Friday, February 10th to Thursday, February 23rd, 2017

When we arrive in Hope Town we spend some time getting back into the Bahamian pace of life… slow! And now that Randy is fully recovered from his cold, we head back out on the water. Woohoo!

We have a great trip over to Great Guana Cay and spend the day strolling on the beach with a stop for lunch at Nippers. Fisher’s Bay at Great Guana Cay is one of our favourite places to spend a quiet day and evening. It is just beautiful.

Silver Maple moored in Fisher’s Bay, Great Guana Cay, Bahamas

Leaving Silver Maple in the dingy and heading to shore for a walk-about

Grabbers Pub on the shore at Fisher’s Bay, Great Guana Cay

Lee on the beach in front of Nipper’s Bar and Grill

Lunch at Nippers

Full moon over Great Guana Cay at Fisher’s Bay anchorage

Morning in Fisher’s Bay with full moon still in the sky

After a day at Guana Cay, we head over to Tahiti Beach just off Elbow Cay. It is another gorgeous day. We walk the beach near Sea Spray Resort and have lunch in the new restaurant at the resort.

Back on the water on our way to Tahiti Beach

Beautiful clear water of the sea of Abaco

Captain checking the anchor is well set

Sunset while anchored off Tahiti Beach on Elbow Cay, Bahamas

A few days later when we are back in Hope Town, it is the annual Hope Town Songwriter’s Festival which hosts the writers of some of country music’s most popular songs. They tell the stories of how the songs originated and play some great music. Fun even for non-country music fans!

Fun group of friends enjoying the cool evening at the Hope Town Songwriters Festival at the Hope Town Inn and Marina

Great music… even for non-country music fans!

Lee and Randy at the Songwriters Festival

This month we also attend the Man-O-War Flee Market which is a big fundraiser for the community of this small island. We take the dingy over. It is a four and a half mile trip and a bit rough. Unfortunately, on the trip back it is even worse. Couple of sore butts for a few days after that trip!

Entering Man-O-War Cay harbour in our dingy

Dingy parking at the Man-O-War Flee Market

Gorgeous day at the Man-O-War Flee Market

Sunrise over the Hope Town Inn and Marina. Photo taken from the back of Silver Maple.

Back in Hope Town, life is good and the weather is fine. Our friends Ruth and Bruce arrive next week to spend a week enjoying the islands with us. Looking forward to that! Stay safe and stay warm everyone!

Sunday, January 21st to Friday, February 9th, 2017

Well, its been a challenging few weeks since we arrived, but we are back on the boat and happy to be here. Nothing serious, just viruses and weather to contend with as well as things on the boat to be repaired.

Lee is sick with the flu before we even leave for the Bahamas and within hours of arriving, Randy comes down with a bad cold too. Nonetheless, we manage to get the boat prepped and into the water. While we are working on the boat we stay in a cute cottage on the ocean called ‘The House on the Point’. Very rustic, but very nice.

Our rental cottage called ‘The House on the Point’ where we are staying while prepping the boat in Green Turtle Cay

View from ‘The House on the Point’

Our wheels while in Green Turtle. Golf carts are the main mode of transportation here.

We spend three days cleaning and putting things together to launch on the Monday, but unfortunately, the weather turns bad and a storm front moves through the Green Turtle area just as we are scheduled to launch. Our Launch is moved to Tuesday and even then, the winds are pretty high. Once Silver Maple is in the water, Randy tries to fire-up the engine. Nothing. Dead battery. The bow-thruster battery is dead too so both are replaced. And, the winds are so high that we don’t move beyond the wall where they put us in the water. We just tie Silver Maple on and spend the night right there.

Silver Maple being moving to the launch area

Lowering her in

Back in the water! Woohoo!

The next day, the winds are calmer so we head over to the Green Turtle Club in White Sound, the next sound over. We spend the day doing final prep and putting sails up.

Captain is under the weather but glad to be back on the water

Silver Maple safe and sound at the Green Turtle Club

In the morning, we are up early and on the water to do the short ocean crossing through the Whale Cay passage and into the Sea of Abaco. It is a beautiful morning and we have a great sail over to Marsh Harbour where we spend the rest of the day provisioning and stocking the boat with essentials like wine and groceries.

Heading out towards the Whale Cay passage on a beautiful morning

The captain at the helm

Good to be sailing again

Waves hitting Whale Cay as we pass by

Making great time and doing well over 7 knots most of the way to Marsh Harbour

Gorgeous day!

Sunset over Marsh Harbour

Out for dinner at Curly Tails in Marsh Harbour

In the morning, we are off to Hope Town. Randy is still sick so we lie low once we arrive until he gets his health back on track. To make things worse, on the day we arrive, the marina has a power surge and our battery charger blows. Ugh! That was over two weeks ago and Randy has spent every day since trying to arrange to have a new one shipped to us here in the Bahamas. The good news is that it appears to be close now. Last we heard Fedex has it in Nassau. Fingers crossed we will see it next week.

Silver Maple in her slip on the dock at the Hope Town Inn and Marina (in front of Hope)

The beautiful Hope Town Inn and Marina

The flowers are blooming in Hope Town

The first day Randy is feeling up to venturing far from the boat we take the dingy over to Cracker P’s for lunch

Securing the dingy at Tahiti beach for a beach walk after lunch.

Beautiful Tahiti Beach

Lovely Hope Town Harbour

Silver Maple at sunrise at the Hope Town Inn and Marina

It seems that we have been tied to the dock in Hope Town forever, but now that Randy is feeling back to normal, we are planning to take off tomorrow and get back out on the water. Yeah!