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January 2nd, (Leaving Spanish Cay heading to Green Turtle Cay) We had about a 2 hour run from Spanish Cay to Green Turtle Cay and needed to arrive at Green Turtle Cay on a high tide to have enough depth to get into White Sound. Larry timed it perfectly though shallow the trip was another winner. We passed a little settlement on Abaco Island, called Coopertown. It’s not a tourist town and has no marina or harbor but in the distance looks like a cluster of simple little houses anchored by the steeple of a church. We noticed during our stay at Spanish Cay the resort’s rustic work boat would head out every morning to pick up workers at Coopertown and bring them to Spanish Cay and then every day about 5:00 PM would take them back. Coopertown doesn’t have a harbor but has grown quite large nevertheless. Larry had called ahead to both Green Turtle Cay Marina and Bluff House Marina in White Sound on Green Turtle Cay to see about getting a reservation. The Front was coming quickly and we thought that people would head there for shelter and it may get crowded. We wanted to make sure we had a slip to tie up to. We decided to go with Bluffs Marina merely because the dock master sounded on top of things and said he would put us on the end of the T dock. We’re glad we went there because we had a great tie up. We were at the end of the dock, nothing blocking our view and could see everything going on in the harbor. It was nice and quiet too as the owners on the boats around us were gone. We had good power, water, good docks and a nice little restaurant and bar. The marina had its own private beach just up the hill and over on the Abaco Sound. It was a little nerve wracking coming into the channel for the first time, it seemed to be well dredged but shallow. Your only markers are some homemade posts to guide you in. Some are missing and what’s left are rustic and pretty weather beaten and at times it’s hard to tell weather they are the red or green as the sun has faded them. If a post is missing there is a float, mostly brown with sea growth and you’re not exactly should whether it’s marking the port or starboard side but somehow you make sense of it all. We think we were pretty lucky to get the end of the T dock because all the other slips in the harbor didn’t have side docks and you had to climb up onto the dock from your stern or bow and looked quite difficult depending on the tide. Some had to use a ladder that was attached to the dock to get you. The other marina seemed about the same so we think we lucked out.
OFF SEASON DEALS The rates at the Bluff House
Marina were unbelievably cheap, we guess because it’s off season. We paid $50
per day but if you bought food, liquor or items at the gift shop that would
apply against your dockage fee. What a deal! The restaurant was cute and open
air on a big wooden deck with a nice open air bar and there was an inside dining
room (which opened onto the deck with big french doors). It was nicely
decorated with beachy blue and white canvas stripped fabrics on over stuffed
wicker furniture in a lounge area that looked like a library. The dining tables
had table clothes and the Queen Ann chairs gave you an upscale look in this
casual atmosphere. There was wood paneling (a light wood like pine) and
bookshelves loaded with interesting ship models, books, and other nautical
stuff. Rotating ceiling fans finished off the West Indies look. If you wanted
to dine outside which we did a lot because of Ziggy, there were tables, chairs
and umbrellas on the deck over looking the marina and harbor. It’s what I’d
call a casual elegance to the place. Bluff House Marina was just about perfect
for us and protected from the weather so we decided we’d make this a base for a
longer stay. I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to take a diving excursion so I know
what to expect next time we see something in the water like those scary little
sea monsters. I’d love to learn how to catch a lobster and crack a conch. I’d
also like to see how they prepare and cook them.
