The next day was blustery and overcast. We had some wavy seas, but luckily we were staying on the Banks side so it wasn’t too intense. Heading north we saw all these mega yachts in the distance. These things are massive!! Again, we looked up the names and read up on the boats and their features.
Interestingly enough, these two yachts travel together as a team and are privately owned by the Chairman of Harbor Freight. The top one, Intrepid, is the “support yacht” for the lower one. It has the helipad, tenders, and toys. The yacht on the bottom, Infinity, is like the home (and probably the office) and has a 15 foot swimming pool, movie theater, and beach club. It’s crazy that people are this rich. If you want to read more about this yacht duo, click here. Don’t worry, these guys are no match for INNTW!!
IntrepidInfinityThis one is called Air and he must feel awfully lonely not to have a big sister following him around. At least it has a helipad on the back.
We stopped at Shroud Cay with the thought that we would dinghy down that northern channel again in hopes of seeing more turtles, but that was not an option today. We made the trip, but it was blustery so there were little ripples over the water, even in the protected channel, so it was hard to see what creatures were swimming below. We dinghied down the whole channel and didn’t see much, so we came back to the boat and headed off on our merry way. It was disappointing because we loved Shroud Cay on our way south, but this just goes to show that good weather can make or break a stop!!
We continued further north to Norman’s Cay. You might remember we stayed in the pond on our trip south, but this time we chose to anchor off the beach near the airport, right next to Livin the Dream. They just can’t get rid of us!! We also saw 3 other boats we met back in Bimini when we first came to the Bahamas. Small cruising world!!
The kids played on Livin the Dream while the adults had big discussions about all things life, cruising, and boat related. We were thankful for the distraction from this blustery day.
The next morning, however, was sunny and clear. We watched as Livin theDream took off to head towards Nassau, Bimini, and eventually Florida, but we weren’t quite sure of our next move so we did what we do best: we loaded up and headed to the beach. We hadn’t explored this end of the island before past the infamous lookout boat, which we could see clearly from the anchorage.
We walked along the sandy beach, searched for hermit crabs, attempted to get a peek at whoever closed down the famous MacDuffs Restaurant (they were closed to the public for 4 days to protect the identity of their guests), and played some good ol fashioned beach baseball before a squall chased us back to the boat.
Just the day before this anchorage was full and now it was only us. For a while at least.Just when the game was getting good, the squall started moving uncomfortably close and I called a rain delay. We scurried back to the boat and got a bit wet in the process, but we were drier than we would have been had we stayed.It looks like a water spout was forming as the storm built, and then it dissipated.The rain stayed around for the rest of the day, but it was a good excuse to read and snuggle on the couch!We have a few leaks when it really rains hard. Guess it’s time to add some waterproofer to the bimini top.In the evening we were treated to this beautiful rainbow peaking through the clouds.
Thanks for reading and following along on our adventures!!
Destination: Hawksbill Cay (though of course we weren’t sure when we left!)
Distance: 23.1 miles
Speed: 7.8 mph
Time on the Move: 2 hours and 58 minutes
After a morning of movie making with these pirates, we headed off to the north. Of course, we weren’t sure of our destination, but we had 3 good ideas and figured the right choice would come to us as we cruised.
It was a beautiful day for boating and beaching, and as soon as we saw the white sand beach on Hawksbill, we knew that was the right choice for the day. We found a different beach to anchor off of than when we were here previously, and we enjoyed Hawksbill just as much.
I feel like this place is a hidden gem because it is never busy, it has the most gorgeous beaches, and even a few trails to keep you busy. I don’t want to tell too many people, but Hawksbill is within the top 3 stops of the Exumas for sure!!
Bro bros kayaking to the beach. Mike paddled over after finishing up some chores on board.Isn’t this place amazing?!If I ever go missing, this is where I’ll be.
We had the best day playing, swimming, and relaxing on our own private stretch of sand. Days like this just can’t be beat!!
Thanks for following along and reading about all of our adventures!!
Heading out of Staniel Cay we had the calmest water with gorgeous sunshine over head. We started towards our destination, but after half an hour or so of pushing through this amazingly calm and clear water, I couldn’t wait to jump in. So we stopped the boat and let her float for the next few hours while we swam and played. It was completely magical!
Hard to tell where the water ends and the sky begins.The water here was so clear, we could see straight down to the sandy bottom.My little mermaid.Colin did the usual quick check for sharks and other creepies, but then even he swam and played for a while.
These are the best days!!I love not having a schedule for this exact reason. If something comes up, we can totally go for it!!
Unbelievable.The Captain!!
We swam near the boat while it slowly drifted along for about an hour without seeing any living things. Then we happened to all be out of the water and about to all jump in off the side when we saw a 4′ long barracuda swimming around. It was a little surprising, but barracudas are usually curious, so it wasn’t out of the norm. We looked at the charts and realized we were about to drift over a reef area still 10 feet below us. This must be where that guy came from. We enjoyed floating over the top of the reef and “snorkeling from the bow.”
You could see everything below clear as day! Not many fish, a little coral, and lots of rocks.The boys all tried fishing. I even offered $3 to anyone who spotted a lobster, but no luck. After we crossed over the reef, Mike worked on scraping the bottom a bit while he could see so clearly.
After about 3 hours we had enough swimming and playing so Mike fired up the engines and we carried on towards our destination. What a fun afternoon. We sure don’t see water that calm very much, so it was a great time to take advantage of a beautiful day!! If not now then when?!
Carrying on, we got closer to some mega yachts that were in the distance during our swim. This one in particular was fascinating. It had a huge blow up slide from the 5th level down to the water, with all kinds of water toys and tenders floating off the back. As we passed by, a sea plane landed and headed over to drop off the guests that probably had an amazing afternoon running from salty pigs on the beach and eating at the yacht club. Such a display of wealth. I can’t imagine the life these people must live to be able to afford this extravagance. Our time in the Bahamas seems so similar to theirs, but on such a simpler scale and for a fraction of the cost. Food for thought for all of us.
Our plan was to anchor near the Rocky Dundas caves to do some snorkeling inside before heading to our anchorage. The water in the picture below was so calm and it was slack tide, so we thought it would be the perfect time.
Rocky Dundas caves are inside that cay.On our way to snorkel–or so we thought!!
However, after this short dinghy ride over to the moorings, we watched swells coming off the ocean and slamming in to the rocks and we weren’t so sure about it being the perfect time to snorkel anymore. Mike swam over to check it out while we watched the waves bang him around in horror. He swam gently toward the opening, got swept in to the rocks by a giant swell, got swept underwater by another swell, and then swam underwater all the way back to the boat before he could get knocked around again. He was a tad bloody and absolutely sure that it was not a good time for us to snorkel Rocky Dundas anymore. We even called it Rocky Deadlas and said that if you swam there, you would surely die. Not worth it for us!!
