Minnesota Visitors - Escaping the Cold

We have had a wonderful time with visits from Jeff's sister, Cyndi, and her husband, Bill, and our neighbor Joanne. Today the poor things flew back to frigid MN to wait for Spring - the season in Minnesota when the cars go through the ice.

Cyndi and Bill flew to Nassau and on to Marsh Harbor after a harrowing morning drive through the icy Twin Cities roadways. They sure seemed glad to find us tied up at the dock on the north side of the harbor at the Marsh Harbor Marina, better known by its restaurant name, the Jib Room. We had arrived there early in the week to wait for them and ride out a weather low. Just as we came into the dock, one of the stern thruster hydraulic hoses blew, spewing pink oil into the water. We cleaned it up and found a wonderful boat electrician/mechanic, Andrew (the brother of the Jib Room cook), who helped get us all put back together again. He was able to do the repair without needing the boat hauled out, though we went through a lot of ATF flushing the water from the system.

We had a windy day on the dock and spent it exploring Marsh Harbor. That evening, there was a Junkanoo parade - a traditional Bahamian celebration with floats, wild costumes, and music provided by drums, cow bells, whistles, and a variety of brass instruments. There were only three groups participating, so it was a   v  e  r  y    s  l  o  w   parade, but the groups were loud and enthusiastic and the people watching was great.

The wind died down the next day and we cruised over to Hope Town, picked up the same mooring ball we had the week before, and showed them the cute town, beautiful red striped lighthouse which still lights its Fresnel lens every night, and lovely beach (and even some sea glass).

Next it was on to Man-O-War Cay to anchor out. We went snorkeling the next day with the local dive shop and two other couples. We went out to the site of the "Adirondack" (not our boat, but a Civil War ship that sank on the reef) to mostly see the canons still visible on the floor of the reef. We then went to Fowl Cay, which is now a national protected area, for some lovely coral and fish. We saw a large ray buried under the sand. It was a good morning and fun to explore and use the snorkel gear.

The wind was predicted to swing to the south, so we headed over to Treasure Cay and a harbor with good protection from south winds. It is a fancy resort with a pool which you can use if anchored outside for a small fee. We spent time on the beach, reported to be one of the 10 best in the world by National Geographic, and attended the Office of Tourism party for winter visitors, complete with dinner, a fashion show, and another Junkanoo performance. The next day was windy and we stayed at anchor and were met by Joanne, our Dry Dock neighbor, who had been at a trade show in Nassau and then flew to Marsh Harbor to check up on us.

When the wind abated and swung to the north, we headed over to Great Guana Cay and the dockage deal of 50 cents a foot at Orchid Bay Marina. We had a great snorkel off the beach at Nipper's, the local bar. Joanne ferried over from Marsh Harbor and met us there for lunch and beach time. We were able to show her the boat and Jeff happily gave her a dinghy ride before she caught her ferry back.

We headed back to Marsh Harbor the next day and finally found a place to dock to be in position to get Cyndi and Bill a taxi and back to the airport. Joanne joined us for drinks on the boat and then dinner. Then early Sunday morning, it was time for hugs and goodbyes as we sent them back to the frozen tundra. It was great fun to share our boat and time with them all, now we start to head south to Eleuthera and to see David and Adam by the middle of the month - Hurrah!!  Sally