It’s May 31st as we write this, and today we are anchored off of Tahiti Beach. This beautiful beach is on Elbow Cay, the same island that is home to the quaint little village of Hope Town. So far, these two spots would be our suggestion for anyone needing a great place to escape to. Lots of places to rent on the island at varying price ranges. (Although, if you need a short, inexpensive break, just come sail with us!) So how did we get from Black Point to this point? We set off on May 22nd, and the wind was just right for three great days of sailing. In these three days we covered over 120 miles and motored only for a bit at the start and end of each day. Compare this to the week before where we covered 45 miles in 3 days of motoring into the wind and seas and burned fuel for over 15 hours – no sails. Needless to say, sailing is better and quieter! We stopped first at Leaf Cay (next to Allens Cay, near the top of the Exumas), where Robin finally got to feed the iguanas. On the second day we made it to Spanish Wells where we picked up a mooring (tiniest, tightest mooring field known to mankind), and met up with our friends Glenn and Angela. Did we mention that Angela is a gourmet chef? After dinner out with our friends, we strolled through a bit of the village of Spanish Wells. This village has an unusual history. Settled first by shipwrecked Puritans from Bermuda and later by disgruntled American Loyalists after the Revolution, today many of the residents still share the same last name and gene pool. And the island is no longer dry! Although we had read many things online saying that the island residents were not visitor-friendly, we found quite the opposite during the brief time we were there. The next morning, we set sail for and anchored in Little Harbour on the southeast side of Great Abaco Island. From here, we scooted over to Marsh Harbour Marina to wait and see what Storm Alberto was going to do. The marina was nice, Marsh Harbour offered good shopping, lots of restaurants and a low- key shelter. There we caught up with Gary and Theresa on their Morgan 41 (like ours, only 8 years newer) and caught up with two other sets of boat friends who had the same plan that we had. After leaving Marsh Harbour, we headed out to anchor off Tahiti Beach. We’ve been able to enjoy the funky floating boat bar on the beach and watch a new acquaintance named Ryan fly overhead in his paramotor (a motorized hang glider). Ryan is from Canada and spent a month learning how to fly that contraption. It made Robin’s heart stop to watch him take off. Later in the day, we dinghied over to a local marina with Gary to watch a faux Junkanoo procession. Junkanoo is a street festival/parade that takes place on Boxing Day (December 26th for us Americans.) Folks dress up in colorful feathered costumes and masks and dance through the streets to the sounds of horns, drums, and cowbells. It was fun to watch the mini-parade and has made us determined to be back in the Bahamas to see the full festival this holiday season. After Tahiti Beach, we spent some time snorkeling off the northern tip of Guana Cay. This was perhaps our best snorkeling so far. The reefs were beautiful and the fish were outstanding. We saw a huge barracuda (about 4 feet long, huge to us!), and a nurse shark, plus many colorful reef fish. AND our friend Angela treated us to gourmet meals, amazing chocolate desserts, AND let the rest of us beat her at Mexican Train! Right now we are in Green Turtle Cay hanging with our friend Tom of New Life. Tom has been helping us troubleshoot our water maker and some electrical issues. Yesterday, we made a seven-mile bike ride into New Plymouth, where we had lunch, coconut cream pie (YUMMM) and a banana daiquiri. It was hotter than heck, and Robin doesn’t believe she has sweated like that EVER! For now, our overall plan continues to include a trip back to Florida before the end of June. After that, we will make our way towards the Chesapeake, with a planned arrival date sometime in early August. For now, enjoy the pix!
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AuthorRobin and Bob recently quit their jobs, sold all their belongings, and headed south to begin a new life on the sea. Check back here to find out how life adrift is going. Archives
February 2019
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