rode the island.  Even thought we might sneak into Baker’s Bay.

But the security at the entrance gate looked a little intimidating, like they might shoot us on the spot if we charged through.

So we reluctantly turned around and drove back.

Later we wound up at Nippers for a drink and the ocean view. Gorgeous beach but windy.

We looked at a little compound on the beach beside Nippers for sale.  Cute little cottages.  Ziggy spotted s chicken and chased it- bahamian chickens can fly!!

The dog also chased a cat up a palm tree at the marina.  Ziggy is enjoying the chase.

We did the wing special (imagine that) at the marina restaurant -8 wings for $5 plus a side! 

The place was packed.  We are with new friends Jay and Anne from Charlottesville.  They’re on a sailboat beside us.

Nice people.

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

We sailed up to Marsh Harbor on Friday from Little Harbor, about a 4-hour ride.  We had to motor since the wind was right on our nose.

After tying up at Harbor View Marina we walked some and got a wonderful much needed shower.  Snappas had free appetizers at 5 so we joined our dock friends there.

Saturday was the 20-minute walk to Maxwells, the much loved huge grocery store – the biggest in the out islands.  It’s the only reason many cruisers stop here, although the hardware and marine store are popular too.

That night we did the 30-minute walk (we do a lot of those) to the Jib Room across the harbor for their famous Saturday steak special.  Jason the bartender also is the dock master for boats coming in.

But his best skill is playing the saw.

Now that’s island entertainment!

On Sunday we watched UNC beat up on Pittsburgh and then we participated in the weekly bocce ball tournament across the street from the marina.

There were eight teams of two, and with Snappas providing happy hour prices for the players, there was much trash talking and braggadocio to be heard.

Some of these women take this game too seriously.  They’ve got some balls, huh?

Sorry – my bad.

Anyway Ed and I miraculously got to the finals, playing two Aussies who had never played the game before.

Not that we are pros or anything.

They won one game and we won one game, then it was sudden death.

And we survived!!!

Not only did we get cheers and jeers from the peanut gallery, we got the coveted Golden Coconut trophy.

Now, you know Ed has lots of trophies from sailing races and sports, but I only have one.

I was runner up in a tennis tourney when I was 14.  Problem is there were only two of us.  And I lost.

Anyways I’m so proud to have the Coconut trophy!  I will cherish it always.

   
    
    
    
    
  

 

We left Hopetown early yesterday and sailed down to Little Harbor, a natural harbor with moorings for about twenty or so boats.

It’s also home of the famous Pete’s Pub and Gallery, with a working foundry where Pete and his son Greg turn out wonderful sculptures of sea creatures and such.

Pete’s father Randolph Scott came here in the 50’s with his family and lived in a cave here for awhile before building his home and foundry.

The pub is a great outdoor dive bar decorated with donated tee shirts from around the world. Known for its “blasters” -rum drink- and tasty  wahoo and rockfish dishes, it’s a great spot to hang out and visit with cruisers.

We shared a burger for lunch and walked the beach.  Dinner was shared grilled wahoo with peas and rice and walnut salad.

Ziggy met Chica, the resident lab, who didn’t really want to play.

Oh and we met Pete too, he was hanging with Rolly at the Little Harbor Yacht Club.

It’s somewhat of a misnomer but that’s okay. Pete owns it, he can call it whatever he wants.

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

We celebrated Ed’s birthday yesterday with our friends John and Jennifer and Bill and Maureen.  

We had spent the morning walking to the  hardware store (about two miles) to get a can opener because mine crapped out, but no luck.

Then the afternoon was laundry day at the marina.  Fifteen bucks and three hours later our clothes were clean.

I don’t have a lot of clothes because Ed made me travel light – worried about the weight on the airplane coming over here.

So I am slowing adding to my wardrobe when I can sneak something in.  After all, we are taking the boat back at the end of March, not the plane, so what’s a few more shirts or hoodies.

Yeah hoodies.  It’s been pretty cool here this week and I got tired of wearing the same one so I broke down and bought another.

Damn wind.

Back to Ed’s celebration.  We met at our favorite place- Wine Down Sip Sip- two drinks for $6, unheard of here in the Bahamas.

