A Local Baseball Game

Saturday morning brought warm temperatures and sunny skies. A perfect day to head to the beach before it got too hot. Plus, we wanted to check out the local baseball field, as we had noticed a sign listing 3 games, the first one beginning at noon.
As we were returning from the grocery store, readying to depart for the beach, our friends on Hi-5 arrived. We chatted with them for a bit and then it was decided that we would take Connor to the beach while Kerry and Julie got organized with Dylan at the boat and had showers. Then we would all reconvene at the ball game.

The beach here is said to be pink. We were skeptical, though curious. We had noticed an increasing number of pink shells as we continued north through the Exumas and wondered if these were the shells that were contributing to the colour. In fact, where the waves lap at the shore and the sand is wet, it doesn't take too much imagination to agree that there is certainly a blush tone to the sand. The contrast between the turquoise water and pink sand is spectacular. We now know why some beach houses are painted the colours they are. (Though these colours always look much better in their natural state!) At the beach sandcastles were built, sand sculptures created and the kids generally covered themselves in sand! Close to noon, we rinsed in the water, and headed for the ball diamond.

Baseball is a big thing here! The golf carts were lined up along the fence, BBQ smoke rose from the snack hut, and two teams, one in blue shirts, one in burgundy shirts took to the field. The teams, one from Spanish Wells, one from the neighbouring Russell Island, were 6 - 9 year old boys and girls who were cheered on by families in matching shirts in the stands. The blue shirts were the locals, definitely the favorites. However, based on the attitudes of the coaches and parents, it was the burgundy team who had much more fun. The blues were very serious, tracking everyone's hits, misses, balls and strikes; praising only home runs, admonishing misses or slow runners. The burgundy team members always got a 'nice swing', or 'that's OK, try again' from their coach, who was also the pitcher (overhand, I might add!). When a burgundy player hit the ball right into the blue shortstops' knee, it was the burgundy coach who came running to pick her up and gently carry her back to her bench with the nonchalant blue coach ambling beside him. You don't see that kind of sportsmanship in the major leagues!!
The next teams up were a bit older, and much more serious. The pitchers wore sleek sunglasses and constantly checked over their left shoulder to see what was going on with the runner on first base. Many home runs were hit in the few minutes of the game that we saw before heading out.

Papa Scoops Ice Cream

Shortly after 7:30 Friday evening we left the marina to walk up to see what was going on at Papa Scoops. Bright lights lit the small canopy under which the establishment was housed. Unsure of what this ice cream might be like, we were offered a taste from the friendly woman who was serving. On the plastic spoon she presented came the creamiest, sweetest, richest, most delicious soft ice cream we've ever tasted. After a bit of deliberation, we ordered two of each flavour, and decided to split them. Both flavours were equally good, though I think I preferred the pistachio, if only for it's uniqueness. It was very sweet, I suspect owing to the amount of sweetened condensed milk that went into the recipe. We savoured it all the way back to the boat.
We did find out that Papa Scoops is open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and their ever-changing flavours are always listed on the sign in the afternoon. We learned that one of the flavours for tomorrow night would be coconut, so we'll have to go back and try that!