JUNKANOO
The day we arrived Green Turtle Cay was getting ready to celebrate their annual Junkanoo (an annual celebration in the Bahamas), much like a mardi gras that we know of in New Orleans and Brazil. We thought that we had missed it because it usually occurs New Year’s Day but since this year that was on Sunday, it was postponed until Monday. We had just enough time to get the dinghy down and head back out the channel entrance and across to the other harbor (about a mile’s trip) to the little village of New Plymouth to join in the festivities. Junkanoo began during the colonial times when slavery was prominent. It was a day traditionally given to the slaves, allowing them to drink and enjoy themselves for one day out of the year, if you can imagine. Now that slavery is gone, it still goes on and is a joyous occasion with wonderful homemade costumes and music. The fact that it carried on in the narrow streets of this little historic village made it even more special. We really didn’t know what to expect but when we saw it we were just in awe of the whole thing. The little village was hopping today as we barely found room for our dinghy at the town dock. The sounds and music billowing from the village were drums, reggae music and a sprinkling of little firecrackers. We could smell the aromas of BBQ’s smoking. Everyone from island and within distance beyond was there to see the parade and festival. Food stands were everywhere including back yards. Some were cooking in their houses and selling everything from BBQ’s ribs, fried chicken, conch salad, all different kinds of baked goods, and lots of Bahamian beer and Goombay Smash the local rum concoction that’s guaranteed to get you happy. Everyone hung out eating, drinking, partying and waiting for the parade to start. We enjoyed munching on some of the local food and drink and watching all the interesting people. When the parade started it was amazing. The colorful costumes, though handmade locally, were elaborate and artistic. The beat of the drums was erotic and mesmerizing and loud. The dancers were full of beat and rhythm and it was an exciting thing to watch. All the costumes were made from colored and metallic papers, bits of mirrors for reflection, colored feathers, and flowers and more. The young boys and men were pounding erotic rhythms on converted trash cans that made the most amazing sounds. They all moved down the narrow streets dancing and moving to the great beat and rhythm of the drums and the talent of the dancers was a feast for eyes and ears. They danced and grinded through town, young and old, showing off these elaborate customs, almost the size of small floats, balancing them though some incredibly huge, all the while dancing and moving to the sounds of the beat. It was what I’d imagine a Garafuna celebration to be. We were soooo lucky to have experienced that. We came back early because the noise was loud and Zig was stressed out. We were both tired and decided to go to our marina restaurant for dinner that night. We asked another couple to join us, a really nice couple from Georgia off their beautiful sailboat boat Aeolus. It was a great day and a nice ending to a great day. CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE
January 3rd (Bluff House Marina, Green Turtle Cay) Today was the day to wash the boat even though we were expecting a front. The water was reasonable at 20 cents a gallon and the boat needed a good cleaning. When we were done we felt much better. Most of the time cruising we’re moving from one place to the next that we don’t have time to rest or clean. This has been a good break.
January 4th (Bluffs Marina, Green Turtle Cay)
NEW PLYMOUTH Today we got up late again. We’ve been averaging about 12 hours sleep every day now. It’s so peaceful and quiet, no cars, planes or loud noises and the air is fresh and clean. It’s glorious to be so relaxed for once. We headed over to New Plymouth to have lunch, look around and get some supplies. It’s such a charming little village, still much the same as it was in the 1800’s. The three or four little food stores still had no milk or fresh vegetables yet as the supply boat hadn’t made it to town yet and the stores were pretty well cleaned out from Junkanoo. We bought some freshly made, still hot, coconut bread to take back which turned out to be the best bread we’ve ever had anywhere. The town is cute as a bug and everyone zips around in their golf carts. The buildings are concrete or ship lap buildings with storm shutters, and decoratively trimmed porches. The buildings are painted the most beautiful shades of pastels. It’s like an artist had carefully picked a palette of colors to make the perfect mixture from one cottage to the next. It’s a wonderful mix of blacks and whites all living together in a great harmony as far as I can see. Many of the locals have been here for generations, which is so amazing to us. Some have histories and families here going all the way back to colonial times as many loyalists escaped here after the Revolution and I guess there are a few stragglers here from the old rum running days. CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE
