All is well! Its been very windy since we got here with occasional rain, but we really can’t complain about the 75 – 80 degree F weather given back home we hear it is now snowing!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1st to MONDAY, DECEMBER 3rd — DAY 102 to 104 (Stuck in Hope Town, Bahamas on Elbow Cay)

Because of high winds and unsettled weather we stay in Hope Town for a few days.  The wind is blowing us on to the dock at almost 30 knots — too much to exit our slip safely (or at least not worth the chance).  We head to explore the lighthouse that’s not a far walk from the marina. After climbing the stairs, we enjoy the amazing view. The Elbow Cay Lighthouse is one of the last three, continuously operated, kerosene-fueled, hand-wound rotation lighthouses in the world.

Finally, on Monday we are able to get away and head up to Marsh Harbour.  Our friends, Crista and Fritz from Switzerland arrive in the morning, and we meet them on the dock just before noon. Great to see them!  We have dinner at a nearby restaurant called Mango.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4th — DAY 105 (Marsh Harbour, Bahamas to meet Crista and Fritz then off to Sea Spray, on Elbow Cay)

In the morning, we head out in a convoy to Sea Spray on the south end of Elbow Cay.  Crista and Fritz, on their rental boat, ‘Cloudy Bay’, immediately have problems with their navigation equipment so they follow us closely for the 2 hour trip and into the marina at Sea Spray. It is a beautiful day, so we put the sails up on Silver Maple. Gorgeous!  One of the best sailing days yet.

When we get to Sea Spray, we head out in the dingy to a beach nearby called Tahiti Beach. Beautiful.  Leo loves running in the sand and on the sand bar. It was a bit wavy on the way back so we get covered further with more salt water.  Dinner that night is in the Boat House Restaurant at the marina. Very quiet — only one other table, but very good.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5th to FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7th — DAY 106 to 108 (Hope Town to Man-O-War Cay, Bahamas)

The next morning it is a lovely day. Sun is shining, but the forecast is for thunderstorms and high winds the next evening and day. We have to cancel our plans to anchor out that night, and  head to Hope Town instead. We wait for high tide so that we can exit safely the marina channel, which has a shallow area. Hope Town is a close half-hour trip so we are tied up at the dock within an hour. That night we head to Captain Jack’s restaurant in town for wing night.

Over night the winds pick up and the rain comes. The next day is relatively nice though. We go for a walk in town and the four of us have dinner on Silver Maple.

On Friday (today), the day starts out really nice, sunny and 80 degrees F, but a squall rolls in late morning.  Randy and Fritz rent kayaks from the marina and get caught out in the storm. But it clears, so by 2pm we are off.  Crista and Fritz on ‘Cloudy Bay’ head back to Marsh Harbour to pick up their nephew and his girlfriend, who are going to join them for a few days. We head to Man-O-War Cay just a short hour sail away.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we have scheduled a guide to take us snorkeling (Lee) and scuba diving (Randy) at a nearby reef in the morning. Really looking forward to it. Crista, Fritz and their Nephew, Mark, and his girlfriend, Julia, will be regrouping with us Saturday afternoon in Man-O-War Cay. From here, plan is to all head to Great Guana Cay for the Sunday Pig Roast at Nippers.