Paradise Found

Paradise Found: the name of a cottage we passed on one of our walks through Spanish Wells. Though the water isn't crystal clear like in the Exumas, to the cruiser who has been 'up island' for several months, it's pretty darn close to paradise!
Let me back up a bit ....
Thursday morning we were up quite early, sitting on the deck watching the sun come up and drinking our morning brew. A final check of the wind forecast, the engine oil and fuel, and we sailed out of the anchorage - a first for us. The wind cooperated on our trip north, largely from the aft starboard quarter, pushing us along at about 5.5 knots. We easily navigated the area known as Middle Ground which is sprinkled with many dark coral heads, all of varying depths below the surface. Then, through Fleeming Channel, and off the bank, out into the deeper waters along the edge of the Northeast Providence Channel. We tried our hand a fishing, but only managed to catch a clump of seaweed. Near three o'clock, almost 2 hours ahead of our planned arrival time, we passed through a tiny rock-edged opening into the protected harbour of Royal Island. There were many boats already anchored there, though still enough room to find a comfortable spot, and several more arrived after us.
Friday morning we waited until just before high tide to depart Royal Island for our five-mile trip to Spanish Wells. Some of the water on our route is charted as being only 7' deep at low tide, so with our 6' draft, we wanted every possible advantage. Depth was never an issue, as until we got closer to the channel into Spanish Wells, we didn't ever see less that 4' below our keel. Approaching the channel, we were faced with several sticks in the water. We knew these were meant to mark sandbars which were likely quite shallow, the question was which side of the sticks was the shallow water on? In clear water, it would be obvious. But this being a busy fishing town has boats in and out all the time, making the water quite cloudy and therefore hard to read. We took a wide approach trying to come into the center of the opening, and as we got closer, the depth quickly dropped below 3 (feet under keel). At the helm, I am calling depths out to Greg, 'three....two and a half.....two.....and a half....two......one and a half......two.....one and a half.....one'
'Hard to starboard' he directs me, the depth drops to less than half a foot under the keel as I turn back out. We quickly get a more comfortable amount of water under our boat, and see that another sailboat behind us has kept close to the west side of the channel. We follow him in and make it in with good depths. Soon, we are happily at a dock at the Spanish Wells Yacht Haven.
We are amazed by the houses that line the streets...well kept pastel coloured homes surrounded by pretty gardens and manicured lawns, several with a variety of lawn ornaments. Furter exploration of the town reveals many thriving businesses, including a very nice grocery store. We learn later that this grocery store, along with the town's electrical company are cooperatives, owned by locals from the town. We also find Kathy's bakery, with delicious pies, squares and fudge. Further down the main street is Papa Scoop's ice cream. Unlike anything we'd ever find at home, this ice cream establishment is in a private driveway. Picture two soft ice cream machine stands, on folding tables, under a canopy. They are covered in tarps with bungee cords around them. The folding sign at the road lists prices. A few hours later when we walk by again, 'tonight's flavours' are listed: caramel and pistachio. They open at 7:30, we must come back and see what this is all about.

Last Day in the Exumas

We are done with the Exumas.
How did we spend our last day?
We began with an early departure with the crew from Dharma and Debbie from Illusion to dinghy up the creek at Shroud Cay. If you have ever seen The Jungle Queen, you can relate. The meandering creek was a hundred feet wide in most places with a shoreline of mangrove swamp. After we had entered, we were able to turn off the outboard engine and drift along with the current. Our own lazy river! The kids hopped in and out of the boats, sometimes swimming, sometimes taking their snorkels, and other times just floating along with us. We saw the biggest concentration and variety yet of birds in the Bahamas. At the end of the river, we were rewarded with it's outflow to the ocean, which had a great current that offered a flume ride to those who wished to swim it! Talk about a natural waterpark!

Back at the big boats, we had to sadly say goodbye to Dharma. They are headed to Nassau to meet up with friends there, we are headed due north tomorrow to Eleuthera, then on to the Abacos islands. Though we are hopeful that our paths will cross again, our timelines do not make that likely.

Onward we went...heading originally for Allen's Cay, and then making good time, and seeing how busy Allen's anchorage was, we opted to carry on a few more miles and set the anchor down just off Ship Channel Cay. Having spent over a week in the park, Greg was eager to get out and spear some lion fish, hoping to find enough for dinner. Out we went in the dinghy, opting to row to the nearby coral heads to see what we could find. With mixed emotions he quickly found the population of lion fish quite depleted. No fresh fish dinner for us, but glad to see that these intruders are not gobbling up baby reef fish here. We did however, happen across the most beautiful reef we have seen yet. The variety of fish was astonishing, no algae growth on the reef, and the clarity of the water was incredible. We all snorkeled for about an hour before the chill finally set in and forced us to retreat back to a warm shower.
A truly great way to leave this island chain, with fond memories of the people we have shared our time with and places we have enjoyed.

Leaving Warderick Wells

Well, we finally managed to tear ourselves away from Warderick Wells this morning. It was not easy to leave such a beautiful place!!
Our days there were filled with many of the same activities: swimming, snorkeling, hiking and hanging out with friends. And yet, every time you are out exploring you see something new. There were always different fish on the reef, sometimes sparkling trigger fish, other times an angelfish the size of a dinner plate. And the continuing mix of colours and movement is always a bit surreal.

