Crew?

We will be here in Nassau at least until next Thursday. There is a bunk free if someone wants to join us for the trip from Nassau to the states.

Nassau

We're exhausted bacause after a lovely day trip from Norman's Island, the last few minutes here in Nassau were horrible - the port engine clonked out as we were leaving the fuel dock.  There is no room at the marinas because ALL the boats are trying to go home and are looking for safe havens for the next storm.  While we were on  Norman's Pond - a truly spectacular island paradise - a front came through that knocked us silly for an hour or so.  We managed the 30+ knot winds in the most protected anchorage we've been in in weeks.  Whew!  People a mile away in a different anchorage on the same island had 40 knot winds!  That is NOOOOOOOO fun.
 
However, we have made a couple of friends that are fantastic.  Lew and John are great buddies, we met them in Staniel Cay awhile ago.  (Lew is on the VHF with John right now.)  We've been 'buddy boating' every since.  Sue is a retired elementary art teacher who is also an artist.  Get this - John is a registered Circus Clown!  We have been having a lot of fun with them.  They have showed us all sorts of great places.
 
HEY - you know the stories about the Green flash that the sun makes at sunset on the ocean?  Well it is TRUE!  Last night we were all at a rustic and elegant place called McDuffs on Norman's Island.  That was after a day that included finding empty and alive BABY conch shells on a tiny little island with only one palm tree!  The four of us AND another couple of strangers SAW the sun go from brilliant orange to the most amazing jade green dot - then disappear!  If I hadn't had witnesses I think i WOULD HAVE DOUBTED MY OWN EYES.  It was magical.
 
We got to Nausua this afternoon after a gorgous day of motor/sailing through the most incredible turquoise water.  In another day or so it is supposed to blow 40 knots again and we're NOT goin to be happy.  However, we will stay here until it passes.  Then it is a long way to Port Lucaya or West End on Grand Bahama Island.  That will be an overnight trip which I'm not crazy about  but - oh well.
 
The maladjustment du jour is that the generator and port engine have dirty diesel fuel in them and keep clunking off!  We got in here on one engine and that is really scary because there are are a lot of boats crowded in here.

---

Windows Live Hotmail is giving away Zunes. Enter for your chance to win.

Happy Easter

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket

Walk softly and carry a big carrot

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears

There's no such thing as too much candy

All work and no play can make you a basket case

A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits

Some body parts should be floppy

Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans

Good things come in small sugarcoated packages

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket

An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare

To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey

---

How well do you know your celebrity gossip? Talk celebrity smackdowns here.

We have been holed up here for a few days due to high winds and the local wifi has not been working. This area has become a playground for children on their parents fancy boats. I guess it must be spring break. We did get a chance to get up to Cambridge, the southernmost island in the Exuma Park for a couple of nights(24 18.168N 076 32.444W) and took a mooring ball right next to Greenstone, some friends from MN. Went snorkeling at "the aquarium", about 2 miles in the dinghy where Florrie did most of her observing by hanging over the side of the dink with her mask on. The next day we all went by our boat, towing their dinghy, to the next island south, Compass Cay and met Wally and Connie, who had dinghied up from Staniel, for a burger then towed their dink back to Staniel. Also met a great couple, John and Sue and celebrated Connie's birthday together. Sue is an artist so Florrie and Sue have been acting like two children sharing secrets and giggling a lot.

---

Test your Star IQ Play now!

March 13

   
You've heard it before …We're waiting for yet another lousy cold weather front !!!! WHO said this is Paradise??? Right now it is very pretty and has been for about two days. I started a new painting that I'm very pleased with so far. (That feels sooo good!) I'll send a picture one of these days, when it is finished. We went ashore yesterday and on the way saw a huge ray with about a 4" "wing span". WAY Cool! We followed it around with our dinghy.
 
When it is good it is REALLY great!
We're still near Staniel Cay, anchored by Big Majors Spot (it is also a Cay). We're expecting 30+ knot winds again.
 