We stopped at the Wrecking Tree for lunch and watched the cute little Bahamian children playing simple games, no video games and plastic toys here. They are sweet and innocent and a joy to watch. What ever happened to the innocence of childhood that we all used to know? It’s still here on this island. Children are safe and can play and everyone takes care of each other. We had the best lunch that day. It was called Craw Fish Salad which I guess is what they call the local lobster. It took forever for them to prepare the food but where’s the hurry? When we got the food I think it took so long because everything was cooked fresh to order. It was the most delicious salad I think I’ve ever had. The lobster chunks were still warm from steaming and the thick juicy hunks of meat were mixed with fresh chopped tomatoes, onions, and mixed with a delicious white seasoned dressing with fresh shredded lettuce and a juicy fresh lime on the side. I topped it with some good local hot sauce and it was fabulous! GREEN TURTLE CAY MARINA We headed back to our harbor and went to check out Green Turtle Cay Marina and see about scheduling a snorkeling trip. Green Turtle Cay is a beautiful casual place and larger than Bluffs House Marina but the docks were difficult to get on and off once there and you don’t really have a nice view out. It’s located more at the end of the harbor. The resort has it’s own little sandy beach but not on the Atlantic side or Abaco Sound side so not sure I’d want to swim there as there are no pump outs in the Bahamas though the water flow through the harbor is good with the changing tides. I think all the boaters try to be very concientious about it and use the public restrooms as much as possible but occasionally someone does a nasty. Anyway, the resort is nice but I didn’t like the idea that at night you had to place your dinner order before 5:30 and they had one mass seating at 7:30. The dinner menu was very expensive and not the type of food you could eat every night. The menu at Bluff House Marina had variety. You could have something simple like salad or a hamburger or an entrée that changed everynight. It wasn’t always the most interesting of food but did the job. We headed over to Brendal’s shop and Brendal the owner convinced me to take the all day trip with lunch on the beach. I wasn’t too excited to do that since I’d be on my own as we wouldn’t be able to leave Ziggy in the cage all day. Larry said he didn’t mind staying on the boat. So tomorrow is my day to go.
BRENDAL’S DIVE EXPERIENCE Well, my weary body is sitting at this computer typing away even though I’m so tired from the all day snorkeling trip with Brendal Dive Shop yesterday but it was so fun. We left at nine, and just as we were leaving the harbor Brendal and his diver dove into the shallow waters of the harbor and snatched up three conchs for lunch later that afternoon. They then headed to the little town of New Plymouth and right up to the public dock where a Bahamian guy was waiting to hand us some warm freshly baked Bahamin bread. We then headed out into the aqua blue waters of the Atlantic side of Green Turtle Cay. The whole group of people on board turned out to be a great combination of people. One group of six was a family from Alberta, Canada. They had two young adventurous, very well behaved young boys and another visiting couple with them. The other group, was another family, a husband and wife and two sons from Vermont and the other couple was from Texas. Another woman, who was by herself like me, but seemed to be friends with Brendal, the guide, was from Boston. She had the typical New England quietness and distant aire about her at first but opened up later in the day after a strong dose of Goombay Mash. Everyone was quite fun and interesting and made for a very fun day. They made me feel very welcome to the group which I appreciated very much. Brendal is a kick and probably is more famous than I know having been featured on CNN, The Discovery Channel and I found out later in Gourmet Magazine, among other specials. I like to refer to him now as the Fish Whisperer. Once the engines are turned on and we head out, he shockingly strips from his resort wear into the skimpiest little shimmering aqua marine bikini you’ve ever seen. His dark black skin in contrast to it is an eyeful for us pale whities. He is lean and muscular from going out into the ocean everyday I suppose or just has good genes. Once he heads out to the Atlantic side, he turns on his tape playing the best island music I’ve ever heard. To drive the boat, it would be just too boring and simple for Brendal to sit