Instead we dinghied back over to the bay at Fowl Cay where we anchored the big boat and did some snorkeling there. The current was pretty strong, but there was a lot of coral and fish to see and no swells to speak of.
Tobin jumped right in!Hayley floated on her life jacket so she didn’t have to worry about swimming against the current too much.Colin literally stuck his head in to check it out, but didn’t want to get in the water.The current was so strong I gave Hayley and Tobin lines off the dinghy to hold on to in the water. Extra peace of mind for all of us.Everyone that went in said it was a great place to snorkel with lots of stuff to see. We turned Rocky Dundas lemons into lemonade!
After moving INNTW to the mooring field at Cambridge Cay, Hayley and Mike paddled over to pay our nightly anchorage fee. We settled in just in time for a beautiful sunset and full moon kind of night. What a long day of swimming and fun in the sun!!
Sunset over Bell Island.A beautiful moon shining over the anchorage. You can see the bright blue lights from the mega yacht parked next to us. It was interesting to look up how much they chartered that yacht for and realize they spent more on one week of yacht rental (not even food, fuel, tips, excursions, etc) than we plan to spend in a whole year. Craziness!!The next morning, the moon was still visible over Bell Island.
Our buddies Livin the Dream were anchored in the next anchorage over, so the next day we made plans to meet up at the beach for a little hike and “beach playground” kind of fun.
This makeshift swing was created by a huge line that washed up on shore.These boys can have all kinds of fun with some beach treasures and sticks!! The girls were off somewhere collecting beach trash and playing baby dolls.
Later we hiked on some trails that head to the north. The cay has some pretty good hills to climb and overlooks to admire the view.
A beautiful view for miles!! Barefoot and wild. What lucky kiddos!The kids are way in the background and the adults don’t bother trying to keep up.View of our anchorage from the hills.What a beautiful spot!
When we got back to the beach, we found our dinghy high and dry. Funny, because it was floating just fine when we left it. It looks odd to see the anchor just sitting there. Luckily, our dinghy is pretty light, so with some teamwork and help from the kids and Zeeffs, we got her back to the water. Then we had to pull their dinghy back to the water, which is not near as light!
Every time you beach/anchor/tie up the dinghy you do the quick tide check to see what is happening with the water, but sometimes your adventure takes longer than you anticipated and you return to this!
We found out it was International Water Day, so Mike had to document us making fresh drinking water with our reverse osmosis system right from salty ocean water. Science is amazing!!
Water is life!And according to Mike, so is beer!
Thanks for following along on our adventures!! This cartoon perfectly captures our thoughts on days like today! Start your own adventure!!
Destination: Between the Majors anchorage at Staniel Cay
Distance: 43.2 miles
Speed: 8.4 mph
Time on the Move: 5 hours and 13 minutes
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise over Lee Stocking and had a great day to travel. Again, we had to venture out into the Sound for part of this trip, so we hoped for a calm day. We were sad to say goodbye to Walden and happy that SummerCamp was moving north with us. Goodbyes are a regular occurrence in this cruising lifestyle, but thank goodness social media makes it so easy for us to keep in touch!!
Traveling in the Sound was a bit rougher than anticipated, but easier than our trip to Lee Stocking. The Captain was intent on fishing in the deeper water, so we toughed it out longer than necessary and were thankful when we cut back over to the Banks.
Captain Tobin took over for a while.Playing Memory on the way. This kid has a great memory!!Living a carefree life, cruising through the Bahamas on a Tuesday morning.
Heading in through the cut wasn’t too bad, but when wind/waves oppose current, it can really kick up some chop!!
As we neared Staniel Cay, we noticed a whole lineup of mega yachts anchored further out. The caliber of mega yachts during this visit at “high season” has definitely increased!! We couldn’t believe how big these yachts were!!
One of our first orders of business after getting diesel fuel and anchoring was to head to the airport. Our hotspot got a little too wet on that wavy day back in Georgetown when we sloshed through the waves again and again to get all of our chores done, and it didn’t want to charge anymore. Thank goodness for “My Island Wifi” we had a new hotspot sent right over to the airport here at Staniel. Unfortunately we had to come back 4 times before it actually arrived, but we met some cool people in the process and saw some different parts of the Cay.
Flights run in and out all day here and this is about the biggest plane you’ll see. Passengers take their luggage right out to the plane and usually load it in a compartment themselves before they climb up the steps built into the door. This is not DTW, it’s island life!
That night we played with our friends on SummerCamp and mentally prepared for a big west wind that was expected the next day. There isn’t a whole lot of protection for winds from the west, but this spot between the Majors has great protection, so we felt comfortable and safe, despite it being a high current area. Pig beach is on the other side of that cay in the picture.
We woke up to overcast skies and blustery winds. It looked like it could rain at any time, but luckily, it held off through most of the day. The winds weren’t even as bad as expected.
The only other Carver we saw for 3 months is anchored at the top of this picture. We waved to each other in solidarity.
Despite the icky weather, we had chores to do: garbage to drop off, hot spots to pick up, groceries to buy, and lunch to eat. Getting ready to head off the boat is such a normal part of our life at anchor, yet it still requires a million reminders to get all the kiddos ready. Sunscreen, sunglasses and/or hat, lifejackets, and of course, a purse for Hayley. Looks like they’re finally ready!!
INNTW at anchor between the Majors.Off on an adventure!!Staniel is one place we saw lots of nurse sharks heading south, and it didn’t disappoint on this stop, either. This guy was relaxing in the channel on the way to the airport.We had to sneak around the front of this huge yacht several times to and from the airport. I HATE being close to big boats, so taking this picture was difficult.Heading to the airport. Again. Finally got the hot spot!!Look at this cool teal fish we saw swimming under the docks!!Quiet reading time after getting back to INNTW.We saw this awesome rainbow after an evening squall. Beautiful!
Even though the weather was overcast and threatening for most of the day, we were treated to an amazing sunset. We accomplished a lot in a short time here, and we are ready to move on tomorrow.
Thanks for reading and following along on our advetures!!
We were sad to leave Georgetown, but looking forward to new adventures. Unfortunately, our first adventure was pumping out our holding tanks and it didn’t go well. It was quite rocky and rolly out there, and of course the power connection wasn’t working. Mike had to come in and make a new connection for the pump before we could even think of starting this chore. This was the worst day pumping out for us, as the seas were about 3 feet and we had to change course to go into them so we could be as safe as possible. We were all so thankful when the task was done so we could speed up and start working towards our destination.
After we turned to get back on course, the waves were on our stern (coming behind us). That is an uncomfortable position for most of us on the boat, as it tends to make us nauseous. I kept morale high with lots of dum dum suckers, but the crew was pretty miserable.
