| Don and Barb 1 |
| First trip to the Bahamas - January 11, 2008 |
| Here are our latest pics, we leave tomorrow for the Bahamas. We celebrated Don's birthday on the 8th... |
| We anchored out about 300 yards out from here. |
| We went sight seeing in Key Largo. |
| On the glass bottomed boat. |
| The Dulcinea anchored in Key Largo. |
| Even the fuel docks look exoctic |
| buying tomatoes. |
| At happy hour at Snooks. |
| First trip to the Bahamas - January 22, 2008 |
| Hi Today is Jan. 22nd, our 34th day out from Cortez on the Dulcinea, and 12th day in the Bahamas. WE are in the Bay of 5 Pirates. Since arriving in the Bahamas, we have spent seven nights anchored out on our own, and 4 nights is marinas, 2 marina nights in Bimini Blue Water Marina and 2 marina nights here at Great Harbour Key in the Berry Islands where we have waited out the norther. We plan to leave this AM and head for the Aboco Is;ands. First,we will hike out to gain limited Internet access to send this. Here are some pictures from Bimini, (where we cleared customs) and the Berry Islands. The first picture of the pool and hibicus is Bimini. The Dulcinea is right under the palm tree. Boy, was I impressed that the marina had a fresh water pool. Next, Don checking our anchor at Chub Key after the winds shifted. Then there is a super neat wreck we found; |
| conch fishermen; Don in a real tiny bar with sand as a floor and bras & underwear hanging from the ceiling. Then we entered the Bay of the 5 Pirates. The entrance to this bay had been dynamited out of the limestone, you can see the cut ..the next picture shows the brightly painted concrete pilings as seen from our cockpit. This second pool picture also includes the Dulcinea's sails in the background right in the middle. The marina is right next door to this pool. There is a picture of a friend I made at the laundry who literally stopped her own laundry to drive us to town and back, The people are really unbelievable friendly and helpful. I added a picture of a conch shell pile, these piles are everywhere; and a few anniversary pictures. I love the anniversary picture of the two of us. If you view all of these large screen you get some captions |
| Be warned that the computer has superimposed Chub Key sunset pictures I downloaded,that I have deleted and deleted and they are still there. Look at these when you feel very calm and centered....I am still learning the Photo Elements program, and there is a large learning curve..Ronnie, where are you when I need you? |
| First Anniversary photo Conch fishermen sell their catch. Bar with sand floor, bras & panties hanging every where & Cowboys game. |
| First trip to the Bahamas - January 27, 2008 |
| Greetings from the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas: |
| We send our love. We left Great Harbour Marina in the Berry Islands as soon as the norther passed. We then had about 3 days before the next one. The wave swells today were about 6 feet and gentle. |
| We anchored last night at Sandy Point, Abaco Islands and tried for 2 hours to find some sand for the anchor to dig in and gave up and just let the chain and anchor lay on the bottom and set the anchor alarm. |
| I stayed awake and watched the stars to make sure we were not dragging the anchor. No wind or current, no problem. Today, Don was at the helm at 4 AM and continued until about 6P,M, |
| We are anchored out now. I relieved him for, lunch, 50 min rest, etc. and he did all the putting up the sails, adjusting, etc, I have learned how to watch the GPS map while at the helm, as well as the compass. Today it was constant readjusting. |
| We had waves crashing on the reefs beside us, just before we anchored, and it was beautiful. Tomorrow is another adventure as we find a safe harbor before the norther, Love, Don and Barb |
| First trip to the Bahamas - February 5, 2008 |
| It is hard to describe Hope Town in limited space. It is described as "almost everyone's dream realized....The habour is overlooked by the candy striped lighthouse. The streets are narrow concrete paths set between houses painted ever color, in pinks, green,turquoise, salmon,yellows, blues, gray and white, together with gingerbread eves and picket fences...Flowers and flowering shrubs of exotic colors co-equal the houses. Beyond lies the Atlantic, deep dark blue, brilliant green closer to the shore. " |
| At anchor, we could clearly hear birds and right along with the birds singing were the sounds of the crashing waves from the nearby Atlantic...this had to be the most beautiful minglings of sounds I have ever heard..and we had this for 4 days and 3 nights. I cried "for happy" listening and experiencing the serenity that surrounded us. |
| At night, the hand wound rotating light of the lighthouse (one of only 3 left) would gently shine over us. We would turn out all the salon lights at night and look at the stars and this light. When I got up during the night the flashing rotating light would be there and I would remember where I was and smile. |
| At 7:30 A. M. each mooring, we watched the ferry pass us to take the children to Marsh Harbour for school. |