Our windlass, which retrieves and lowers our primary anchor, broke and we're waiting for a part - again. Do you remember the problems in Georgetown in Feb? (There will be a test on all this when we get home. J ) Right now we seem to be comfy on our extra anchor but the currents moved us around the other night. At 5 AM Lew heard "something" and we had dragged and were almost on the rocks! Yikes. We "did the deck dance" and got ourselves back to the middle of the harbor where there is good holding again. The bizarre "lesson" on this was that even if the anchor is secure, keep your anchor alarm on. It was a calm peaceful night and it was "just" the currents that pushed us here and there, wrapping the anchor rope around the anchor and eventually pulling it up !
 
We're going to shore in a minute and will try to phone someone this morning. Phones get tinny fast so we might not be able to get anyone. I'm sorry that it is impossible to call Marilyn and Marvin! Please know that we are fine. This is an intense experience and I truly don't recommend it unless someone has been on the water as a kid, with good experiences. There's no way I could do this year round.
 
Someday I have to write about WALLY - Lew's crony from the Caribbean 1500 days! He and his wife Connie are here too and it is great to see them almost every day. Wally has been giving us their "spare" water and helping us figure out where the best places to go are to wait out the next storm. We may be at Cambridge Cay for that… 5 miles north of this.
 
Gotta Scoot!
Big Hugs to all!
LOVE,
Florrie
& Lew

---

Climb to the top of the charts! Play the word scramble challenge with star power. Play now!

Staniel Cay again

Yesterday we met up with Wally and Connie on their huge motoryacht at Black Point. Very rolly and we left as soon as we could to go to a better harbor for the cold front. Anyway, they were ahead of us and lost their engine in 4 foot waves and 20-25 knot wind. We couldn't tow them in those conditions but hung around until they got the engine working again, (stuck biocide filter). Now we are both on mooring balls and will probably be here for a couple of days - stuck on board maybe - until the front passes. When we feel safe Florrie enjoys this very much. This is where part of the movie Thunderball was shot and we ALMOST got to go into the cave yesterday. However, unless you go in at slack Low Tide you have to dive under the rocks. At that time you can swim right in. We missed the 20 minute time slot so will try again another day. Around the point from us there is a beach where there are feral pigs that come out to your dinghy for food! We'll check that out too. And take pictures.
We're glad to be here again. When we were here in late Jan we had sail and water tank repairs to make so didn't enjoy it very much. However, this is where the nurse sharks congregate to get the scraps from the deep sea fishing boats when the catch is cleaned. Way cool! You can even walk among them, in the water. As we were dinghying into the dock to come to the internet, a 6 foot ray swam under us. Cool.

---

Shed those extra pounds with MSN and The Biggest Loser! Learn more.

Black Point, Great Guana Cay

It's 6:15 on Thursday morning. We motor sailed for about 8-9 hours yesterday from Georgetown on Grand Exuma (Great ? Exuma) up to Great Guana Cay and are anchored at Black Point. There are about 30 boats here and I'll bet most of them "escaped" from G'town as soon as the weather permitted! It was quite a lovely flotilla coming north all day. It was a beautiful day and the deep blue seas were comfortable for us but the monohulls were rolling quite a bit. I am SO glad we're on Harmony and not on Mighty Melissa. Even at that, I was queasy for quite awhile. Wrist bands and ginger helped. Toward mid-day the seas got even flatter so I got a lot better. Once we came through Cave Cay Cut from Exuma Sound where it is very deep, onto the Exuma Banks where the turquoise water is more shallow, I was fine. Lew was able to read the whole trip if he wanted to. I had to just sit but that was ok. We got the hard part of this trip over with in one day. We have about two more full days of good weather before we have to be somewhere protected for the next Front that is supposed to be yet ANOTHER humdinger!
We've never been to Black Point but hear it is a nice settlement with internet, a good laundry and even groceries. We'll stay here for today and probably tonight then go to Big Majors, next to Staniel Cay where there is a very protected harbor. We'll wait out the front there.

---

Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live. Get it now!