Luckily, we had no pukers, and as soon as we turned in that cut, the waves disappeared, the beauty returned, and the crew perked up. After three weeks in Georgetown, we forgot how clear and sparkling the water is in other places. It was amazing and we couldn’t stop taking pictures and talking about how beautiful it was.
Doesn’t everyone travel with laundry on their bow?!Clear, blue water greeted us on the calm Banks side of the islands. Too beautiful to capture with pictures!Tobin brought me this treasure map and asked “Is this where we’re going??” Obviously the answer was “Yes!! Exactly!!”
We dropped anchor right near Walden and SummerCamp joined us later in the day. As soon as the kids had lunch, we loaded up all the toys and dinghied over to 1 of 3 beaches surrounding our anchorage where they climbed rocks, explored, and made houses and forts in the brush. I took the opportunity to float in peace on the Lilly Pad.
The kids followed each other, climbing around these rocks all afternoon.Our anchorage, with INNTW right there in the middle
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, beautiful anchorages are even better with friends nearby!
The next morning the dads headed out bright and early to try their hand at spearfishing. The moms got the kiddos ready (no small feat!) and headed to the beach to hike Perry’s Peak again.
Great hunters!
You might remember that Mike and I hiked Perry’s Peak on our last trip through Lee Stocking Island all by ourselves. Well, one of the moms knew that there happened to be treasure hidden up there, so it was perfect motivation to get the kids up there (not that they need much motivating to go exploring with their friends!!).
Tobin found this HUGE lobster head on the beach. Since you only eat lobster tails, many people just break the head off and throw it right back in the water, keeping only the tail. That means you randomly find lobster heads floating around–a sign someone had a great dinner!The kids were off in a flash, leaving the moms to follow behind. Fine with us!At the top of the peak, the kids found the treasure box easily and loved picking through the goodies to choose their own treasure. Just look at all that treasure!!Successful treasure hunters!! Tobin was there, too, but he often hides from pictures.Always with a stick in hand!!We saw the dads zip by in the dinghy on their way to a new spot.
After some playtime on the beach we headed back to the boat for a sunbreak and some lunch.
I love reading quietly with Colin or Hayley every day after lunch, while Tobin has a little quiet time in his room. One of my favorite parts of the day!
After the guys returned, they were happy to show off their catch. We decided we would have a group dinner that night, but first some beach playtime. The dads took their turn to watch the kids on the beach while the mamas enjoyed a little quiet wine time. Later they kept the kiddos occupied on SummerCamp while they started cleaning fish for dinner. It was a group effort to get dinner together and so much fun (especially because it was not on our boat!!).
They caught 2 lobsters, 2 lionfish, a parrotfish, a grouper, and a yellow-tailed snapper.Kid dinner on the bow of SummerCamp followed by a movie!!Kid boat buddies!!
The next day we took off to explore a trail right from one of the beaches by our anchorage. It was a beautiful view from a high peak right on the Atlantic side. We decided to hike south a bit and enjoyed climbing on the rocks and finding a little beach. We would have hiked further, but a squall was moving our way and we didn’t want to get caught out in the pouring rain.
Tour boats kept bringing people in to hike up here for the gorgeous view.Look at how clear that water is!! You can see every rock on the bottom of the sea, clear as day. By the way, it wasn’t cold, but Tobin HATES getting rained on, so he insisted on bringing a sweatshirt in case it started sprinkling.
Later that afternoon, all the kids came over to play and swim at our boat. They had lots of fun, and we were really doing our best to tire everyone out!! Another cruiser that we met in Georgetown, Traveler, happened to be in the area and sped by on their dinghy, so they stopped and joined in the fun. What’s one more kid, right?!
That night, Tobin was out for the count!! Sleepy buddy!!
One last beautiful sunset at Lee Stocking. We had so much fun here playing with friends and remembering what life outside of Georgetown is like–slower, but definitely gorgeous and full of adventures. Time to move north.
We moved the boat across Elizabeth Harbor, further away from the beach condo and Georgetown’s “downtown” area, so we were closer to the cruisers and other kid boats. We moved several times over the next 10 days, but none of them were more than 2 miles, so we’ll just skip those details.
We headed to the Exuma Market one last time before we moved across the harbour. The Hulk joined us, naturally.
Getting to town is an adventure in itself!!
Later that day we headed to a birthday party for Carrick, a friend on another kid boat that we met in Marathon, Florida, who was turning 5. It is so cool that these parents go on the morning cruisers net and invite all kids in the area to meet at a certain beach on a certain day for a birthday party. So much fun for the birthday kid, and others alike!!
Quite a few kids turned out to celebrate with Carrick. Hayley isn’t in this picture because she was off playing with a friend. Carrick’s mom got the kids to gather and smile for the picture by promising them a blow pop afterwards. GENIUS!!The party scene. The kids ran around on the beach and in the woods, making a fort, while the adults chatted and had sundowners on the beach.Barefoot and wild…
The party was on Sand Dollar Beach, on the other side of the harbour from where we were previously staying, so we hadn’t been here before. It looked like the kids had a lot of fun in the fort, and there was little hangout called the Ship Shack, too.
It’s cozy in there with benches and hammocks.Very fitting words of inspiration in the Ship Shack! Thank you, Mark Twain!
The next day we headed to the Pig Roast at the Chat ‘n’ Chill. It was packed. I mean PACKED. Way more busy than the other days we were there, but I guess the Sunday Pig Roast is a big deal. It was such a fun day talking with other cruisers and just soaking up the magic vibe of this beach. I could have stayed there forever!
I wish I took more pictures, but the truth is, places like that can’t be captured with a picture. And it must mean I was soaking up the moments in real time!
Mike and Hayley did some paddling and a workout on the beach pre-pig roast.Tobin headed straight for the slack line and wanted to do it all by himself!
We planned on leaving two days later, but somehow during this fabulous day at the beach, both Mike and I decided we just weren’t ready to leave. We felt like we just got started doing all the cruiser and kid activities we wanted to do here. It was an easy decision to postpone our departure and stay until….later. Having no schedule can be very refreshing!
The next day we had the best wavy day at the beach!! We hiked over to the Atlantic side with Livin the Dream and had an awesome day boogie boarding and relaxing on the beach. Those waves were perfect!!
Our kids have never really ridden big waves before, so it was a learning experience in how not to lose your sunglasses, how not to take giant gulps of saltwater, and how not to get scraped along the sand (for very long) at the shore. Tobin hung by the shore in his life jacket, and that was a wild enough adventure for him!After the kids were tired out, the adults took a turn on the boogie boards!!Not sure who had more fun: kids or adults?!
Later that night, Hayley lost her tooth that has been wiggly for weeksandweeksandweeks. It is the first time the tooth fairy came to the boat, and we were so glad she found us okay!!
Hayley was thrilled to get a Bahamian dollar!
