“We travel not to escape life, but so that life will not escape us.” It’s been a month since our last blog, and we’ve been busy and happy. Luckily, we found someone who could weld the broken engine mount bracket for us, and we sailed back to the Exumas. The winds have been very cooperative over the last month or so, and we’ve used very little diesel, something we are pretty proud of. We hope that, once we no longer have a schedule to follow, we’ll go only where the wind takes us and use no diesel at all! Before we left Nassau, we had some excitement when our dinghy decided to take its own moonlight tour of the Nassau waterfront. Bob and I hopped into the kayak the next morning and began scouring the south shore. Luckily, a cargo ship had picked Pudge up and delivered her safely to the Royal Bahamas Defense people. We got to take a fast ride back to Blue Bonnet in a police boat to pick up the Pudge’s documentation. Everyone was very nice and super friendly. The police told us that this happens often, so we didn’t feel too bad. Once back in the Exumas, we visited Norman’s Cay, snorkeled on a sunken drug airplane, and had a cheeseburger and beer at MacDuff’s. One of my favorite parts of the trip was our time in the Exumas Land and Sea Park. We hiked up Boo Boo Hill, snorkeled on several reefs all around the park. At Shroud’s Cay, we met a solo sailor named Bob who taught us the domino game Mexican Train. I am now addicted. At Shroud’s we jumped off a small cliff into a strong current that pulled us out towards the sea, dumping us on a sand bank before deep water. Another stop this month was Staniel Cay. We snorkeled the Thunderball Grotto (yes, the movie was shot there) and went to see the swimming pigs. Both Robins agreed that the pigs were kind of sad. So many tourists throwing food at them and chasing after the piglets. Although there was supposed to be a keeper there watching out for the animals, we didn’t see anyone. Just last year, seven of the wild pigs died suddenly. It is thought that they ingested too much sand while rooting on the beach for tourist food. The local folks and tour companies make a lot of money from these pigs, so I don’t see anything changing for them soon. One striking thing about this month’s voyage has been the number of mega-yachts we have seen. One of the captains told us that the boats have rerouted from the BVIs. Not only are the ports down there still far from being whole, but sunken boats pose a hazard to travel. SO MANY PEOPLE!!! Hopefully, we can find some spots that are not so crowded. Now we are back in Nassau. We’ve re-provisioned, watered up, and are getting ready to take off. We’re hoping to find a fishing spot so that Robin M. can catch something big before she goes home on April 12. Bob’s been chatting with some local fishermen, and they’ve given him a few tips. Wish us luck, and we wish you a happy and warming spring! Enjoy the most recent spate of photos below.
4 Comments
Diane Markowski
4/6/2018 04:56:27 pm
You certainly are having the trip of a lifetime! Happy for you! You did miss a terrific retirement party last night though!
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Linda Holbrook
4/7/2018 04:12:45 am
Love following your travels- thanks for sharing!
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Laura
4/9/2018 12:52:10 pm
I love Mexican Train! We have to play when you visit!! I'm so glad you guys are having such a splendid time. Love the pigs!!
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Dennis Wagner
4/15/2018 06:05:35 pm
It is rare but not uncommon for a Pudge to un-tie itself and wonder into the night
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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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