or stand behind the helm. Instead he stands or hangs outside the pilot house, on the edge and sticks his foot inside through the pilot house window, and steers the boat at top speed with his toes gripping a knob mounted on the steering wheel, much like we used to see years ago on old cars. It was a sight to behold. We raced over choppy swells that other people without local knowledge would have probably turned back long ago. Somehow you feel safe with him. I love the freedom here, not like the states, where we’d probably be strapped in with life jackets, etc. Soon he picks the right spot as he examines the waters looking into the deep waters below. He, I’m sure, knows every nook and shallow spot like the back of his hand. Today we stopped at a place called the “pillars”, I guess appropriately named for the shapes and sizes of the unusual coral tops that we were soon to see. I had one mission though today and that was to learn how to hunt for lobster, so I dove in and followed his partner guide. We dove and swam for an hour and a half, hunting for lobster. It was no easy task, but a lot of hard work with not much luck. He carries two long metal Bahamian spears as they call them, and is protected head to toe with a wet suit and large double thick gloves. He searches unders the most precarious of places, like under ledges and other dark spooky areas that I would normally steer clear of. I guess these are the hideouts of these delicious crustaceans. He searches for two antenna prongs sticking out from a hiding place. These prongs are the “antennas” of the lobster, for lack of a more biological reference. If he sees some, he dives down for a look. If the lobster looks promising, mostly like the right size and sex, he comes up, gets a fresh gulp of air and goes down again and spears the thing hopefully right through the head with this strange homemade looking metal rod projected by a huge oversized rubber band type gizmo. The spear rod is about 4 feet long. If the diver is successful, the lobster comes out from his shelter speared wiggling (and wincing I’m sure), though they say the lobster dies instantly (for us that they must think are faint of heart). He then pulls the lobster off the spear and threads it on the other rod, much like you would with a kebob, pushing it near the bottom where the barb is, which will hold it in place while he continues hunting for more victems. As he spears more he keeps putting them on this long kebob of his. It is an amazing sight to see the rod when he is done with the lobsters neatly lined up one top of each other on this rod. My guy wasn’t too successful as he was only able to find three and I’m thinking as I swam with him watching his prowess, “it’s going to be a lean lunch today on the beach”. I didn’t see many fish, just a few of bright colors, vaired sizes and shapes, but not the quantity that I expected, like when we went diving in Belize. Maybe it was the day though, as another Front was approaching and the waters were beginning to get stirred up a bit and by the end of the dive becoming quite cloudy. When we got back on the boat Brendal and his gal pal from Boston, were still scuba diving. It wasn’t long before saw Brendal swimming underwater towards the boat and instead of raising his head out of the water, he first raised his fully loaded kebob out of the water, kind of like a victory sign of the hunter on a successful outing. It was a sure sign of a good lunch to come as he had several lobsters and also one giant lobster, bigger than anyone had ever seen. That sure got a howl out of the group. Brendal stripped off his wet suit and was back into that tiny bit of aqua bikini that was perfectly matched to the colors of the surrounding waters. He turned the music up again, had his other assistant poured and handed out some potent Goombay Smashs (which is a Bahamian concoction of pineapple juice and seven different rums I’m told), and danced to the beat of the music while he and his helpers then began to take the antennas off the speared lobsters. By now, I’ve counted about twenty lobsters. He would then break off the head and upper bodies from the tails. He took the stiff antenna and gave each tail a little routing out to clear it of any intestinal stuff. He had his other diver crush the heads and bodies of the decapitated lobsters breaking them up into nice edible sizes for his pet Groupers that hovered around the boat like groupies. They followed Brendal like a rock star and he in turn treated them royally, caring about the bite sizes, making sure they were just right for them. Once that was done he then began to prepare the conchs. He would take the shell and spike a hole in the conical end of the shell. Once that was done he then stuck a knife into the hole he made cut on the muscle inside to release its grip from the shell and then pulled out this gory, disgusting looking thing they we were