We ended the day with some champagne, just because, and fishing at sunset. Not a bad day!!
Tobin was so proud of the fish he caught, but apparently he didn’t want to touch it.A perfect ending to the day!
The next day we hiked up Monument Hill. The monument used to be called the Salt Beacon because it shined a light that guided cargo ships into the harbour to be filled with salt that was mined in the area. It was a fun hike with some steep stone steps carved into the limestone with a piece of nylon rope to hold, to guide yourself up. Not scary, but fun!! And such a view at the top!!
This was mosquito haven!We pass by snails like this on trees regularly on our hikes. Posing on the Monument. It was a pretty steep slope to stand on and very windy up there!!Great view!! It’s hard to see in this picture, but lots of cruisers head to “Monument Beach” to write their boat name in rocks, for a great picture opportunity once they climb up to the top of the hill. Somehow, we never got around to writing INNTW on the beach.
From the Monument, there are trails that continue down to the Atlantic side, so of course we had to explore down there, too. There was a steep sand dune to descend first, and then we found a very wide beach for walking, carrying sticks, and making sand piles.
Heading off on a new adventure to who knows where?! Pretty normal for this crew!!Hay and I stopped for a picture halfway down the hill. It looks like Tobin was a little faster than us!!Toby found this big log and carried it all around the beach like a club. Caveman Tobin.Colin engineers in the sand wherever he gets a chance, either digging holes, making dams, or making sand hills. Mike always tells him he is going to alter the geography of an area with all of his creativity.The kids were desperate to climb up these sand dunes and I have to admit that I wouldn’t let them. They were so clean, and I didn’t want them to get all sandy. In hindsight, I regret it. I should have let them go exploring. Funny how we can regret those little moments so much.
After the beach walk, we headed back up to the Monument so we could head down our original trail back to our dinghy. It was a lot of fun exploring this area and we met some fun cruisers and even new kids on our hike! Adventure is everywhere out here!
Back to the dinghy.
The next day was our last full day in Georgetown. We had some chores to take care of, but we also had some playing to do. Busy, busy days on the boat! We headed to Georgetown to drop off garbage, get our laundry done, and restock on groceries. It was a bit of a sporty dinghy ride, with wavesandwavesandwaves. You can see here, Mike’s shirt is drenched from the waves and spray. We were probably all soaked!!
We heard there is a great laundromat that will wash, dry, and fold your laundry for $10 a load and it was $7 to do it yourself. That seemed like a no brainer!! I didn’t expect there to be fresh baked cinnamon rolls for sale, too, so that was an added bonus!!
We had two full laundry bags done for $20 total. They were nicely folded and smelling great 3 hours later when we went back to pick them up. I’ll call that a win!!We found a little playground to burn off some energy!
Then, off to get groceries. We stocked up at the Exuma market, as it was the most like a “grocery store” that we saw in all of the Exumas. We had another wet and wavy dinghy ride back to the boat to unload groceries and gather necessary items for a day at the pool. Then we headed back to Georgetown to pick up the laundry and put it in grocery bags to attempt to keep it dry in all those waves!! We filled the jerry cans with gas for the dinghy and then noticed a cruiser who was having trouble getting her dinghy to start. Mike offered to tow her out to her boat that she assured us was just outside the inner harbour. Really, she was a ways out, and the waves and a language barrier made it a much more difficult job than we thought we were in for. Regardless, we got her back to her sailboat and though we were soaking wet, but we didn’t mind because we were heading to the pool with our kid boat friends!!
We had a blast playing with the cruising kids from Walden and SummerCamp!! What lucky kiddos!We saw this police boat at the marina on our way back to our boat. 1200 horsepower is definitely a record for us, and the kids like to keep track of these kinds of things!!Look at those seats?! It looks like you’re strapping into a roller coaster! I’d imagine that’s what a ride in that boat feels like at times!!
After one more dicey dinghy ride back to INNTW, we unloaded our mostly dry laundry and got the kids settled with dinner and a movie. Mike and I escaped as quickly as possible for open mic night at St Francis Resort, just in front of our anchorage. It was packed. Apparently cruisers like open mic night.
Just look at all those dinghies!! Ours is beached just left of the dock. I’m proof that you don’t need to wear shoes to the bar in the Bahamas!!There were some great signs around the bar.What a great motto! Bring on the ADVENTURE!!We heard great live music and jammed out till it ended. This was our most fun night in a long time!! Apparently we love open mic night, too!! There’s just something about live music in paradise…
The next morning our kid boat friends were headed out of Georgetown to play at anchor for a few days, so we decided to join them. It was just the push we needed to finally leave Georgetown. We had so many fun adventures here, and getting here was our goal for so long, that leaving was bittersweet. From here on out, we would be heading north, towards home. We still have 5 months of adventures left, but somehow leaving feels like we’re closing a chapter, and I guess we are. We don’t really have a new goal to focus on in the short term. We’re not quite sure where we’re headed or when we’ll leave the Bahamas, so all the unanswered questions are also weighing on our minds.
Thank you for reading and following along on all of our adventures!!
Georgetown was the furthest point south we planned on reaching. It has been our short term goal for months and months. It is a cruising mecca in the Bahamas and filled with like-minded cruising families. We’ve dreamed of this day and often wondered if we were crazy to head this far south, so today’s trip is cathartic and we are all up top to see it.
The final push to Georgetown.
It is a little bittersweet arriving here for me and also a huge relief. The kiddos were ecstatic because the next day marked day 1 of our annual “Cousin Camp” spring break with my brother, Brad, and his family. They would finally get to see their cousins after 7 1/2 months. It’s crazy to think we have been on this trip since before our last Cousin Camp in Mackinaw Island!! Once again, I am thrilled with our ability to plan ahead and arrive at a planned destination exactly on time. We were still in Michigan when we decided on this destination and date, and now, it is all coming together!
Almost there!!Look at all those boats along the shore!
Our furthest south location in Georgetown!
The next morning was March 1st, so Tobin got to open another “1st of the month” present from his friend, Eva. This month she packaged up a Spiderman mask which was a huge hit!! Thanks, Eva!!
We packed up Spidey and the crew and headed to town to check out the grocery store before the family arrived mid-morning.
Love this view out of C’s bedroom porthole!!
On our way back from the grocery store, we thought we saw people snorkeling out in front of our boat. The night before there were people snorkeling all over the harbor, unmarked, which seemed pretty daring considering the amount of movement in this harbor. I figured they were out again this morning, but it turned out to be a family of dolphins!! Our first dolphins in the Bahamas!! We dinghied over to check them out and they were very friendly and curious. So friendly and curious, in fact, that the kiddos decided to get in the water and swim with them. It seemed like a mostly good idea, but I did have fleeting thoughts of sharp dolphin teeth attacking our children. I didn’t tell them that, though!!
