The New Year, 2012!

We all walked to Mermaid Reef. I sat on a little sandy beach w/Nova and Elena while Ken, Jeremy, Cameran and Eliz snorkeled. We made a great farewell dinner for Jeremy of grilled mahi-mahi, sprouted bean salad, and fried plantains. I tried hailing a taxi on VHF 06 where a cacophony of taxi drivers answered the call. Yikes! Pam and Dan from Skall and Bones suggested James Williams, Taxi#94. Jeremy hailed him to pick him up at 5pm. We’ll miss him. He was a great help when we sailed and was quickly learning ‘the ropes’, he, he. Jeremy left to catch a flight for Nassau and the Junkanoo.

New Year’s Eve in the Bahamas

In the afternoon Ken took everyone but me into town for some shopping while I enjoyed a quiet boat. Supper at the Jib Room was to be at 7pm, but would not be served until 8pm. We’d all signed up for their special dinner: either BBQ chicken, mahi-mahi, or steak. And we were starved! No one but Jeremy stayed up until midnight. We were woken up with the fireworks at Snappa’s, though.

Nippers at Great Guana Cay

Heading back to Marsh Harbour from Hope Town, we waited for the wind to abate some (a strong front came through the area while we were in Hope Town) yet still to have some tide to help us out of the harbour. We put up the sails and had a great run!

Eliz and Elena were to arrive Wednesday night and would stay 3 nights in an apt owned by the marina proprietors, Linda and Tom. We met at the apt Thursday and fixed a great shrimp stir-fry. We had dinghied there at near low tide and had a hard time getting up on the dock. Cameran and Nova would spend the night in the apt. After supper Jeremy helped me get back on the dinghy w/Cameran shining a flashlight down on us. We made it and motored back to the boat in the dark. Jeremy walked back later.

Friday, Dec 30th, we motorsailed to Guana, anchored in Fishers Bay and dinghied to the beach at Grabbers. We walked through the little town up to Nippers on the Atlantic side. Cameran treated us all to lunch. We headed back to the boat and motored back to the marina just before sunset.

Hope Town

On our way to Hope Town we anchored right outside Mermaid Reef again and Ken, Jeremy, and Cameran snorkeled. Nova and I stayed aboard. Then we motored over to Hope Town and picked up one of Alley-oop’s moorings for 2 nights at $20/night. We dinghied into Cap’n Jack’s for lunch then walked around the little neat town and to the beach. Since it was Boxing Day, and a national holiday, most of the stores were closed.

Tuesday the 27th we went into Cap’n Jack’s for breakfast then over to the lighthouse. Nova fell asleep in my arms and she and I sat in the sun on the deck (with her covered up) at the Lighthouse Marina’s Ship’s Store and watched all the people stocking up for New Year’s Eve at Lighthouse Liquors. Jeremy and Cameran went up and down the lighthouse, Jeremy for pictures and Cameran 5 x to pass the time. Later we went to the beach, Jeremy running in barefeet on the packed sand, and Cameran walking Nova in the Ergo. Ken and I read sheltered from the sun in a little park. We did some shopping, then back to the boat for coconut rum and lime juice drinks and playing ‘Dice’.

Christmas 2011 in the Bahamas Cont.

Saturday morning proceeded from slowly, as to be expected w/that full of a boat. We sailed to right outside Mermaid Reef expecting mild winds from the SE, which would make snorkeling comfortable, but the winds turned the East. Jeremy and Ken decided they’d try snorkeling, while Cameran rested, and I gladly watched Nova. Returning back to the boat, Jeremy was impressed w/the number and types of fish they saw, but both were getting a little seasick from the waves. We motored on into the marina w/Polar Pacer next to us.

Ken put up lights and I semi-decorated the boat w/garland. Many other boats in the marina were decorated w/lights for the holidays.

The marina hosted a potluck for the marina that was open to the harbour. About 30 of us gathered in the Jib Room for great food and camaraderie. We’d exchanged some small presents, walked to Pelican Beach, and enjoyed the beautiful day.