Saturday nights there is a standing date with cruisers for a happy hour on the beach. Sure enough, by 5:30 the dinghies began to arrive carrying an assortment of munchies and people from all walks of life. Mostly retired folk, but at a venue such as Warderick, the lure of varied physical activities also draws lots of younger cruisers, many with kids.
The kids play on the beach, the adults chat and everyone has a good time. We were lucky enough to meet the crew from Syrena, a sailboat whose owners live in Oakville. I got chatting with their daughter who now lives outside Calgary and was visiting with her husband. We enjoyed their company and decided to have an impromptu Sunday night happy hour with them.
Turns out Veronica and Neil are both veterinarians and so the girls were very fortunate to have their Monday morning science lesson in the form of asking questions about their work and the animals they have treated. By the end, the girls had seen pictures and video of their work in South Africa including surgery on a rhino and an elephant. These are the opportunities that we are so glad this trip can provide to them.

We got our sign up to Boo Boo Hill, snorkeled on the bank, and on the ocean side of the island. Greg saw a few lion fish, which he found quite infuriating because he knows the havoc they are wreaking on the reefs, but all living things are protected in the park and there is a no-take policy firmly in effect. At the happy hour the game warden called him a coward for not spearing them in the park, but we're not sure he would back him up when push came to shove and Greg was being fined, or worse, for killing animals in the park.

This morning, just before we left, we were treated to a school of 7 stingrays passing by the stern of our boat. Quite a sight.
Today we sailed (yes, actually sailed!) 15 miles north to Shroud Cay. Shroud is still in the park, and is known for its creeks that meander through it, eventually putting you out to sea on the east side. That will be tomorrow's dinghy adventure.

A Bahamas Birthday

"B B E"
Best Birthday Ever! is the verdict from Madeline today.
We started our day by moving to a mooring ball closer to the Park Headquarters. Not too much distance-wise, but we are now swimming distance to the main beach, and to the sandbar in the middle of this mooring field. Once we were settled, the girls jumped off the boat and swam the 50 meters to ankle deep water where they had a great time running around searching for sand dollars. Jessica even found a live sea biscuit! As the tide came in, the water deepened and the current picked up, and we headed back to the boat for lunch. We skipped school today, on account of the special occasion. Though they unknowingly had a great lesson in vector addition, under the guise of 'what direction do you have to swim to get to the boat in this currrent?'
After Madeline's choice of grilled cheese on homemade bread, we were cleaning up when we saw our friends on Dharma arrive. The girls quickly jumped in again and swam to the sandbar beside where they were picking up their mooring ball. Their boys soon joined them and the four of them spent a great afternoon paddling kayaks, hanging out at the beach and catching up.
We arranged to meet them on the beach to share cake after dinner.
While at the beach, small rodents began appearing out of the scrub. We quickly recognized them as the protected Bahamian hutia. Picture a cross between a hedgehog and a rat. Same body as a rat, size of a hedgehog, stubby tail. While first amusing, they quickly became very bold, even climbing onto the picnic table where we had eaten the cake and stealing crumbs off the plates!
Once we had said our goodbyes to Dharma, with plans to hike to Boo Boo hill tomorrow to place our boat signs, we climbed into the dinghy. On this clear, dark night, Greg noticed a shimmer behind the dinghy as we left the beach. He slowed down and got out, only to see the sandy bottom sparkle in response to his footsteps. (the cake was vanilla, not rum, and we all saw it, so I guess we're all crazy!). Though we will confirm with the park rangers tomorrow, we think the sparkle was caused by bioluminescence of some critter. What a way to top off another great day!

A Beach Day, and a Late Night!