After our excursion swimming with dolphins, we unloaded groceries and packed up to head over to the beach condo where everyone was staying. It was about a half mile dinghy ride, and we could see their condo right from our boat!! Perfect location!!
Everyone hung out at the pool for a while, waiting to get in to their condo. The pool, hot tub, beach, restaurant combo was a perfect place to play and relax!!
They had so much fun playing and swimming!! Nothing like cousin time!! (And an extra friend, we met at the pool, too!)
Later that night, Brad, Nancy, Mike, and I headed over to the Chat ‘n’ Chill on the other side of the harbor. Chat ‘n’ Chill is a very popular beach bar, famous among cruisers for it’s awesome location, beach, and being the epicenter of activities for Georgetown cruisers. We couldn’t wait to check it out!! Thanks, Grandma, for staying at the condo with the kiddos!!
The many tastes of the Chat ‘n’ Chill. The Chat ‘n’ Chill was pretty quiet this evening, but we sure fell in love with it!! Petting the sting rays!“I love the Chat ‘n’ Chill!!”
The next day the kids had so much fun catching crabs and minnows off this little breakwall right at the beach condo. We also spotted a sea turtle and a shark from the deck. It was the perfect spot for the kids to play and the adults to relax!!
I think they could stay out here all day!!Rowing in the dinghy!!
After lunch, EVERYONE headed to the Chat ‘n’ Chill!! Mike had to make 2 trips in the dinghy!!
The beach next to the Chat ‘n’ Chill, Volleyball Beach, has a very relaxed atmosphere. There are a million picnic tables, some volleyball nets, hammocks in the trees, and a natural kid playground complete with rope swings, tree forts, and slack lines. There is also a conch shack on the beach and sting rays swimming nearby waiting for the leftover scraps. Heaven.
Kids’ tree fort!Slack lines and rope swings!!Thank goodness for all of this shade!!Tobin got more confidant as the days went on!!There were a few beach cats, and they were so cute, but one was nice and one was evil, though they looked exactly the same!! Hayley loved petting this guy who fell asleep on my backpack. He must have been the nice one!!Nap time!!
The next day we headed back to the pool!!
We just can’t resist bringing ALL the beach toys!!Grandma and her granddaughters!!Sunday Funday for the adults!! Rum punch kind of afternoon!
On Tuesday, we headed out in INNTW for a three hour tour. Luckily, our three hour tour went as planned. We went to Moriah Harbour, about 7 miles south, to the most beautiful beach which we renamed “Cousin Camp Beach.” It was absolutely gorgeous.
Everyone was excited for a nice boat ride!!After bringing all the toys ashore, the captain could finally relax!! What a view!!There was nothing but sand here and the entry was shallow forever, so it was a perfect spot to relax and play!!
After a full day of fun in the sun, we were wiped!! Beach walks, kayaking, paddleboarding, floating, and swimming. So much fun!! Captain Mike made us chicken drumsticks which went perfectly with our sundowners. Sunset on the bow and a perfectly clear night with tons of stars. Lots of fun memories for everyone!!
Cousin sleepover, minus Hayley, who slept with Grandma instead!! Aren’t these the days we all remember from our childhood?! Love it!!
After one night at anchor, we headed back to Georgetown. Grandma brought Spike Ball as a belated present for Tobin’s birthday, and it sure kept the kids busy!! Between Spike Ball, lizard catching, and playing baby dolls, the cousins had a great time!!
Looking for sea turtles off the break wall and all I could find was these crazies!!Grandma brought the kids a fun project where they decorated their own stuffed animals. It kept most of them busy for quite a while.
Brad and Nancy rented a car for a few days, and we heard you can actually drive to the Tropic of Cancer. Mike offered to stay with the cousins, so the rest of the adults quickly piled in the car to make an escape before he could change his mind. Tropic of Cancer, here we come!!
Driving on the left side of the road can be fun, especially on a one lane bridge!!It took us about half an hour to get to the turn off for the beach.The Tropic of Cancer is 23*27′ north of the Equator. It marks the northernmost line around the Earth where the sun can be directly overhead, which occurs at the June solstice. To us it was mostly just symbolic and a beautiful beach!Selfie!! This spot is beautiful, even on a blustery, overcast day!!If there was a spot to anchor nearby, we would have definitely brought INNTW here!Kelly and her mom, Kathy. I guess I win the award for going the furthest south on the loop!From the beach, we went a bit further south to Santana’s, which is a typical beach bar, for a rum punch.While we were the only people there on this blustery day, it looked like a fun spot!It also had an amazing view!
That night we celebrated Grandma’s 70th birthday a week or so early with a delicious rib dinner and homemade cards from the kids.
The girls wrote “You’re still in pretty good shape! HA HA!” on their card for Grandma and that got all of us laughing!! Homemade cards are the best and the kiddos did a great job!! Grandma felt the love!!
Our week concluded with one last day doing a little bit of all the fun things we enjoyed! Spike Ball, a visit to the pool, a last trip to Chat ‘n’ Chill, and a last group dinner followed by game night. It was a jam packed day!!
The cat found me again…I wonder if anyone would notice if I just slipped him in the backpack??We all signed a Lions flag that we had on the boat and hung it up in the rafters in honor of my dad/Grandpa.Thanks to Gram for watching the kids…again!! We don’t have any fun together!!Group card game!
The next morning we had to work really hard to finish up all the goodies in the fridge and freezer!! Ice cream, pancakes, and juice boxes for breakfast!! At checkout time we headed to the straw market and a restaurant in Georgetown to spend a few more hours together before it was time for all the Hayses to head to the airport.
Cousin breakfast, eating all the goodies!!Hanging out in Georgetown proper.
We had such a fun week together, but last days are the worst. I always look forward to this week together so much, that I usually cry when it’s over. No tears this year–it was a tad easier that we weren’t facing an 18 hour drive home from FL and then work the next day, but it was still sad to send everyone on their way. We spent the rest of the day moping and napping on the boat (some people might call it recovering…?!).
Thanks for reading all about our awesome Cousin Camp in Georgetown!!
In order to travel from Rudder Cut Cay to Lee Stocking Island we had to travel “outside” on the Sound side for a while. The Sound side is deeper, less protected, and more “Atlantic Ocean-ish” than the west side of the Exumas. When at all possible, we stay out of the Sound side, but due to shallow water south of Rudder Cut, we didn’t have a choice this time. Luckily the weather and sea state were glorious.
Lighter water on the Banks side.
Deeper, blue water on the Sound side. And what’s that?! Fish on!!
We were just a mile or two from heading back to the Banks side when Mike heard his fishing line run. We were hoping for Grouper or Mahi, but THIS is what we ended up with…
EW!! Our guess is that a bigger barracuda got to him before we could get him in the boat. Sure don’t want to have a run in with one of those!! We see barracuda all the time in the water; they are like silent, curious observers who just hang back, uncomfortably watching. Knowing they have big teeth makes them seem scary, but in our experience, if you start to swim after them, they will quickly turn and swim away from you.Look at those teeth!!
