Easter

I hope that everyone liked all the pictures I added. Lots of updating. At Black Point we moved on to Staniel Cay. This is where we were before to see the thunderball grotto cave on the way down. This time around it was so hopping and crowded and busy. It was a lot more fun. Satisfaction III and Scallywag and eventually Manana were all at the marina so we just dinghied in and parked on their boats and hung out with them at the marina. All the kids were together and played all day at the pool. We had a great time. Everyone was glad to be together. We had drinks and dinners and scrabble games and Rob even babysat for Satisfaction so they could go snorkeling together for some alone time!! It was great. Staniel is a pretty little island with huge flowering bushes. Shawn and I went spearfishing, the day before Rob and Shawn and Kerry went out and came back with Grouper and lobster. It was only enough for one family so they donated it to Manana who had not yet had a fresh fish dinner in the Bahamas. Rob is very big that this is part of the experience and was happy to give the dinner to Manana.
Eventually it was time to move on, the weather was very unsettled so only short hops. We went with Satisfaction III to Pipe Cay and enjoyed more fresh fish and a secluded little beach. Very nice stop- Rob liked it very much. We again gave S III the grouper we caught as they had not had it ever before.
At this time we had to make a decision to move on. The group was going to hang out on a mooring ball for a while but we needed to make time to see Whisper before they crossed and we would miss them.
So in 3 jumps: Pipe Cay to Norman's Cay, then Norman's cay straight up to Eleuthra, then the next day across the ocean to Little Harbour, Abacos. Whew, lots of miles, each jump about 50 miles or more.
When we got in I heard Hans on the radio talking to the ferry service but I couldn't get him and he turned off his radio!! The next morning up early, listened to the cruisers net and we had our boat announced as a new arrival so Whisper would hear it. It worked. Immediately Hans was desperately trying to get us on the radio, we were stepped on by other boats so we couldn't get him. Then I followed his conversation to another station and said "break break Snowday"- Kristen jumped out of her chair and yelled "Snowday!!!" and we finally got to talk to them. It was great. So we ran to Hope town for a great meal. We had about 3 days with them and had that great bonfire on the beach too. Hans and Kristen went and picked up Key Lime pie special for Mandy!! Eventually the time came to go, we had fun on the beach with kite flying, snorkeling at the coral garden, the bonfire and just visiting on the boat. It was so sad again when they left. I hope we see them again one day, fair winds, following seas and be safe Whisper!!!! We'll miss you terribly.

After this was had a quiet day at Lynard Cay, beautiful beach spot. Rob went fishing with no luck as it was too rough. The next day we saw Little Harbour and Pete's Pub and Art Gallery. Very nice little spot. Then off to Marsh Harbour for groceries. Marsh harbour is not nice to be in- you can't swim and the town is just cars and stores, nothing quaint or nice about it. So off we went. We went to Man-O-War cay. It was very nice. Cute shops. We went with Hasten Slowly and the kids had fun. Rob caught Grouper for dinner- yummy.
Later we moved on to Treasure Cay. This was fun as it was hopping with pizza night and music and a beautiful beach. Amazing. We also had the joy of showers here!!! We waited out some weather and then on for Easter.

As a side note, we can't get over the amenities and all weather protected anchorages here!!! Hans and Kristen were very spoiled!! The Exumas is going to be so different for them.

Off to Great Guana Cay for Nippers and Easter. It was great. The bar at the top of the hill overlooking the reefs of the Atlantic Ocean have a huge Easter egg hunt. They hide eggs in the sand and the reef and they are worth prizes. All the families converged here and had lots of fun. They also had a big buffet pig roast with great food. So we swam and visited and had pig roast. Rob and I teamed up on the reef and we won $50, keychains, shot glasses, free drinks, etc. It was cool. Later that night we reunited with Kismet for dinner on their boat.
After this we moved on to Fowl Cay to snorkel on an amazing barrier reef. Then to Marsh Harbour. All the buddy boats moved on, Manana and Scallywag are crossing to the USA, we still may see Hasten Slowly in Hope town. Goodbye to everyone and I hope you all keep in touch!!
We are now in Hope town. It is very cute and the lighthouse was great to see. Lots of great food here. We had Wahoo for dinner- excellent fish, very much like chicken believe it or not!
Right now I'm on Dave's 43 foot Shannon doing email- Whisper knows him from their days here. He is very nice and it's been great meeting him.
Sooooooo now we are all up to date. We'll be seeing the Northern Abacos for 2-3 more weeks and then on to the USA I guess. Rob and I still have no solid plans of what happens when we arrive in the US so I guess it'll be a surprise for all!! The good news is that we get a tax return this year, yippee!! Thanks to Gary!
We've had great experiences with some remarkably high highs and low lows as we've dealt with various trials. It really makes you feel alive though, such a great change from suburbia living.
We'll write again soon, although we may not get email again until the US, so who knows.