Silver Maple Blog

Retirement adventures Canadian style

Monthly Archives: February 2016


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From Bahamas to Scottsdale with Love…

Saturday, February 6th to Sunday, February 28th, 2016

We spend the first couple of weeks of February at the Green Turtle Club on the Bahamas’ Green Turtle Cay preparing for Silver Maple’s haul-out scheduled for February 8th. Lots of work to do like taking down and folding the sail (jib), waxing, oil changes and cleaning. Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t cooperate much and we are fighting high winds to get things done. Thankfully, on Monday, February 8th, the sun is out and the winds have died down. It is the perfect day for pulling Silver Maple out of the water and ‘putting her on the hard’ for the season.

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Dinner at the Green Turtle Club restaurant after a day of working on the boat.

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Our favourite hostess at the Green Turtle Club restaurant. She remembers us every year and seats us at the same table. We are regulars!

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Getting ready for haul-out.

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Lifting Silver Maple out of the water at Abaco Yacht Services on Green Turtle Cay.

 

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Cleaning and moving Silver Maple to her storage place.

When the boat is settled in the storage yard, we move into our usual apartment for three nights in New Plymouth while we finish up getting her ready for storage. All goes well and we are finished all the storage prep work with a day to spare.

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View of sunrise from our apartment in the town of New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay.

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Captain coming out for the last time this season.

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Silver Maple is put to bed for this year.

On February 11th, we fly home with an over night lay-over in Chicago. When we get home it is really cold, but it is still nice to be back.

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Home sweet home!

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The lake is well frozen now.

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What?!! Okay, that is cold!

It doesn’t take much of the cold Canadian winter to move us on to our next adventure. We hit the road after two days at home and start on our five day drive to Scottsdale, Arizona. We stop along the way to break up the trip for a visit with our friends, Stacia, Paul and their kids, Celia and Andrew in Ann Arbor, and then again for a few days skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jackson and his girlfriend, Laura, fly down and join us. We have perfect skiing weather — sunny and not too cold.

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Laura, Jackson and Lee on hill in Breckenridge, CO.

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Out for Mexican food in Breckenridge with Laura and Jackson.

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Driving in New Mexico…nice!

When we arrive in Scottsdale on February 24th it is 80 degrees F and lovely. Good to be back and we are still recovering from all the travel with lots of down time at the pool.

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Recuperating by the pool in Scottsdale. Good to be back in warm weather. It is 80 degrees F. today.

 

That wraps up the blogging for this season. Have a great year everyone! Cheers!

With love — Lee and Randy

 

 

 


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Hope Town to Green Turtle Cay as Our Season Comes to a Close…

Sunday, January 17th to Friday, February 5th, 2016

Even though the weather has been mixed this year, it has been a really great trip. We have met lots of fun new people and reconnected with wonderful old friends. And, since the weather rarely has been nice for two days in a row, we fully embraced the ‘dock potato’ label. Silver Maple will definitely need a bottom cleaning job done when she gets pulled out of the water this year. No doubt there is plenty of plant growth on the hull from sitting in one place so long.

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Silver Maple at sunrise on the dock at Hope Town Inn and Marina.

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Cocktail night with great friends, Pam and Ron (Legacy), Cass and Brian (Miss Informed), Vince (Fortnight). Photo courtesy of Mandalay.

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Flowers always seem to be in bloom in the Bahamas.

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Silver Maple on the dock for another sunrise.

As usual, the weather in January and February is a bit cool, but we bundle up and get out and about to the beach and bicycling. There never seems to be a lack of things to do.

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Heading out to an afternoon at Lubber’s Landing and Tahiti Beach.

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Cass and Brian playing ‘ring-toss’ at Lubber’s Landing. Free tequila shot if you hook the ring!

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A winner!

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Ron (Legacy) gives it a try and wins too!

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Another winner! Woohoo!

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Fun at Lubber’s Landing. Cass prepares to do her tequila shot prize.

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Lee and Missie (Tenacious) with her dog, Lovie.

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Warmth on the beach! Randy with Cass (Miss Informed) and Pam (Legacy).

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Randy with John (Tenacious) playing Frisbee on the beach.

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Group enjoying the day on the beach while Lovey tries to dig to China.

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On Tahiti Beach.

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Debra (Mandalay) waiting for the shuttle back to the marina after a walk on the beach in Hope Town.

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Heron walking the shore in Hope Town.

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Hope Town harbour as the sailboat ‘Abaco Rage’ returns from winning the local sailing race.

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Bicycling to White Sound on Elbow Cay with our good friends John and Debra (Mandalay). Photo courtesy of Mandalay.

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Lunch on our bicycle trip at the Abaco Inn with Debra and John (Mandalay).

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Bahamian Lime Pie complete with meringue and whip cream at the Abaco Inn.

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Lunch on our last day in Hope Town with Debra and John (Mandalay) and Gloria and Jim (Jimandi).

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Last chance for Randy’s favourite burger in the Bahamas at the Hope Town Inn and Marina.

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Great group of new friends on Miss Informed on our last day in Hope Town.

On Saturday, January 30th, we leave Hope Town for the journey to Green Turtle Cay. Yes, the season is coming to an end again.

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Back on the water again! Woohoo!

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On our way towards Green Turtle Cay leaving Hope Town and the lighthouse in the distance.

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Silver Maple safe and sound at the Green Turtle Club.

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Green Turtle Club looking lovely on a calm morning.

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Out for a ride in the dinghy to take a break from chores, we find some dolphins feeding and playing.

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Hard to catch with the camera, but we love these guys. In her next life Lee wants to come back as a dolphin.

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Heron watches over our boat from the other side of the dock every morning.

We will spend two weeks on Green Turtle wrapping things up and getting Silver Maple put away for the season. Haul-out is Monday morning, weather permitting. Very sad but looking forward to being back home.