February 2007

With the winds calming down for about a week, boats are on the move, including us. Everyone is taking full advantage of the variable winds.

Wednesday, 2/7

Man-o-War to Great Guana Cay for the pot luck dinner at Grabbers. Great time and plentiful food. Everyone brings a dish to feed themselves and 2 others. Enjoyed dinner and dancing with Greg on Argonauta (Charlotte, VT) and Bob and Lana on MaCherie (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and about 100 others. (trip - 8.6 nm)


Thursday, 2/8

Great Guana Cay to Treasure Cay (trip 10.7 nm)Sailed across the Sea of Abaco with Argonauta. Anchored just outside the Treasure Cay Resort and Marina, for $8/day you get use of full resort amenities: fresh water pool, tennis, golf, 3 ½ mile crescent shaped beach (one of the top 10 beaches in the world), restaurant, tiki bar, beach bar and grill, internet and hot showers.
The use of the resort not only allowed us the pleasures of long lasting showers but the discovery of inside coconuts and the realization of what a small world we live in.

On the way to the showers, we spotted a man up a very tall coconut tree. As Babette started photographing him, one of the landscape crew waved us closer. We were in awe of this person up the tree because he had climbed up a 30 ft ladder, then shimmied further up to about 45-50 ft. Once settled upon a cluster of coconuts he began pruning the palm frawns and fruit from the tree with a machete.

One of the ground crew cut off the end of a green coconut exposing a small hole and offered it to us to taste the sweet water inside.

After finishing the coconut water, we handed the coconut back to him and he whacked it in half with a machete handed it back to us with a small piece of husk he sheared off for a spoon.

We were now tasting the jelly located on the very inside. It tasted much better than expected, much like creamy white jello. A real Bahamian experience!!

Onward to the showers after our afternoon treat. Endless hot running water at no charge is a cruiser’s ultimate heaven.

We invited Greg from Argonauta over for a sundowner. As we enjoyed the sunset, drinks, conversation and stories, munched on bruschetta and carrots with curry dip a dinghy approached Escape. A young couple, Kristen and Hans stopped by to say hello to fellow Vermonters. They were surprised to discover that Greg was from Vermont as well. The evening was now a Vermont reunion as we invited them to join us.

Hans is from Sweden and Kristen is from Springfield, VT. We knew many of the same people and Tom knew of the company that her dad worked for. Their story: saved up their money, quit their jobs and adopted the cruising lifestyle. Their plans are to travel from Maryland to the Caribbean Sea in their 27 ft. sailboat, Whisper, with their cat, KitKat for the next 4 years. An inspiring young couple. They also have a blog site that they wish to share with everyone (if interested) - http://www.under30undersail.blogspot.com/ (entitled the Log of Whisper).


Greg, also from Vermont, introduced himself about 2 months ago after anchoring in Marsh Harbour behind us. He paddled his kayak over and ask if we kept our boat on Lake Champlain because he thought he recognized it . He used to keep his boat at Point Bay Marina in Charlotte, VT and that was exactly where Escape first resided. Greg is now retired but used to work for the University of Vermont in Burlington. He and his wife, Michelle now live in Kentucky and he cruises the Abacos during the winter months. Michelle still works but makes frequent visit to join him.

IT REALLY IS A SMALL WORLD !!