going to eat. He plops the big blobs of goop in a bowl of sea water and then began the meticulous process of cutting off the ugly intestines, claw and other stuff that I have no idea how to describe it or even what to name it. He then skinned the outer skin and what he had left was the pure white mass of the edible part. It was tough like a muscle and about the size of a large man’s fist. The newly trimmed carcasses were tossed into another bowl of fresh sea water to soak but nothing went to waste. All the scraps were saved for his precious friends of the ocean that he lovingly fed and had names for. They were amazingly tame for him just as tame any any common household pet that we would be familiar with. Once done with this amazing demonstration, he then started the motor and headed out again as usual from his dangerous looking perch hanging outside the pilot house all the while peering into the waters as we sped up and down the building swells. He would, like the prefect talented hunter that he was, spot fish and momentarily stop and tell his diver to dive in a spear such and such. It was an amazing display of fishing to me. The diver went in and from Brendal’s directions from above, would find the victem and spear it for lunch today. At that particular moment the victem was an unlucky bright orange hogfish. We made several fruitful stops like that and by the time we were done; we had a hogfish, grouper and Wahoo. I guess Brendal finally was satisfied with the quantity of his catch; just enough to feed this hungry bunch with nothing wasted for uneaten leftovers and he then sped off to his favorite picnic spot on a desert Cay. Meanwhile, everyone is warming up to each other after quickly downing there first Goombay Smash. You get pretty thirsty out there on the ocean. The buzz from the drink was becoming obvious as laughter and loud voices became prevalent. Soon we arrived at the deserted white beach Cay, Brendal backed the open boat right up to the shallow waters and threw the swim step down. We were all chattering from the buzz of the Goombay and just sitting on the boat enjoying everyone’s conversation. I was watching as Brendal jumped into the water at the back of the boat and began to use the swim step as a filet platform and began cleaning and slicing the freshly caught fish into serving portions. Suddenly a large sting ray come right up to him and hovered around Brendal’s legs. Brendal didn’t miss a beat and continued his masterful filleting. He noticed my amazement and told me too jump in the water with him and feed the sting ray. So I did.
He told me to hold my foot up out of the water while Brendal put a hunk of fish between my toes and said to put my foot flat on the sand below the water and let the sting ray take it. I did and it was amazing as the sting ray without any fear came right up to me and hovered partially up my leg and underneath sucked the little morsel from my toes. The underside of the sting ray was soft as velvet and he just came back circling and snuggling up to my legs like an affectionate cat would do, purring and begging for more tidbits. Soon the poppa sting ray came and then the shy baby after awhile. We all got in the water and did our share of feeding them the scraps that Brendal saved for them. He even saved the bony parts for the friendly little shark that came into the shallows to get his share too. It was an amazing thing to see. I could not believe that such creatures that I’ve always feared could have such a trusting nature like a loving household pet. We all could learn a lot from the magic that Brendal shows with these creatures. They seem to have such an affectionate and trusting nature, beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. They really seemed to enjoy the interaction with us and like I say so trusting. You felt a real responsibility to be gentle with them. They stayed by the boat the whole two hours we were there even when the feeding was done. They seemed to enjoy playing with us even without the reward of food and at times it seemed like they were dancing to the music coming off the boat. It was a magical experience. On shore while we were all distracted by the sting rays display, the preparations for the cook-out were in full force. I snuck away to see and possibly help. I wanted to see and learn how they were doing this cook out. By now the white conch “muscles” had been neatly diced into small square pieces and were still marinating in a bowl of salt water. The crew was diligently, chopping fresh onions, celery, green peppers, and tomatoes for the conch salad. Brendal had a bag of magic fresh herbs that he brought from his very own garden. The lobster’s tails were slit in half and nicely coiled in a large stew pot, leaving the center area open. He poured some magical secret marinate over them, and in the hole in the center of the pot he put everything left over from