I had arranged for a homemade cake from Vernon’s Market.  Mr. Vernon is about 75 and he makes fresh coconut and banana bread daily.  As well as custom cakes.

He made me a Mr. Bird cake, a Jamaican recipe that’s kind of like a carrot cake.  But no carrots.   

Pineapple, coconut, mango, raisins and who knows what else.  Viv do you know this cake?  Is it named after a bird or a man named Bird?

Mr. Vernon had been running late on it because his power went out and his phone line went down too.

It was supposed to be a small bundt cake but he forgot and made a big one instead.

“He forgets things,” Mrs. Vernon told me.  “He needs to retire.”

They just charged me for the small one anyway.

I brought it to our gathering and we ate it for appetizers.  And we offered it to our servers Ken and Clarice, as well as everyone else there, except Ziggy.

It was delicious!

Bill gave Ed a toy ball (for his sports fanaticism) and made him wear a party hat.  Oh, and a new line for the dinghy.  Practical stuff.

And Bill says this is the week of Ed.  So more shenanigans to come.

A bocce ball challenge today…

   
    
    
    
    
 

We woke up Sunday morning to the biggest blow yet this season, 35-40 knot winds and rain.

When you’re on a boat in a mooring during a storm, the wind truly howls and everything not tied down clatters like it’s coming apart.

Ed had gone out at 4:00 am to check on things and bail out the dinghy.

He’s a better sailor than me!  Ziggy and I were tucked away in a warm bed.

So Sunday morning was a washout, we didn’t go ashore til about 1:30, when the winds calmed a little and the rain stopped.

Ziggy had been sitting up staring at her beloved dinghy for awhile, hoping to send us the signal that her little doggie behind needed to go to shore.

We finally relented and did just that.  Some other folks with cabin fever (that applies to boats too) did the same and we all walked for awhile in the bluster, happy the rain was gone.

Of course we have mixed feelings about rainy days because we have a rainwater catchment system and it fills up our water tanks here when it rains. And water is not a gimme in the islands.  So our tanks are full today!

We dinghied over early (and slowly in the wind) to the Super Bowl party at the Hopetown Marina to get a good seat.

They had the plastic sides down but it was still pretty cool outside.

The place was packed.  We got a $30 buffet that they reduced to $25, of meatballs, wings, Bahama burgers, nachos, hot dogs and lots of other unhealthy Super Bowl food.  But it was good!

Despite the Panthers’ lackluster game we cheered them proudly, with most of the crowd from all over the U.S. and Canada pulling along with us.

It wasn’t Cam’s night.  It was the Denver defense’s night for sure.

Oh well, we drank hot tea to stay warm, wishing we had a blanket for our feet.

Not our year but Cam is just a youngun.  Keep pounding!

   
    
    
    
   

Unintentionally of course.

We were headed back to the dinghy from the Two-4-One wine bar and it was pretty dark.

Ziggy was her usual confident self, and decided she knew which dinghy to jump to.  Before we were ready for her she takes a flying leap, and misses both dinghies.

“She’s in!” I yelled, along with a few other choice words I won’t repeat.

Ed and I ran to the shore calling her to swim to us.  We could hear her but couldn’t see her it was too dark so we weren’t sure where she was.

Finally Ed spotted her and guided her toward me on the beach area.  She emerged and shook mightily while I stood by.

“Good girl, you’re okay,” I reassured her, really thinking why did you do that again? Bad dog.

No worse for the wear, we dealt with a wet dog that evening.

Yesterday we needed to get s pump out and fill our water tanks, so we came off the mooring ball and headed to the marina, the one where we sometimes sneak in for a free shower.

They actually gave us a free pump out, not sure why, they must feel sorry for us or just assume we never pay for anything.

Since we were off the mooring ball we decided to take a short sail down to Tijuana Beach at the south end of Elbow Cay, then on past Tilloo Cut and Lubbers Quarter. 

It was a beautiful calm day, a number of boats anchored down there enjoying the water.

We turned around, cut the motors and sailed back with only the headsail, in a beam reach and 5.5 knots.

Now that’s the greatest joy.  Next to a free shower, that is.