Yesterday was another beautiful day in paradise! After some schoolwork in the morning, we headed to shore to see if the kayaks were available. Sure enough, they were, so the girls and I had a fun paddle around the shoreline. When we returned, Greg was chatting with a couple of cruisers from New York and they were sharing Lake Ontario sailing stories. We fed the bananaquit birds sugar from our hands, played with huge hermit crabs, and then headed to the beach. The afternoon was lazed away with another family from Montreal, a couple from Ottawa and then we were joined by a couple new to cruising, whose home port is Omaha, Nebraska!
By sunset, we were all tired and hungry, so returned to our respective boats.
After we had finished dinner, the girls had gone to bed and were sitting chatting, we heard the bilge pump, which is a good thing. About 15 minutes later, we heard it again, this is not a good thing. We raised our eyebrows at each other, and got up to see what was going on.
The bilge is the bottom part of the boat, under the floor, but still inside the hull. Invariably, boats leak, spills happen, and in some conditions (none that we ever hope to be in) waves can crash over the boat, putting seawater in your boat. This is all resolved by your handy bilge pump, which once the water in the bilge reaches a certain level, is turned on by a float switch and pumps the water out of the boat. Depending on several variables, this could happen up to 5 or 6 times a day. Every fifteen minutes means not only that there is something wrong, but also that your batteries will not last very long, thus resulting in a sunk boat.
Greg quickly lifted the bilge cover to see if the cause was obvious ... Unfortunately not, and worse still, his first thought was that our water tanks were leaking. In a land of saltwater, fresh water is more precious than gold, so a leaking water tank is truly a disaster. The initial monitoring of the water levels appeared to support this theory. Happily, with further investigation we found that the fluctuating water level was only a result of the rocking of the boat. Another half hour of brain wracking and searching, and still the source of the leak was still not found. Dig further into the bilge and engine room, remove brackets holding water filters for better vantage, find flashlights and headlamps and try to shine in the right spots. Aha! The bilge pump output hose is leaking. Oh no! This means that all the water the pump is trying to pump out of the boat, it is actually pumping back into the bilge. You see where this is going .... a perpetual situation if ever there was one on a boat. Now we dig through the lockers looking for a new piece of hose. No luck. Finally, Greg says 'I know exactly where there is some',
'Great! Let me grab it, where is it?'
'At home, in the garage.'
'O...Kay...., now what?'

To make a long story short, my MacGyver husband scavenged a piece of hose from the manual bilge system by combining it with the secondary bilge system, replaced the leaking hose, and fixed it!
By midnight he was well on his way to having the hose replaced, shortly before 1, it was all complete. A manual and automatic check of the pump, along with a check in the bilge for moving water confirmed that the problem had been resolved.
Now, on to the clean up. Bilges are not the cleanest part of the boat, it is where the engine leaks it's oil to, where the dirty water that smashes around under your floor settles and where you store your grimiest pieces of equipment. Greg, having reached into this water numerous times over the last few hours was greasy past his elbows, as well as having smudges of grease all over him from reaching over the engine. A quick scrub with a cloth and soap, followed by a rinse in the ocean made him respectable enough to step in the shower to finish cleaning up. We fell into bed exhausted around 1:30, hoping to get a few hours sleep before the excitement of Madeline's Birthday began this morning.

Home We come!

Hellow friends and family,
Right now we are in Wardrick wells.
It is very fun because: at the beach you can swim to a little dock , in the middle of the mooring field there is a sand bar that you can touch the bottom of and most of all you can't take anything alive or dead so there are: hutia's(like hedge hogs) , spotted stingrays, coral reefs, beautiful fish, much more.
Today when we were snorkeling we saw two monsterous spotted stingrays and I saw a 40-50 cm long queen angel fish.
When we were walking to the ranger office we saw a big hermit crab (my Mom is holding it in the picture below).
That's it for now,
Madeline

What's Going On By: Jessica

Hi Blog Readers,
We are at Warderick Wells. At George Town we hung on swings at Vollyball Beach. We were at a happy hour at Sanddollar Beach. At the happy hour we went in a cave, walked to the ocean side and lisend to our friend Ayla play her violin. We had a fun time in Grandma and Pop's cottage. We made valentines and signs. I liked the ocean side beach because it had good shells. Sometimes we would take Cee Jem across because on the first time we went across in the dinghy we got soaked. I liked Eddies Edge Water and Cheaters. They were boath very good. We got our hair braided beside Eddies Edge Water. We played with new friends named Sammy and Melody.
Your Friend,
Jessica

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tuesday morning started with some school. Simple machines, pulleys and measurement were the project for the day. A bucket with water was hung from the main halyard with a block and tackle system. Then, using pulleys to see how easy or hard it was to pull different amounts of water the girls got to see first hand how simple machines make our life .... simpler! Then, they measured what distance the rope had to be pulled with various pulley systems. It is so helpful to be able to put what is being taught into practical use.