the vegetable chopping plus several secret fresh herbs and lots of garlic and butter over the lobsters. The fragrance from the fresh unfamiliar herbs and garlic was intoxicating. A fresh green salad was already made, again the ingredients from Brendal’s garden, with strange herbs mixed in. The mixture of freshly caught fish (grouper, Wahoo, and hogfish) were marinating in another special secret sauce that looked much like a salad dressing. The bottom of a rectangular metal casserole dish was being meticulously covered with Brendal’s secret herbs and the fresh aroma from them was amazing. Once Brendal covered the bottom of the casserole with these herbs, he layered the marinating fish over them making sure they were all carefully placed and positioned exactly to his perfectionist taste. You could tell this man is a chef at heart and everything has to be done his way. Then sliced fresh tomatoes and sliced fresh peppers were beautifully laid across the entire top and then foil was laid over and secured around the edges to seal the dish. The other diver name Rob, (that I followed during the dive) was mincing huge amounts of garlic and fresh parsley and other secret herbs. They went into a saucepan along with huge globs of fresh butter. Meanwhile, the freshly made Bahamian coconut bread that we picked up at the public dock in New Plymouth was sliced and spread out in a perfect spiral on a platter with a pot of butter in the center. All was beautifully done. Rob’s job now was to get a fire going. He cleared out a shallow wide circular area in the sand, put a hidden stash of dried brush on the bottom, then small dried twigs on top of that, and then topped with thicker dried branches. He lit the mound of fire wood and once it was going to his satisfaction, he topped it with an old metal grill that looked like some piece of junk, maybe a gate grill or something that served the purpose of a BBQ grill (nothing goes to waste here on the islands). Soon the lobster pot with lid firmly on was put on the grill, along with the foil covered fish casserole and the open saucepan of butter, loaded with fresh garlic and herbs. We all had another Goombay Smash and talked, watched the sting rays, and walked the beautiful (no bugs here) beach, and some of the people found beautiful sea shells and other interesting objects that always wash ashore with an untold story that stirs the imagination. The feast was cooking and the smells emanating from the small escape hatches in the seams of foil were to die for. Brendal would not let anyone open the lids to check on the progress as “that would take away the intensity of flavors” he said. He knew though precisely when things were done. He would press his black hand on top of the aluminum foil brew of fish and could tell maybe by the intensity of heat or firmness of the fish when it was ready without ever looking. When it was ready, he said to me, come over, now you can smell and see. I was the lucky one, I guess, sensing how interested I was in this whole cooking process. He opened the lid to the lobsters and it was amazing to smell this unusual combination of fresh ingredients. It was ambrosia of sorts that activated your salivary glands. You almost could not wait for him to get the darn stuff on the table and taste it, to dive into it, with a passion. He laid it out buffet style with love and finally we were able to load our plates with the most succulent fresh food I’ve ever eaten. Diets to the wind, we all lathered that fresh coconut bread with thick heaps of butter, and poured the hot steaming garlic herb butter brew over those thick white lobster tails. We had more food than you could imagine, enough for everyone to go back and have seconds. It was truly an amazing experience. Brendal is full of life and fun and loves what he does. As I chomped on that delicious food that he caught, grew, created and cooked, I wondered at the life he leads here on this simple cay. His is enjoying life to the max everyday with no worries that I can detect. He makes everyone feel at home and knows how to coax those that are uncomfortable with the sea to gain a new love for it. He’s like a Shaman with a superior knowledge of the mysteries of the ocean. He loves the sea and knows every inch and every character in it like part of a family that he treats with respect and care. If any of us happened to pick up a souvenir from the beach that was alive, like a starfish, or shell that had some little life in it, he would not miss seeing it out of the corner of his eye and tell us why we should put it back explaining the life that was still in it. He would then patiently show us the things that were OK take and how to determine what was OK without making you feel uncomfortable. He gave us all a renewed appreciation for the ocean and less of a fear of the creatures that inhabit it. He is what I guess you could call the sea whisperer.
