Happy Thanksgiving from Sampson Cay

Jan reads Kendle during great sailing day

We did leave G.T. on Tuesday in 18kt winds from the ENE which made for a pretty comfortable beam reach in Exuma Sound to Galliot Cut N of Cave Cay - 37 nautical miles in about 5 hours.  Since we still had several hours of light we sailed around the W side of Little Farmer's Cay to a spot where we anchored on our first trip to the Exumas 3 years ago.  See short video from sail at this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandjcornwell/6406251369/  And more pics at the Flickr link to the left.

Path to beach from Kathryn's home where we spent many nights

It was surprisingly unemotional leaving George Town for what could be our last visit aboard Mystique, probably because we hope to return someday soon to visit Kathryn, Wendell, Chat n Chill, Brian and Larraine, shop at Top 2 Bottom, Exuma Market and Darville Lumber.  We've got great memories and have seen most of Great Exuma.  But it was time to move on and we're looking forward to getting Mystique back to the States to get some work done on her that we couldn't do in Exuma.  And it's been a long time since we've seen our new grandson, Will!  He's very cute on Skype but we need to hold him.

Refuel stop at Staniel Cay Yacht Club

Wednesday we motor-sailed up the back side of Great Guana Cay to Staniel Cay Yacht Club where we pulled into the dock on a gorgeous light-wind day to fill the diesel tank and wash the salt off Mystique.  She was scrubbed, shined and waxed in George Town and we want to keep her looking shiny white.  There was only one small diesel hose and we had to wait two hours while one of those huge mega-yachts took on 2,000 gallons ($10,000 in one gulp!).  We took 28 gallons, almost half a tank.

Sampson Cay dining room with Mystique in the harbor

High winds from the N - E were forecast for Thanksgiving and the weekend, so we pulled in to Sampson Cay which has a wonderful little anchorage in a well-protected harbor.  We've spent two previous Thanksgivings and numerous other visits here and thought it appropriate to spend a third.  This is a very high end resort built by John Malone, owner of the Discovery Channel.  But there are very few boaters or tourists here!  We ate with four others in their large dining room!  Kinda spooky.  But indicative of the slow tourist economy around the Bahamas.  They are so ready for the economy to rebound and the international tourists to come back.  Friday night there was a family of four eating next to us where were from Harbor Springs, MI, very near Traverse City!

We've seen a few other cruisers heading down to George Town - about 2/day.  It's the very beginning of the 300-400 boat influx every year which spends the winter down here.  We are very much going against the grain heading North but we don't mind.  We've always been in Colorado during the winter rush.

Hunkered down for the windy weekend (again) here, doing laundry today (Sat) and watching Michigan State beat Northwestern and Michigan beat Ohio State.  Tomorrow we're picking up our friend Bob who's flying in to Staniel Cay.  On Monday we'll head further north with a good weather forecast.

We've had time here to reflect on our many blessings, which include you, for which we are truly thankful!!  We're especially grateful that you've read our blog!

Wonderful time in George Town

Overlooking Elizabeth Harbour (c) K Robinson

It was a busy week between Bradenton (overseeing carpet install at Mom's place and selling her '91 Cadillac) and Orlando (visiting good Frisco friends Robert and Diana and picking up Customs forms for returning Mystique to the US).   Our "If you've got time to spare, fly BahamasAir" flight was delayed six hours so we didn't get to Nassau until evening.  BA put us up at the Coral Beach Wyndham hotel with dinners and breakfasts, so we decided not to take the 6am flight the next morning and instead spent the day relaxing, playing $10 in the slot machines and walking the beach before the 6pm flight to George Town.

Our good friend Kathryn picked us up and put us up at her lovely beach home where we've had the luxury of staying many times before on previous trips.  It's such a beautiful setting, set back 150' from a perfect crescent sand beach.  You look out from her huge sliding glass windows past a row of sea lettuce and palm trees to the many shades of turquoise of Hoopers Bay, and Conch Cay "key" Cut which is our entrance and exit to Elizabeth Harbour from farther up the Exuma Island chain.

Kathryn and Jan prepare another feast

The weekends have been VERY windy from the cold fronts blowing down from Florida.  So we've been on the boat during the week and enjoying the party life ashore with Kathryn and her friends (and Sammy) on the weekends (including this one!).  We've tried to earn our keep by helping her with many chores around her house, while enjoying dinner parties (the one last night here was a pre-Thanksgiving feast with roast leg of lamb brought in her suitcase from England) and drinks out at various beach bars.

We were anxious to see what damage hurricane Irene had wreaked on Mystique and have been relieved to find her in great shape.  There was evidence of rainwater leaking into the boat in places but no real damage done.  Over the next week we visited the boat and got her put back together, sails up, lifelines re-strung, dinghy patched, etc.  Our dink, "Fun Fun" has now been officially re-christened "Patches" because she's got so many of them!  She's really on her last legs.  Our goal is to use her until we return to Florida and then trade her in for a newer version over the winter.  It would have cost about $500 extra to have one shipped here from the States.

Brian (his boat), Larraine, Kathryn and Jan ready to sail

On Wednesday the weather was beautiful so we invited Kathryn and her friends Brian and Larraine for a sail up and down Elizabeth Harbour.  Brian is an avid sailor (many English Channel crossings) but hadn't sailed for ten years and his enthusiasm was infectious.  I have to say that it felt great having Mystique under sail again and whetted our appetites to get moving northwards in a few days.  After the sail we dinghied in to Chat 'n Chill for drinks, then went to St. Francis Resort for fish dinner.

Aboard Mystique, all systems are running well (after changing the generator fuel filter because the generator complained by starting to run out of steam).   We've been filling up the water tanks by shuttling jerry cans from shore, and we'll add two 5-gallon cans of diesel when we return to the boat Monday.  And we'll make a last run to Exuma Market for groceries.

This will be the last of the preparations needed before heading north toward Staniel Cay on Tuesday or Wednesday during a forecasted break in the heavy weather.  We'll pick up crew and long-time sailing friend Bob Bruce there on Saturday and the three of us will begin heading back to Florida.  The whole trip is about 350 miles from George Town to Jupiter.

Sammy the Boat Cat happy with life

Over the past four years of cruising the Bahamas we are increasingly aware of the deep cultural differences between our go-fast and accomplish much way of life and the very laid back and generally lackadaisical outlook of the Bahamians, especially on Great Exuma.  Us "white folk" tend to think of all the things that are lacking down here and what needs to be done to make this a greater place.  Then we look for ways we can help them accomplish those things.  But it turns out the Bahamians don't really want our "better" ideas nor our help.  We have slowly learned that this is the way things are here and there is a natural resistance to progress or doing things better or any sooner.   Sort of Sammy-the-boat-cat's outlook on life!  While this attitude is very different than ours, we have come to appreciate that it's one of the 'tings' that makes the Bahamas such a special place.