Then, an afternoon of exploring. First was snorkeling the reefs at slack water. Some of the best we have seen on this trip, and we were awed by the sight of a pair of spotted rays 'flying' past us.

After lunch on the boat, we headed to the main island for a hike. We headed first to 'Boo-Boo' Hill, named for the ghosts of a nearby shipwreck that are said to be heard at night from this elevated position. Though we didn't hear any ghosts, we did have an amazing panoramic view of the ocean and Bank. At the top, there is also a pile of driftwood pieces with boat names written or painted on them that cruisers have left, apparently as a sort of offering to the weather gods, that our boats will be spared the same fate as those from the sunken ship. We are not at all superstitious, but on the way back, we hiked to Barefoot Beach, found a piece of wood, and Madeline has crafted our sign which will be added on our next hike there.

A dinner of pizza, followed by a game of Wizard (our latest evening activity) rounded out our day.

All is Well

We survived the end of the westerly blow at Big Major, by Sunday morning it had calmed considerably, and continued to throughout the day Sunday. Though Sunday morning, the entertainment onboard involved laying on the deck to see if you could touch the water, as the bow bounced over the waves.

Late afternoon, the girls needed to get off the boat - after a long sail on Friday, and two days in a lumpy anchorage, their energy had expanded beyond the space available. We launched the dinghy and Greg headed off with them to the beach. About an hour later he returned to get their shoes and me, saying that there were many cruisers with the same idea, and so there was quite a gathering on shore.
When we returned to the beach, the girls were happily playing with lots of other kids, more in fact than we had seen in George Town, the supposed family Mecca of the Exumas. Adults chatted, kids explored the forest, and everyone went home at sunset content.
Monday morning we started early, headed back the 3 miles to Staniel Cay, and went ashore for a few final provisions. Engine oil, onions, cheese, tonic water and diesel fuel rounded out our eclectic list. Here's Cee Jem in her cozy anchorage south of Staniel Cay.

Back on the boat, we lifted the dinghy and anchor and continued north. On our way, we kept a sharp lookout as about 30 boats passed us southbound on a beautiful sailing day. One of them was our friends on Dharma, who we waved to and hope to have catch up to us later this week. We even truly sailed, turning our engine off for several hours in the afternoon. The wind hasn't allowed us to be underway without the help of the engine since North Carolina. It was a very pleasant change to sail silently!
At 3, we were hooking up to mooring ball #5 at Warderick Wells. Looking around, we felt we had arrived in paradise. We knew why so many other cruisers had been shocked that we didn't stop here on our way south, and we are, in a way, glad that we have saved this beautiful stop for our way home. As they say, save the best for last! A quick stop in at the park headquarters to register, chatting on the beach with some new friends, then back to the boat for the evening; topped off with an amazing sunset.