LIFE STYLES AT GREEN TURTLE CAY What a fun day that was and what a fun group of people. We all hit it off extremely well and the Canadian family invited all of us the next day for cocktails at their rented beach vacation house. I was looking forward to seeing their place and having Larry meet this great bunch of people but unfortunately the Front came in that afternoon and we couldn’t get there. We met the other people from Vermont Susan) and Texas Dana) in New Plymouth the following day and they invited us to their new house that they built for drinks. So we made a date for them to pick us up in a golf cart the next day at 4:00. Meanwhile, shopping and eating in New Plymouth is a fun experience. They have about four little grocery stores if you could call them that, more like the size of very small convenience stores but they have what you need if only one or two quantities. If you wanted some of that delicious homemade Bahamian bread you had to time it just right as it always sold out quickly. Sometimes is the store was out, they would call the woman who makes it to see if she had another batch ready and when it would be delivered and then when off the phone, she’d pull a loaf that she’d been saving and sold it to me saying she’d get another batch later. If you let them know they will save the loaves for you. The produce supply and quality depends on when the boat comes in. Some days it looks picked over and other day you can get some good things. You have to work the stores though and make the rounds to see what each one has and then decide what is best. I found myself getting this and that buying from three different stores to get what I needed or what looked good. You kind of learn to buy what looks good and fresh and plan your menu accordingly. I think that make it fun. The more people you open up to the more friendly they are and the more you find out. I think that’s the secret to anyplace. There are several little restaurants in the village. They are all modest, some look like someone’s home. There are no big flashing signs and lights. It’s all by word of mouth to find out the places. Maybe there will be a modest little sign out front but that’s about it. One day our new Georgia friend Gale from the marina was with us and she showed me where you could buy lobster tails. I would’ve never known where to go as it’s not marked and you have to go behind the building and into an unmarked door. Inside is a plain square room with two guys sitting on crates and they open the big walk in freezer that is lined head to toe with neatly packed lobster tails for shipping out. They will sell you two tails minimum for $14 and they are each a big meal. The little restaurants serve delicious Bahamian food which is usually, cracked conch fixed different ways, grouper, their famous peas and rice, and coleslaw. It’s all delicious and fresh and you don’t have to worry if it’s clean. It’s like eating at someone’s house. We just love this place. One day we opened the door to what said the Plymouth Liquor Store. We were looking for some wine. It was a small room inside with walls lined with bottles and on one side of the room was a lunch counter, completely filled with people at 10:00 in the morning having something called Chicken Souse Soup. We found out it’s a chicken and potato soup in a slightly spicy broth and you have to have advance reservations for it as they only make so much. This cay is a funny little place. We walked to the public dock where an old tub is docked well out of commission now from it’s rusty parts. A barge had come in and unloaded building supplies. Suddenly a rustic podium desk appears and a black guy with graying beard and dreadlocks sets up. A tractor appears with a white guy and a feisty Jack Russell hanging out the side. Another pick up truck arrives and slowly supplies are picked up and shuffled around the island under the supervision of the guy behind the podium and the Bahamian police officer neatly dressed in navy pants with a red strip and light blue shirt and navy cap. The back drop are the pastel colored houses, concrete paths, and beautiful clear water with multiple hues of aquamarine. This is a magical place.
TIME TO LEAVE Well, we are sad to leave this place and the new friends we have made but it would be a shame to come all this way on this journey and not to go on to see what’s around the corner. We have made friends with Gail and Sonny on AEOLOUS, and Beth and Ron, from GYPSY WIND came in and is going to stay for awhile. Our new Canadian friends, Susan with their beautiful new house on Green Trutle Cay, and Dana from Texas, said they are looking forward to following our trail on the website and have promised to send an occasional email to keep in touch. Boating is such an amazing like style, its freedom to meet and experience new people from all over and all walks of life and generates lasting memories that can compare to none. We’ll miss you all and thanks for making our visit such a pleasurable and rewarding experience..
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