After the excitement of actually catching a fish after hours and hours of trying, we turned and headed through some very shallow waters on the Banks side. But it was absolutely gorgeous!!
I couldn’t help but take a picture with this handsome dude.
After dropping the hook, Mike set out to clean the barracuda. We weren’t 100% sure we were going to eat him because barracudas are known to carry ciguatera which is a nasty form of food poisoning. It is caused by a toxin that is present in reef fish, and adds up cumulatively the more fish eat other fish who are affected. Likewise, people carry an amount of the toxin, but it only becomes a problem when you cross the limit of having “too much ciguatera” in your system. Too much ciguatera can lead to many weeks or even months of horrible symptoms including nausea, pain, cardiac, and neurological symptoms. It really is pretty horrible. The tricky thing is every single fish is different and the tolerance of every single person is different….hmmm.
We did a TON of research and read that most barracudas smaller than your arm are safe to eat (they are smaller, so they haven’t eaten as many fish carrying ciguatera, hence they don’t have high levels of cig themselves). We figured the buddy was going to die anyway, so we might as well clean him until we could decide if we were going to eat him, or feed him to the sharks. Plus, there was not so much left to clean of him, so it was like a half- cleaning job.
Our anchorage was beautiful and right next to our friends, Livin the Dream. There was also a cool abandoned Marine Research Laboratory here that we wanted to explore, so…why wait?!
We dinghied over to the abandoned dock at the edge of our anchorage. The dock didn’t actually seem to be in disrepair, and paired with the NO TRESPASSING signs, it almost felt like we shouldn’t be exploring there. But, nah, who are we to pass up an adventure?!
The Perry Institute for Marine Science was funded by John Perry who opened the center in the 1960’s as a place to put scientific theories into practice. He was very interested in marine research and renewable energies and hoped to create an independent biosphere where people living on the island could be completely self-sustaining. Over time, the vision changed to conservation and research, but the funding for the center ran out shortly after Perry died in 2006. Like so many other dreams we have seen in the Bahamas, when the money runs out, everything is left in place and completely abandoned.
There were many residences, offices, and storage facilities abandoned as well as an air strip, fish tanks, and a decompression chamber. Tools needed for scientific research still lined the shelves and were also scattered all over the floor. Research papers and emails were in binders, on shelves, and scattered about the offices. The residences were mostly empty with very few personal remains left at this point. Who knows how much has been scavenged since the center closed down, but I have to say, I was very impressed at the lack of actual garbage scattered throughout. This probably is because the center has not been abandoned for near as long as some of the other ruins we’ve seen.
There were old fuel pumps , yard maintenance tools, and generators on site.The whole complex was connected with roads and pathways lined with rocks and palm trees. Someone really put a lot of time into planning the site and making it appealing.Some of the residences were like small apartments and some were larger homes. Many of them had beautiful views.We found this guy hiding in a bedroom closet, but little else in the room except for a few empty hangars.
We enjoyed wandering throughout the property, entering open doors and peeking around. It almost still felt lived in and occupied, yet we never saw a person. It is sad to imagine how much time and energy went in to creating the facility, just to have it all left behind in the end.
The kids like exploring with their friends. We used the buddy system to keep an eye on everyone. Aside from scattered glass in some areas, it was mostly safe for exploring.Mike found an old machete that he used to crack open some coconuts for us. Yum!!One of the residences.Lots of care was taken in arranging plants and stone borders. I’m sure it would have been a beautiful area to live in back in it’s day.
That evening we needed to get a bit more energy out, so we went paddling around the anchorage. We found a massive starfish, a huge ray, and a nurse shark. Tobin paddled right over top of the ray and “raced” him around a bit. It was awesome to see his excitement. It is moments like this that I think we all will remember forever. Real life experiences and adventures that can never be duplicated.
The next morning we did a little “shopping” under the kids’ bed in the v-berth. This is one of our hiding spots for food that we brought with us from the states. Looks like we’re doing pretty good on rationing supplies, with about half our time left to go in the Bahamas.
How did those oatmeal creme pies last this long!?
We finished some schoolwork and then visited the beach around the corner. It had a nice, gradual entrance to the water with no rocks or creepy things, and the kids loved climbing the trees and building forts.
Tobin got right in the water!!
Mike and I got to go on a kid-free hike while the kids played on the beach. There was an amazing view of both the Sound side and Banks side of the island, as well as another anchorage. Perry’s Peak is supposed to be the highest peak in the Exuma island chain.
We were amazed by the 360* beauty!Taking it all in. You could see for miles and miles up there!!
Heading back down to the beach. Isn’t this palm tree so picturesque?! It looks like a computer screen saver, but in real life!!We went ahead and cooked up the barracuda. We figured he was pretty tiny (even considering part of him was missing). He was delicious!! Mike said he had some itchy palms later that night, which could be a sign of ciguatera, but it could just have been a fluke. No major after affects.
That evening we ended up heading to Livin the Dream for sundowners and play time. Having friends around for us AND the kids definitely enhances our enjoyment!
View of INNTW at anchor.Another show-stopping sunset!
On our last day at Lee Stocking Island we had a full-on beach day! It was a wavy and blustery day on the boat, but it was calm and sunny at our favorite beach spot!!
Mike brought out the unicorn float Hayley got last year over the 4th of July. I think she forgot we even had it!!
We brought all the toys!! Lilly Pad, floaties, skim board, boogie board, football, paddleball, frisbee, you name it!! Mike was determined to have all the toys on this trip and we put a good amount of them to use today.
Getting all the toys set up takes some teamwork!! I love moments like this!!The boys built forts and dug holes because that’s what the boys do.The girls played with baby dolls on the beach. Surprise!!The adults floated in the water most of the day.Days like this will never get old!!
In the morning, before we left our anchorage at Big Farmer Cay, George from Livin the Dream took everyone for a spin on their famous ZUP board, where you can lay on your belly, kneeboard, or even stand up like wake boarding. It is very kid friendly, and everyone had fun!! Thanks for all the fun Zeeffs!!
Hayley working on standing up!!Colin stood up with no hands!!All the kids cheered Tobin on!Even Mike took a turn!
After everyone had ZUP board fun, we all packed up and headed south to Rudder Cut Cay. Rudder Cut Cay is well-known because it is one of David Copperfield’s group of 11 private islands in the south end of the Exuma chain. He rents out his island paradise on nearby Musha Cay for $39,000 a night for a minimum of 4 nights. It looks pretty amazing, and there were people playing there as we passed by, so someone must be able to afford that price tag! See more details at mushacay.com if you’re interested.