Fish Cays and Bakers Bay

Our boat with Nova in the V-berth
Our boat was taken over: Cameran and Nova had the salon with the table and settee made into a bed, and the settee across w/her large suitcase and backpack. We'd cleared out a space in the aft cabin for Jeremy (we use it as a garage and took out the mattress so Ken would have an easier access to the back of the engine), put down some pads, a sleeping bag, a sheet and a pillow. We felt like we were living in the sugarhouse again!

To those that don't know, we raised our kids in a small converted sugarhouse in the woods of Vermont. It had one bedroom which the kids shared, and Ken and I pulled out a couch. When Jeremy was 13yo we moved to our present house.

We started out on Friday, Dec. 23rd, to the Fish Cays. When I started the engine, the buzzer went off, which I thought was a little strange but I didn't give it much thought, just turned the key to turn it off. When Ken took over the helm he noticed none of the instruments were registering. It took us a minute to realize when I turned the key, it turned off the control panel. He turned it back up and immediately it started buzzing, which indicated the oil pressure was low. (Hmmm....that could be important). Ken checked everything and everything checked out fine...but the buzzer continued to warn us of low oil pressure.

By this time we were drifting around and I had Jeremy unfurl the jib to give us a little more direction in the light wind, so we drifted slowly towards the Fish Cays.

Ken was getting frustrated. Jeremy said something was triggering the alarm to go off; maybe some connection was broken. I tell you. It's nice to have 2 engineers aboard. Between the 2 of them, they determined the sensor was broken. The panel could be turned off and we'd be fine. We continued on our way.

We dinghied to shore at the Fish Cays and explored. Then continued on to Bakers Bay where we anchored for the night. Our intent was to snorkel at the north end of Great Guana, but it was late. Only 1 other boat was anchored in this beautiful bay. Later that night I saw lights flashing past the hatch in the v-berth and found Jeremy shining lights in the water watching needlefish being chased by a large predator fish. When he shined the light at the fish, the large fish almost jumped in the boat. The needlefish were jumping all over evading it.

(I don't know if it's our computer or not, Carole, but uploading pictures just does not work for me. I'll try to upload a more positive picture later. Right now we are late for happy hour with Bingo following!)

Christmas in the Bahamas

Wednesday, December 21st, was D-day, with both kids arriving, Cameran with the baby, Nova. I sat up at the gazebo at the entrance to The Jib Room waiting for Cameran for an hour. I was getting nervous wondering what was going on, if she'd missed her flight, if it was delayed, and here she is with a 3 month old! As I've said, communication in the Bahamas is spotty. We didn't have a Bahamian compatible phone; I'd left the phone number for the marina with them, but I didn't know if their phones would work here. And while traveling, internet is always spotty. Ken checked email and finally received an email from Jeremy that Cameran had missed her connection in Denver, had spent the night there, and was getting a later flight but still arriving today. Whew!

Jeremy was to arrive about 6:20pm. Again I sat up at the gazebo. Finally around 7pm I started walking around (pacing---would either one actually make it to the Bahamas??) and talked to John from Tallyho. I looked up and here was Jeremy! Finally!! His plane had been delayed for an hour in Nassau, for no apparent reason that he saw, then it was a 20 min. flight to here. The Marsh Harbour airport is very primitive; they waited on the tarmac until someone drove all their luggage over, then everyone grabbed theirs and headed to waiting taxis or rides.

Jeremy looked up flights from Ft Lauderdale to Marsh Harbour. Cameran's flight looked like it'd be the 8:30pm flight. I'd turned on the VHF and told them to page us on channel 16 if they needed to. Right then I hear: 'Plumpuppet, Plumpuppet.' I rush to the mike and respond. Again: 'Plumpuppet, Plumpuppet'. I respond: 'This is Plumpuppet, come back.' Ken heads to the gazebo and I hear talking and a baby gurgling. They made it!! Nova is sitting in the carseat crunching a bag of Sunchips and gurgling and laughing. Ken hands her over to Jeremy and he puts her down below and we all greet smiling, laughing Nova. Of course, we greet Cameran, also.