| The town itself was delightful. We met one of the descendents of the original Loyalist settlers of 1785, Vernon Malone,, He had grocery, a bakery, was a lay minister and historian. I went in "Vernon's Grocery" to get some green tomatoes for our next sail. |
| We had visited a small museum earlier that same day. We watched a DVD on the history of the Abaoco's and I recognized him as one of the historians featured on the DVD. Also their were postcards there with his picture. Anyway, we had a nice visit with Vernon. |
| We toured the town on two different days. We had conch for lunch on the waterfront and I took pictures of seagulls in front of the lighthouse. We bought some Bahamian guava jam, local-made frozen conch fritter batter and then found some fresh grouper. Don grilled some of the grouper and it was fantastic. |
| It took several days, and 3 trips to the Post Office to find it open ...Everyone in the Bahamas is on island time!!. The Post Office person, that morning we had tried to find her, was listening to a visiting choir at the church and she just closed up shop and left without a note. The day before during her business hours, we arrived only to find a note " Closed to Friday, Sorry for the inconvenience." ..that's O. K., we are on island time, too. |
| We loved Hope Town, We definitely will be back and back and back! |
| First trip to the Bahamas - February 5, 2008 Part 2 |
| Hi everybody, Greetings from Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas. |
| We so enjoyed seeing all the architecture in Hope Town. While walking around we saw a house that had a miniature of itself in the front yard with a sign saying "Lizard Lodge, home of Mr. Curlytail"..(the lizard we see here in the Bahamas). |
| This is part two of Hope Town. In the first picture our dingy is at the left. The weather was perfect Thursday and Friday when we toured Hope Town. The high in place over the Bahamas has given us perfect weather for a week. We heard this morning on the cruisers net that the groundhog saw his shadow yesterday so we can expect 6 more weeks of this kind of winter weather....I can handle it! |
| Anyway here are some of our pictures where we can share our adventure with you. dingy docked for tour butterflies everywhere narrow concrete streets LOTS OF COLORS LOTS OF FLOWERS Abaco history museum Lizard Lodge color everywhere happy us I enjoyed taking pictures I had fun taking a bunch of pictures of the seagulls in front of the lighthouse as I waited on my conch burger. |
| Hope everyone is doing O. K. This is super bowl Sunday. To get here, here being Grappers, a beach resort on Great Guana Cay was an adventure. We got in the dingy in the pitch dark and came across the bay in the dark toward the "pretty lights". There have at least 15 palms decorated with lights..some as tall and curved at you can imagine. We tied the dingy up to a dock and then I climbed up about 6 feet or so on a wooden ladder and then walked down a long dock...all with no lights...no moon...but billions of stars. I had seen some people here earlier today when we came over to investigate the cay. This is the first time I have Internet access that I knew would not go off line. I just pulled up 4 e-mails from ya'll. Thanks it is good to hear from you. |
| We are doing fine. I think this is about our 46 or so day out. So many experiences. Great Guana Cay has the third largest reef in the world just 75 yards out. We are on a shoestring budget now...but it is still the experience of a lifetime. By for now, Love, Don and Barb |
| First trip to the Bahamas - February 6, 2008 |
| We made a visit one day to the "in" Tiki bar of the central Abacos, which attracts people from all the other cays. It even has a two level swimming pool....it is right on the Atlantic and the view is indescribable. |
| A picture I took through my look bucket. I love my look bucket!! We take trips out in the dingy just to explore the underworld with the look bucket. |
| Sunrise 2/2/08, right before we raised the anchor to sail to Guana Cay. This is where the dual sounds of the surf and birds were so remarkable and we enjoyed the surf. |
| We have anchored in three different locations to experience this and Don's back in tired from pulling up the 45 lb anchor with another 60 lb of chain. |
| Even though Guana Cay has remained undeveloped, there is large golf/homes development which would cut the mangroves, going in , that the local Bahamians are really opposing. The 5 1/2 miles beach of the cay was build by mangroves trapping sand forever. One day we dinged, walked, and snorkeled there where the future golf course would be. It used to be a cruise ship designation but the cruise line decided the passage to get there could get too rough.....it is an unbelievably beautiful area. |
| Today is our 5th day in Guana Cay, which is a 5 1/2 mile long cay with the reef 75 yards off shore. We explored its beaches a number of times. The cay is a beachcombers dream, a phenomenal continuous beach on the Atlantic side and many beautiful beaches on the Sea Of Abaco side. As everywhere, people use ferrys to get around ,and on shore, walking and golf carts are the main transportation. |
