Beautiful Bahamas - We're sad to say good bye

We left the Bahamas March 22nd and sailed to Charleston, South Carolina. We will never forget the sights and experiences we had in the Bahamas and plan to return. We can see why some sailors go to the Bahamas and never leave.

Some of the highlights were the crystal clear water, the emphasis on boating, the small towns, the beaches, the experience of being in another country and the people.

One of the best things about the Bahamas is the people you meet. The Bahamian people are incredibly friendly. We met wonderful sailors, too. We had a lot of fun getting to know Hank and Carol from s/v Kismet. We found that friendships develop quickly when you are all new to a country and have so much in common.

We are now at Cooper River Marina in Charleston. It was great to have Fran's parents and sister here to greet us last Friday. We came through some rough weather on the trip so our wonderful relatives helped us start the clean up process.

Having family here made it fun.

We are still here cleaning up and doing minor repairs. We are also working on a new itinerary for the trip to give us more experience with heavy weather before crossing the Atlantic. This little bird joined us for a night on the trip and slept at the navigation station. He was smart and flew back to the Bahamas before the storm!

Hope Town and What to wear?

One of the nicest towns we have visited in the Abacos is Hope Town. It is a tiny place with winding streets and charming cottages. Each cottage has a name. The light house is one of a few remaining that is powered by oil instead of electricity. For boaters it is a relaxing place to stay because the harbor is 100% mooring balls.

A beautiful Atlantic beach is a 5 minute walk from the harbor. A rare sight was seen one day, Al relaxing on the beach, Al relaxing! That's why Al has Frances, to make him slow down every once in a while.

What To Wear?

One of the great things about cruising is the casual lifestyle. However after a few weeks it's nice to get a little dressed up and go out like you would at home. So, how do you do it?

First your outfit cannot include anything that says "boater". No Columbia, Gill or canvas. Put on something shore like, add some accessories and a pair of cute sandles. Your best pair of topsiders is OK since they are in style now. Don't wear these topsiders sailing and mess them up. Put on some make up of course. Hair is the biggest challenge. You are constantly in a damp environment and electricity is scarce. Your best friend is hair products. Bring every imaginable type, you may need to use them all at once. If you have to use the hair dryer or straightening iron they do not take as many amps as you think and the draw is minimal since they aren't run for hours. Bring a bag to shore, not canvas, to carry your cute shoes and hair products so you can spiff up after the dinghy ride in and trip up the ladder or concrete sea wall. Once you are in the restaurant relaxing you will feel just like you did at home.

Island Hopping - Green Turtle, Guana, Hope Town

In Green Turtle we checked out the island, met other cruisers and heard a great band, The Gully Roosters. The band included a man performing Bahamian Rake and Scrape. He was a very energetic guy playing a saw with a serrated knife while dancing arouund! We were told that you would dance to this band no mater what and it was true. It was great fun with locals, cruisers and people of all ages dancing together.

Guana has the cutest beach bar with something for everyone and overlooks a fantastic Atlantic Beach. We will go back there in a few days.

We moved on to Hope Town fairly quickly to enter a local sailing race! All cruisers and live aboards were invited. Every type of boat was in the race including a typical Abaconian sailboat the Abaco Rage. Jade was actually recognized at the "Stand Up" gathering at the Hope Town sailing club for participating in the race.

The Bahamas!!!!

We made it to the Abacos February 22nd. This is Frances relaxing on deck while we sailed across the "Banks". You can see her sun screen method! What do we do with all our spare time? Well for one thing we plan where we are going the next day and how to get there without crashing the boat.

Stepping into the Atlantic here for the first time was exciting. We stayed several days in Manjack Cay. It had trails and a gorgeous beach.
It took a while to get here and was a little tough but it was worth it. Now we are relaxing, enjoying the beautiful clear water and exploring the different islands in the Abacos. We will probably head back to the states near the end of March.