One of several beautiful villas on Musha Cay. And look at that water!!
The area is popular among cruisers because of the beautiful colors of water, a sunken sculpture that many people enjoy snorkeling, and a 3 mile long sandbar nearby.
We could not get over the beauty of the water!
Our first stop was the beach at Rudder Cut Cay. Technically this is a private island and there are “No Trespassing” signs along the beach, but everything in the Bahamas is public land up to the high tide line. We told the kiddos to stay on the beach rather than exploring in the bushes. No one lives on the island and there are no buildings that I know of, so there was no one there to bother us.
The boys dug holes and played with squirt guns while the girls took their baby dolls down the beach to play (this is a trend, you’ll see).A little swim to cool off.The adults relaxed in the water. If anyone was going to disappear because they made David Copperfield mad, it wasn’t going to be us!!
After some play time, the INNTW crew headed to the mermaid and piano sculpture sunk off the south side of Rudder Cut Cay. Apparently, David Copperfield commissioned this sculpture and sunk it here to give his guests something else to do while visiting his island. It is made of mirrors, but sediment and algae covered the surfaces. There wasn’t much sea life around her, but it was still a pretty mystical sight underwater. Someone commented that kids probably think magical things like mermaids playing the piano happen under the ocean surface all the time! I love perpetuating the creative thinking and belief that anything is possible!
Heading to the mermaid. Of course, Hayley has to snorkel in her tiara!!How cool is that?!The piano was specially designed with lots of nooks and crannies for sea life to explore.
Heading back to the dinghy, we saw some sand bars just a bit past our boat, and I trumped the majority vote to head back to the boat, so we headed right to the shallow water at the north end of Rudder Cut Cay. There was a large area of ankle deep water we had to shuffle through to get to this dry stuff, but wow, was it worth it!! I just love a good sandbar!! Enjoy (or excuse the millions of pictures!!).
Hayley wandered around with me while Colin skim boarded and Mike and Tobin had a pistachio feast. Look at those amazing ridges normally hidden under the ocean. Nature is amazing!Hayley and I were surprised at how fast the channel got deep, though there was a cut to the ocean right there, so I’m sure the water moves pretty fast through that area. Look at that carefree adventurer!The sandbar went right up to the edge of the quiet runway on Rudder Cut.I’m so lucky my family indulges my love of sandbars!!We found lots of sand dollars and starfish.Ahhhmazing…Dancing in the shallows.This bugger always tries to run from my pictures!!Colin is really getting to be a great skim boarder!
The next morning…Hayley plays baby dolls every chance she gets!!
The next morning, we made plans to dinghy to Darby Island to explore an old mansion and plantation that was once owned by a suspected Nazi sympathizer. During World War II the island was owned by Sir Guy Baxter who received the land as a gift from the King George of England for his knighthood and later built a successful plantation and huge castle (1938). During World War II people reported seeing weird flashing lights coming from the castle, which was supposedly guiding German U-boats to the island and it’s caves for repair and reprovisioning. Workers at the plantation also reported seeing an intricate radio and telegraph station set up in the house, and huge cement piles still remain in the outside channel to this day. No one quite knows what happened to Baxter, though some say the Bahamians realized what was going on and seized the property. The castle has been abandoned for over 60 years and the whole island is now for sale for $39,000,000. What a deal!
Heading towards Darby.The current was ripping through this channel, so we didn’t feel comfortable leaving the dinghy tied up here without the protection of a fender.
We moved around to the north side of the island where we could beach the dinghy, and hoped to walk up the overgrown and long-abandoned air strip. Just the walk to the air strip was quite thick with brush, and the air strip didn’t look any better. We abandoned our plans after using satellite images to see that we were about 1/5 of the way to the castle after a very difficult trek through the bushes and trees. It was hard enough on me, but I’m sure all that brush was really difficult for little legs to climb over!
On the air strip we did get to see remnants of an airplane crash, including this prop and the crumpled remains of the body of the plane. No swastika on it, though…we looked!! Search “green castle on Darby Island” if you want to read more. I was super bummed we couldn’t get there!
Instead, we found ourselves a nice deserted island to play on. The boys worked on a stone floor for a fort they built and found a scorpion in the process. The girls took their baby dolls down the beach to play (surprise!!). Tobin found a balloon with a note that he was excited about until we realized it was in Portuguese. I guess that note remains a mystery!
The boys with their stone floor.Tobin with his secret message. Too bad we couldn’t read it!
After lunch, Mike and George took off to try their luck spearfishing. It was quiet reading time for the kids and quiet reading time for mom! Perfection!
The guys were gone about 3 hours, but Mike was super excited to bring home another lobster!! I got the report that currents make swimming really tough and exhausting, everything looks WAY bigger underwater, and barracudas are super creepy because they just follow you around waiting for you to spear their dinner.
Putting that spear to good work!
After the great fisherman relaxed a bit, we took off to find the famous 2 mile long sandbar that is around here somewhere. We have looked for it in several places, several times, but today we found it. Unfortunately, low tide wasn’t until sunset, so we didn’t get to enjoy it long, but it was everything I hoped for!!
We had to dinghy a long way–maybe 3 miles or so–out into the Banks. It looked like we were headed to absolutely nowhere. Which was pretty accurate. After we could see the sandbar in the distance, we had to walk through shallows for quite some time before we got to dry land. Like a 10 minute walk.
Obviously I was way more excited for the sandbar adventure and way ahead of them!! I thought they were going to kill me. This sandbar appears for just a few hours around low tide. It was worth the effort!
Looking back towards our dinghy.One of those kiddos was giving me bunny ears…hmmm.The most amazing sunset.It’s interesting to see what the kids chose to do when we’re out adventuring like this. Colin hangs back and skim boards. Hayley walks with us and joins in conversation. Tobin runs ahead and then falls behind, over and over again, searching for starfish to “rescue” and other creatures to watch.And he found quite a few creatures here!The very end of the sandbar for today. Lower tides, closer to a full moon, would expose more sand. If low tide was midday, this would have been our plan for the whole day!!So much magic in one picture!Heading back towards the dinghy.Guests at Musha Cay can choose to have lunch or dinner set up on the sandbar. Sounds quite luxurious!!We found this crab in the shallows on our way back to the dinghy.
Playing with the crab as I’m trying to hurry them up, back to the dinghy. A 3 mile dinghy ride through shallow water in the dark wasn’t my favorite idea, though I’m the reason we were out there, so I couldn’t complain too much.
We did end up running hard aground into the sand on our way back. I was trying to navigate for Mike and hold the light, and then we got distracted by the giant outdoor movie screen set up for the guests on Musha. It wasn’t hard to push us out of the sand and in to deeper water. I’m sure we aren’t the first boat to run aground around here!!
