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| The best tropical conch salad! |
The path curls from the beach into a well traveled wooded area, around a fresh water well, and ends at a dirt road. After a turn onto Queens Highway, I pass a pink house on the left and an open rocky pasture with free range chickens and goats. Eight telephone poles later the entrance to the beach path, marked with a faded buoy, appears.
A natural arched cathedral of bushes and small silvery trees create a flickering tunnel. Light filters through the leaves of the native shrubs and bushes. The soft path, covered by fallen leaves and palm fronds, becomes rocky and harder to climb as the elevation increases.
The foliage parts and the vista is breathtaking at the peak. A cool breeze tilts my hat and cools my cheeks. Below brilliant blues of the Atlantic Ocean and the yellow green of swaying palms call come on down. I go.
Sailing The Blues - Monday morning is moving day. The dinghy engine is winched up onto the deck. Gas cans and water jugs are secured. With anchor up and locked down, Ed raises the mainsail while I hold the boat into the wind. The jib unfurls and away we go across the wild blue yonder.
The skies are blue. Even the few stretched cottony clouds show baby blue from the various hues of azul reflecting off the waters to the left. The deeper Atlantic side is royal and violet blue. Neon blue flashes sparkle on the wavelets as they move through the sun's rays. Aquamarines, teals, and all the blues in between show off their finery today.
Shopping - Tuesday finds Imagine anchored off Elizabeth Harbor near Great Exuma. We listen to the weather on SSB and the cruisers net on the VHF. It's time to get ready for the blow.
While we won't get any of that cold white stuff, we do jump into the dinghy and head into town for bread, milk, fresh veggies, and cookies for a special treat. It's nice to be back in port where provisioning is easy. Boxed milk gets a little old and baking bread every three or four days is fun... for a while
A Front Blows Through - Wednesday dawns with gray ominous clouds blocking the tropical sun. Already, Imagine has clocked with the lighter winds from the east to the south east, to south, and southwest. Winds quickly pick up as a squall nears. The first heavy rain drops tat tat on the scurry to shut the hatches and portholes. We tie buckets to the deck no they don't blow away in the 30 knot storm winds.
Fresh rain water cleans tenacious salt crystal from the decks. Imagine dances from side to side swinging on the anchor as the prefrontal chaos moves through. Suddenly the squalls quiet and a steady northwest wind becomes north and northeast at 20 knots. It was a good day to hang and begin a new book.
Hello and Goodbye - On Thursday the wind has slowed to a comfortable 12 knots out of the east, northeast. With the dinghy down, we hop into our rubber water taxi and head to another anchorage to say goodbye to some cruising friends heading north to Ontario, Canada on Satuday.
On the way we meet other cruisers we've met along our five year journey. It's nice to run into George and Julie from Sequel and Mark and Kathy from Carina. Living a life upon the sea often finds us suddenly waving goodbye and hello to friends along the way.
Celebrating Bahamian Culture - Friday finds us attending the annual Bahamian Heritage and Music Festival. Native foods such as guava duff, conch salad and steamed snapper draw us to the colorful red, yellow and blue food booths.
Cane barking, coconut husking, onion peeling, and mango eating contests draw competitive contenders who bring their own cheering sections. It's a hoot to watch contestants peel a three foot section of raw sugar cane using only their teeth. Peeling onions without a knife, with only a good grip and a flick of the wrists takes a lot of practice.
Straw work, wood carving, story telling, and games for children keep the festivities moving along until evening when the music begins. Gospel, reggae, Bahamian, and contemporary music draws cruisers, tourists and locals to regatta park for three nights of music that runs into the wee hours of the morning. What a great way to get to know and learn more about our Bahamian neighbors
Reaching Out to Family - Saturday rolls around with light winds and a perfect day to go gunk holing in the dinghy. But first I need a family fix. I call my parents just to let them know I'm thinking of them. I call my son to hear how the nearly nine month old granddaughter is doing. The three Alloway/Mannington grandchildren and the eldest daugher make me smile. Finally I call the middle child with a list of things to bring when she comes to visit Imagine in April.
It's been a busy week full of activities, vibrant blues, storms, culture, friends and family. People often ask what we do each day. The answer is all of the above plus beach combing, fishing, snorkeling, boat mainenace, jewelry making, reading, writing, meeting friends for sundowners, making baskets and exploring new ports. The list goes on, and on, and on.
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