Back on the Bank

We had a great sail yesterday. We lifted the anchor shortly after 6, and by 6:30 were waving goodbye to Annabelle and Jack who were standing on the beach to see us off.
Once out on the ocean, the waves gently pushed us along as we motorsailed along the coast. It was a wonderful change for us to have the wind behind us. With the prevailing winds out of the southeast, most of our trip southbound had been into the wind. Now we have the benefit, both in efficiency and comfort of travel, of having the wind to our advantage. It made a world of difference to our spirits and speed. Our spirits were also lifted at the sight of two sea turtles along the way!
We had intended to pass through Galliot Cut between 2:30 and 3:30, in order to have minimal current, but ended up arriving shortly after 1. We decided to move in a bit closer to see what the cut looked like. We had been told by many, as well as read in multiple sources that the cuts between the Bank and Sound side can be at best rough, and at worst deadly if you attempt to pass between these bodies of water with the wind opposing the current. We knew that we were still on an ebb tide, so if things got too bad, it would be fairly easy to turn around and let the current push us back out into the ocean where we could bide our time until slack water. As we neared, we could see that there were some significant standing waves, but none that were breaking, so we decided to give it a try. With Greg white-knuckled at the helm, and a bit more power added, we powered through the cut, in the middle surfing down 5' waves. The current dropped our speed down to just under 3 knots from its usual 6, so we knew it was strong. Still, minutes later, we were safely on the Bank, glancing behind us, and saying 'that wasn't so bad.'.
We continued northbound to Black Point where we made a quick stop to get some more water, dispose of some garbage and to see what was available at the grocery store. Since we will be spending a few weeks without finding a grocery store, I have been looking for some fresh provisions that will keep, such as green tomatoes and bananas. No luck at Black Point, but we will look again at Staniel Cay. The final reason for our stop was to see if we could get a a little snack. The proprietor of the laundromat (that's right, not a typo) makes well known and highly recommended conch fritters and carrot cake...apparently except on the days that we are there. On all of our previous visits to Black Point, we had inquired, but always 'oh, I had conch yesterday' or 'tomorrow. Tomorrow there will be conch fritters.' So many times have we tried, that when she saw me coming up the dock, she said 'it's the conch fritter people!! Will you be here tomorrow?' Unfortunately, no, so we will have missed the opportunity to try the Rockview Laundermat (again, not a typo, that's what the sign says) conch fritters. Sigh.
In total, the anchor wasn't in the water 45 minutes, which makes us pretty proud of our crew. In that time we anchored, launched the dinghy, rowed to the dock, got water, checked the grocery, asked about the fritters and got underway again. The girls were a huge help in accomplishing all of this in such short time. They are becoming very responsible and a huge help.
We carried on south, enjoyed watching a pair of dolphins briefly play at our bow, and just after 6 dropped the anchor at Big Major. We enjoyed the sunset over the water again, which we couldn't do during our time in George Town because of having crossed to the east side of the Exuma islands. After a quick dinner, including delicious native rice and beans in coconut milk, we settled in for a nice quiet night.

Today however is a different story....
The reason we wanted to get so far up the island chain yesterday is because the wind was supposed to pick up a bit today. Well, the forecasters were right on that one, sort of. They said the wind was forecast to come from the west at 10-15 knots. They got the direction right, but we have seen speeds upwards of 30 knots. Which is OK if you can find a little island to tuck in behind to protect you. However, on the west side of an island chain there's not too many places to hide from a west wind. I now present a little sailing term called 'fetch'. Fetch is the distance that wind has travelled over water without interruption. Generally, the more fetch the bigger the waves. Considering the wind blowing through this anchorage is coming across over 50 miles of water on the Bank, we are lucky to have only 2-3' waves. There have been lots of whitecaps breaking around us, but really is it more uncomfortable (or humorous, depending on your mood) than dangerous. To give some idea of our conditions, we have all taken a dose of Gravol as a preventative measure; we have never done that before. The girls summarized it best by laughing on deck this morning and asking if this were a ride at Canada's Wonderland, what colour wristband would you need?
Though we were intending to get some schoolwork done to make up for some lost time along the way, we have cancelled school today. At home we might have had a snow day; today has been deemed a 'wave day' for fear that concentrating on written work on a pitching boat would make us all nauseous. We are however learning first hand about levers and fulcrum points, by tending to stick pretty close to the center of the boat where the movement is minimized.

Now we think we are through the worst of it. We continue to slowly point more northward, as the wind continues to veer to the north. By 7 tonight, this anchorage will hopefully have settled down considerably and we will be able to once again sleep comfortably.

Northbound

Tomorrow, we turn around, point north and head for home.

We have been in George Town for 3 weeks, the longest time in one spot since we left home at the end of August. We have had some great days with new friends here, enjoyed our time with Greg's parents the last 2 weeks, and had some time to just relax the four of us. Now, we are all looking forward to getting back on the water.

The wind is forecast to be favourable, and so we will take the opportunity that tomorrow should provide to get back onto the Bank. There are many places in the Exumas that we haven't seen yet, and some that we would like to visit again before we go. We are eager to cross paths with old friends who have left before us, and to get ourselves closer to the amenities that our return to 'the continent' will offer. Plentiful fresh water, good food and familiar surroundings ... here we come!

A rough calculation puts us at 2500 miles to home.
Let the countdown begin ....