| The next day we explored an uninhabited island. This was fascinating. I love traveling by dingy both during the day and at night. |
| Hi everybody..my last e-mail I sent from Grabbers at Sunset Beach on Guana Cay during the super bowl . Grappers is the only thing at this beach & I reported how we got there with the dingy in the dark..I failed to mention that the long dock which was of course over the water, was also very narrow..and leaning (from a hurricane?)..well, naturally, we had to go back out on it to get to the dingy.. ...still dark, no lights or moon, .and the ladder which Don estimated had been over a 6 ft climb up earlier ..now was over a low tide which meant way over 6 feet and the last step was way above the dingy...that was a bit of a physical and emotional stretch for me...yes this is an adventure! |
| Locals under the trees. We noticed a sign at the waters edge. The sign states "the Baker Bay Development, golf club, will be a reef killer and is not welcome here." In the settlement itself there were signs on the small houses saying "no golf". |
| The next day we took the dingy further down the cay to "the settlement". The ferry is Donnie V. |
| back to the beach where we anchored the dingy. It is now sunset and time to go back to the Dulcinea for supper. |
| A short walk takes us to the other side of the cay, the Atlantic side. We found a mooring ball that had washed up on the beach. |
| 2/03/08 Our first trip into shore on Guana Cay. |
| still on the main street..our dingy is right behind us "in town." Cont in part two, Love, Don and Barb |
| We talked with the Bahamian woman in the foreground. Don is sitting in the shade of the fig tree. The fig tree is mentioned in several CD songs we have. This is the main street going in "town" right on the water. |
| First trip to the Bahamas - January 26, 2008 |
| Greeting from the Abaco Islands. Today is our 41st day from Cortez and 18th day in the Bahamas We had a fantastic time at Little Harbour and wanted to share it with you. Don had read about an art gallery in a very remote place and so we sailed to Little Harbour. Randolph Wardell Johnson, after teaching at Amherst and Smith wanted to live and work in an unspoiled environment. He and his family found what they wanted and lived in a cave and on their boat until a studio and home could be built. This was in the 50's. Now the area has a gallery and Pete's Pub, (Pete being the son) both operated by the family, and some houses. the ruins of the old light house and that is it. We had the most wonderful adventure hiking to the lighthouse ruins and exploring that morning. Then we went to the gallery and we were lucky enough that afternoon to be there the afternoon of the 14th annual 50th birthday party and pig roast for Pete. We heard that if we were there next week we would have been the only ones there. That afternoon was a charity event and lots of people in a festive mood. This day was certainly one to write home about....and so I am! |
| We take the dingy to shore for our adventure today. |
| The Dulcinea behind Don, patiently waits for our return. |
| We beach literally at the Gallery's front entrance. This is so cool! |
| It is early and we have the beach to ourselves. Don secures our dingy. |
| Pete's Pub had a sandy floor and a wooden boat bow for the bar. Behind it is a sculpture garden set among the tropical vegetation. |
| We walked back past the gallery to go find the path to the lighthouse ruins |
| If there had not been a sign, we might have missed the path. This whole area was filled with butterflies, large black ones, small black ones, yellow, orange....I love butterflies. |
| The path was overgrown at times and that just added to the adventure. |
| The gallery was also a real treat. |
| "Life a Ocean Time a Wave Soul a Drop" Randolph Wardell Johnson |
| Don gets the first of our "Blasters", the house specialty, 4 rums and fruit juice as we join the birthday party and pig roast later in the afternoon. |
| Self portrait with harvested coconuts behind me. I must add a note here. Don's hair and beard have really grown since we left. Someone standing next to our boat at the marina yesterday saw the boats name and Don and fondly asked if he was Don Quixote. Don answerd that she (the Dulicea) was the perfect lady & then told her our story. Neat! |
| Pete's Pub. At the pig roast, I had barbecued smoked wild boar and Don had tuna steak Both were served with local vegees and yummy. |
| From the upper deck at Pete's Pub we can see the Dulcinea. |
| Another shot with the Dulcinea in the background. This is the sculpture garden. This board walk leads to the Atlantic. We were out here a while before the pig roast. We met lots of new friends standing out here and drinking our Blasters. |
| We take the dingy home. What an incredible day! |
| Sunset, Little Harbour, January 26, 2008 Love to all, Don & Barbara |
| We passed a beach; Then we were high and could see the Atlantic. The ruins of the old lighthouse...now there is just a light tower, no lighthouse. This was the kitchen. |