We enjoyed Mike’s fresh lobster catch and a leftover guy for dinner. The kids had mac-n-cheese with a few bites of lobster. The perfect end to another day in paradise!!
Thank you for reading and following along on our adventures!! I don’t know if it is David Copperfield or mermaids or sandbars or what, but this stop was indeed magical!!
It’s a mer-uni-cat. Or a cat-uni-maid. Or a mer-cat-icorn.
We could not stand the rocking any longer by the time we woke up in the morning. I’m not even sure how much we slept because our blinds were banging against the windows, doors were sliding open and closed, and there was a constant creeeak-creeeak. As soon as the captain realized he couldn’t even relax with his coffee because his coffee cup was sliding off the table, it was time to go!
Unfortunately, the swells paired with some waves didn’t make the day ideal for travel. We scoured the charts for an anchorage close by that would give us more protection without having to pass any major inlets. We weren’t sure if Big Farmer would work or not, but it was the closest anchorage with a good chance of being calmer. As we got closer, we saw there was a catamaran already in the anchorage, so that gave us hope that it was settled. Sure enough, it was much calmer here and still very beautiful!
Look at that water! Tobin and Mike couldn’t wait to start paddling!
Right around this time I got a text from my principal way back in Michigan, making sure I will be returning to work next school year. I know this adventure will come to an end in August, but it was just bad timing to have to think about going back to reality. While I understand my principal is just trying to gather information and get prepared for staffing needs next year, I figured it would be best to send him the first thing that came to mind, so I sent him this. And it felt great!
After a few more back and forths, I assured him I would be returning to teaching next year unless I find pirate treasure in the meantime. And believe me, I’m looking!!!
The beach was beautiful. At one end there were some small caves. One of them even seemed to have a rock shaped like a face. The mouth of the face was open and you could actually throw things out of the mouth from inside. It was pretty crazy looking!!
INNTW in her new, CALM spot!!Doesn’t that look like 2 eyes and a circle mouth at the bottom?!View from inside the cave.
We got a surprise message midday from our friends George and Melissa on Livin the Dream. They were following a few stops behind us for almost a month, but they were set on catching up to wherever we were. We gave them the details of our location and a few hours later, they were a HUGE surprise for our kids as they came dinghying up to the beach. It was great to see the kids fall right back into great friendships with these boat kids they hadn’t seen for about 2 months. It was also great for the adults to fall back into great friendships that formed way back last July as we just started our loop. A calm anchorage AND friends?! This day turned out great!!
INNTW and Livin the Dream back together in the Bahamas!!
The next day started with some chess (Colin hasn’t quite figured out how to beat Mike yet, but it won’t take long) and some chores.
We’ve had a mysterious leak at the bottom of our galley steps for a few weeks, so we’ve been trying to collect all the clues necessary to figure out the source. We’ve been tracking when the bilge goes off and when the water tank runs, thinking we could have a leak in our fresh water tank. We have been paying special attention to the fridge and freezer-cooler right in that area to make sure they aren’t the source. We have also considered the water heater that is right there. Also, there is the off chance that one of the kids just keeps spilling water right there and there really is no problem. So many options.
Mike spent the morning like this:
Working in the engine room. Notice Colin working on boat school despite the chaos around him.
And digging through this:
Poor Colin had to empty all his tings out of his cupboard so we could try to eliminate the water heater as the source of the leak. Notice the wet carpet on the right side of the picture, complete with multiple fans blowing on it at all times and drawers along the floor removed for increased air circulation.
Mike took lots of pictures like this:
I’m not even sure what this is?!
And like this to try to see any potential problems.
And HERE he found something interesting!! That brown tube is not going with the rest of his group from the hole on the left thru the hole on the right. That little bugger is some kind of overflow tube from the hot water heater who wiggled loose so that instead of draining into the bilge, he now drains onto our floor.
Just a little sweat and creativity, and we fixed the problem. It probably took 2-3 weeks to track down this problem and get it fixed. Thank goodness it was a fairly easy and FREE fix once we finally found it!
Just to prove I can’t help with boat chores, too, here I am sweating bullets cleaning the shelves and drying the water that leaked out.
Having that problem solved made us feel like a million bucks, so we followed Tobin’s treasure map and decided to go adventuring.
We headed towards Little Farmer’s Cay to do some exploring. We hear there is a turtle whisperer there, along with a cool beach bar, and some other small island kind of stuff to see. On the way, Hayley threw her “message in a bottle” out to sea.
And she did it in style, too, with a tiara and everything!!
As soon as we docked, the turtle whisperer (I can’t remember his name now), said we should get in the water right away if we wanted to swim with turtles because the tide was dropping and the turtles wouldn’t want to play for too much longer. So, the kids and the moms all waded into the water, unsure of what to expect. Turtle whisperer grabbed a conch shell and some leftover bits of conch that were threaded on a wire. He came into the water with us and banged on the conch shell with a hammer to call the turtles in. As they came closer, he would let them eat off the ring of conch while we took turns petting them. It was a little cloudy to see in the water, so that made it a bit uncomfortable, paired with the fact that the water was chilly, wavy, and a tad deep. In the end, we all got to touch a turtle as they came in to feed. It was cool to be so close to them, but I am reassured by the fact that even a turtle whisperer has to work hard to get them to stick around a while. It was a cool experience!
From the docks we headed out to explore the island. Little Farmer’s Cay was first settled by a freed slave and her children. She ended up willing the land to her descendants and they can build on the island, but they cannot sell land to outsiders. There are about 60-70 people who live on the cay. Interesting history!!
The kids found cotton growing wild along the side of the road. Segue right into a great lesson on history and industry!Tobin with the cotton he picked.We found another telephone booth along the side of the road!Walking along the beach.We snuck around the corner of the runway to check out a beach bar we have heard a lot about. Not many flights in or out here, it seems!The view from Ty’s Beach Bar was pretty amazing!After a Kalik and great conversation with the one other bar patron, we headed down the runway back to the road. We looked both ways, both on the runway and in the air, to check for any planes and then started walking.Walking down the runway was a first for us!!Tobin is showing off some of the lobster tails we bought in town. We’ll have a good dinner tonight!!
We ended up having lobster dinner on the beach at sunset. What can be more perfect than that?! We fed the kids bagels and hot dogs, at their request, so there was more for us!
So thankful for any dinner this magical!
We wrapped up an amazing day with a bonfire and smores on the beach. Luckily with a team effort, many things can be accomplished, including gathering firewood AND gathering all the necessary ingredients for smores.
A perfect ending to a perfect day! This is the stuff kid dreams are made of!!
Thanks for following along on our adventures!! I’m trying to catch up on blogging as our time in the Bahamas nears it’s end, but it is hard to find the time and energy to write and load pictures after adventuring all day!! We appreciate your support and interest, even if these events actually happened a few months ago!! INNTW!!