A Rental Car Adventure

Last night we decided that we wanted to see more of Great Exuma, so Greg and I walked a couple of miles down the road to see if there were any car rentals available. As luck would have it, they had a Honda Odyssey available for today only.
This is how a car rental goes in the Bahamas:
We climb the stairs to the small second floor rental office; the guy hums and haws about whether he has a car available or not, tries to call someone, finally decides it's OK to rent us a minivan for the day. Meanwhile the phone rings, he answers, and simultaneously fills out our rental agreement and takes another reservation on the phone. Once our agreement is completed, he points to the keys on the wall, tells us to grab the red ones, excuses himself from his phone call while he tells us that whatever the gas tank has in it, to return it the same. He then returns to his phone call as Greg and I exchange the 'that's it?' shrug. As we're walking out, he covers the phone with his hand and says 'stay to the left, ya?'. Down the stairs we go, have a look over the van to make sure there's no glaring damage and hop in.

Did I mention most cars here are right-hand drive, and they drive on the left side of the road? From what we can see, the rules of the road are quite lax, traffic signs seem more like suggestions, and since there are no Tim Horton's here most drivers seem to start their day with a bottle of Kalik, the local brew! Oh, and Greg has conveniently forgotten his wallet, so I am deemed the driver.

A reminder is posted right on the windshield, to help out North American drivers.

Let the adventure begin...
So, after backing out a narrow, sloped driveway into fairly busy traffic, we're on our way. Greg's constant mantra of 'stay to the left, stay to the left,.. ' all the way back keeps me more or less on the right, er, correct side of the road. We go back to the cottage, pick up the girls and Jack and Annabelle, and take a quick spin around town before heading back to the boat for the night.

This morning we started early, all meeting at 8:00 ready for our day of exploring.
The excitement began not a mile from where we started, as I was slowing to turn into the cottage driveway. I slowed, the pickup truck behind me slowed, and unfortunately the car behind him did not. A short screeching, followed by the telltale crunch of bumpers, meant that while we were near, we were thankfully not involved in a car accident with our rental. We joked that my signal to turn must have distracted all the drivers, as the Bahamians are not known for their attentive driving skills.
Once on our way again, we headed north, through a few little villages, and found ourselves stopped at a little beach access near Rolleville.
A little wading, a little shell hunting, and we carried on.

Next stop, the very north end of Great Exuma Island. After wading in the mangroves, and an unsuccessful search for a perfect conch shell, we piled in the van again.
We backtracked south, and then took a west turn, headed for Barraterre. We stopped in Stuart Manor, looking for bakery there. We did find the bakery, but it was unfortunately, though not surprisingly, closed.
In Barraterre we were looking for the Fisherman's Inn, which is touted in our guide book as having the best conch in the Exumas ... a pretty tall order, based on our previous tastings the last few months. Again, we found the resturant, but it was closed. The local grocery advertises local produce, so we thought we'd stop in there before moving on and looking for lunch. You guessed it ... closed. Ah, such is the Bahamas.
By noon we had returned to George Town and were headed further south for a local hotspot called Cheater's. Norma, the proprietor, comes on the net every morning telling of the daily specials, and we had heard it recommended by many locals. We were treated to a lunch of chicken wings and steamed grouper, with various sides. Delicious!

The afternoon was spent south of George Town, first at the most beautiful beach I have ever been on. We had it all to ourselves, and walked the full length of it. The girls played in the water, collected sea fans and enjoyed the sand.

After an hour or so there, we continued further south to Williams Town, the furthest south we will see on this trip. There we saw the salt ponds built in the late 18th century, where inland marsh areas were blocked off from the tidal reaches of the ocean. Stone walls were built in them to further separate the water, as the sun evaporated the water out of it, and eventually the workers, mostly slaves, would rake the salt for collection. There is even a column built on the ocean side to show merchant ships the way to come and pick up their valuable cargo.

Our last stop was the place our GPS indicated was the Tropic of Cancer. The circle of latitude where the sun is directly overhead at the June solstice, currently 23* 26.28'. Because it was on the road, we only stopped for a quick picture.

We managed to get the car fueled and returned in one piece with minutes to spare!

Here's the great beach at the south end of Great Exuma!!