March 5, 2015
January has been a little (and sometimes a lot!) windy and chilly here in the Abacos. We even had the heat on at times a while back. I know, I know - no sympathy from our freezing and snowbound friends in other parts of the country. Believe me, we've been thinking of all you've had to endure this winter and wishing we could send some warmer temps your way. Spring is only 15 days away! At any rate, we enjoyed watching the Super Bowl at one of our favorite waterfront restaurants on Elbow Cay. We bundled up with others and watched the big screen on the outside deck. Some of the very well trained furry friends there enjoyed a treat during half time.
Jeff had to do some consulting work in Boise, so I took advantage of that time and visited with my mother and uncle in Pompano Beach. We left the boat in the Hope Town Inn & Marina while we were away in order to be hooked up to shore power to ensure our frozen and refrigerated food wouldn't spoil. Our solar panels charge the batteries quite nicely provided the sun is shining. We hopped on the ferry to Marsh Harbor, then a cab to the airport to take the short flight to Ft. Lauderdale. These planes aren't exactly what you'd call commercial airliners... the great part is that you can see where you're going. On this small plane the cockpit door was left open so we could see out the windshield!
My mom is thoroughly pleased to be in Florida instead of CT for obvious reasons. NO SNOW! We spent the week catching up, shopping, getting our nails done, etc. What a great time that was.
Once in Pompano we were pleased to learn that my cousin Bob and his wife Linda were visiting as well. Great fun catching up with everyone.
Mid week there was a knock on the door and to my surprise this beautiful arrangement was for me! Jeff sent an early Valentine's day arrangement so that I could enjoy it for a while before we headed back to Hope Town on the 16th of Feb. Mom has enjoyed it ever since we left. The lily's haven't quit
delighting with new blooms!
I met up with a boating friend, Gaye, for lunch in Lauderdale by the Sea at a restaurant on the water I love called Arubas. We shared lots of stories and after lunch stopped in at a cute store nearby which sells jewelry and the cutest puppies around. I almost brought this little girl home at Gaye Mills' urging. She was the perfect little lady and I'm sure she's found a forever home by now.
When Jeff returned after 5 days, we were treated to an incredibly prepared rack of lamb at my Uncle Bob's. Wow!! Was that yummy! Thanks U-B. Then it was back to the airport for the flight back to Marsh Harbour, then the ferry ride to Hope Town.
Some of the sights aren't quite as breathtaking, but can certainly be interesting.
We ate lunch at one of the local restaurants and decided to try a Bahamian lobster roll which was very tasty. We might have to make a return trip to Captain Jacks for that.
This is one way to get to your boat... Those ferry captains are pretty accommodating!
How many bodies can a dinghy hold before it sinks?
Another peaceful evening in the Abacos. Can't ever get tired of these!
Hope Town has a sailing club and sponsors racing fairly frequently. We have met many of the club members by participating in these events. Each race we keep improving, and yesterday we came in 4th out of 16 boats, in the first part of a two day race. It definitely helps that we have another crew member onboard. Jeff ran into a friend he used to race with in FL after not having seen each other in years. Todd just happened to dinghy by one day a couple of weeks ago and they were both totally surprised to see each other! These are some of the photos from a race two weeks ago we participated in. We came in 9th in that one. Perhaps we can move up a slot and make it into the top 3. We'll see.
It's amazing how many people here are from Maine. Not necessarily born there, but residents there. We were invited to a "Maine" party at one of the cottages here this past Tuesday night and had a great time getting to know others. Matter of fact, we have some friends flying in on Saturday from Deer Isle. Blaine & Sharon I'll bet you're going to get to the airport EXTRA early! We'll be waiting for you and see you at the airport when you get in. After their stay we'll probably head further south to Eleuthera to catch up with our friends John & Cherre for a while - and then would love to meet up with Jack & Carol in the Exumas after that. Follow our travels with Blaine & Sharon on the next post!
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