The Boat – We have been bringing the Grandparent’s boat over to the island for several years now. And I will note that vacationing in the islands with your own boat has many advantages. Before bringing the Grandparent’s boat over to the island for vacation, Granddad would arrange to rent or borrow a boat so we could go island hopping. And our family really enjoys taking those little daily boat journeys when we can.
Of course, being on the water in a boat has always been one of my favorite dreams. So much so that before our daughters were born, my wife and I wanted to learn how to sail and maybe buy our own sailboat. We went to a sailboat show in Annapolis, Maryland in October 2009. At the show we toured many sailboats and ultimately signed up to take our first sailing class. We learned it would take us three sailing classes to become certified so that we could charter a sailboat in the United States and in the Bahamas. Our first sailing class was scheduled for late April 2010.
The timing of this sailing lesson has become an important topic of discussion at family gatherings and with friends in conversation. And in that discussion, we note that our first daughter was born nine months after the lesson. So, my claim is that she was conceived on the sailboat that we were using for our lesson since we were the only ones on board. What else can I say, our daughter’s conception story follows the pirate story from our Bahamas wedding. But of course, she is challenged by being on a boat on the water for long journeys due to her special needs. She can handle about an hour or so on the boat when we go island hopping, so we must keep our runs short.
I have had dreams where we won the lottery and were able to purchase a nice sized boat so she could make the crossing. It would have to have a big interior so she could move around, and the boat would need to be very stable. Possibly a large catamaran sailing boat. However, with her sensory processing disorder, this might not ever happen. But it will remain one of my dreams for her.
Back to our vacation…
Day SIX – The morning sunrise had a few clouds off in the distance hovering just above the horizon of the oceans edge. For a brief moment the sun peaked through this gap and then disappeared behind the clouds for a few minutes more before reappearing again in its full shining glory. And I watched this sunrise with amazement while sipping on my morning coffee.
Today we were planning on going to an island where there are rays and sharks that will swim right up to you along with some beautiful fishes. This island is one of our favorite spots to go to and everyone who goes there anchors right on the beach. The island is called Munjack Cay.
After breakfast we made some sandwiches to take and loaded the cooler with everything we would need for our island visit. And off we went to the dock. The day was beautiful with only a few clouds. I was determined to get some sun on my olive-skinned body. And this year I was a bit proud of my body since I had lost a good percentage of my man-belly. I wanted to tan up this year. I did use sunscreen sparingly so I could achieve this natural tanning goal.
When we arrived at the island there were many boaters already anchored and enjoying the beach. We picked out a spot between a couple of boats and reversed into position and then anchored. Once anchored we hopped off the boat and waded to shore. The water was only about 3 feet in depth and was crystal clear. And the rays, fish and sharks were busy swimming all around the shore waiting for treats. Yep, they have been spoiled by all of the island visitors. And it is pretty much a tradition. The girls went looking for shells and anything of interest that they could find. We spent about an hour on the island and then decided to head back to the dock.
When we got back on the boat, we saw a visitor up on the bow. A very friendly bird was guarding the anchor storage compartment. Cute! I took a picture to remember his visit. Once he flew away, we pulled in the anchors and secured all of the lines. Now we were ready to head back.
Once we got back to the house, we prepared another simple dinner. After we ate, we cleaned up the kitchen and then settled down for the evening by playing some games and enjoying the evening with a glass of wine. The girls were in a good mood tonight. Grandad was checking out the weather for the next couple of days. And Grandad had that look on his face when he notes something going on in the weather forecast that he doesn’t like. He said that the next couple of days are looking to be good weather days, but we may have to leave a day earlier than planned. Of course, my younger daughter wasn’t happy to hear that news.
It was now bedtime, and we were all getting ready to settle down for the night knowing that our time on the island might be cut short by another day. It seems that the weather has not be a friend to our vacation plans. Not much more to say.
Good night…
Day SEVEN – Hope Town and the Hope Town Lighthouse were beckoning us on this day. Hope Town is located on Elbow Cay. This is another island in the Abaco’s that is about an hour’s run from Green Turtle Cay. This was going to be another good weather day for boating. Once again, I was up early and making coffee. And again, the sunrise was another beautiful one.
As the rest of the family were slowly waking up, the decision was made that we would go to Hope Town. So, after breakfast everyone got ready to head out to the dock to make this run. There was lots of sunscreen being rubbed onto any exposed skin for that needed extra protection. We did not pack any lunch for this trip, only liquids for drinking. We were going to have lunch at the Hope Town Inn where we could dock the boat. The inn also has a pool so we can get some fun pool time in.
When we arrived at the island, we were scoping out and taking pictures of the lighthouse with our phone cameras while Granddad was arranging for a dock with the dockmaster at the inn. We went straight to the lighthouse dock and tied up. Granddad stayed with the boat while we went exploring the lighthouse. Yes, we climbed all the way up to the top. I was proud of myself for this achievement. Remember, I am still in my recovery period.
Once we finished at the light house, we then headed over to the inn marina. We throttled the engines back to slow speed and we went into the marina properly and headed to the dock assigned to our boat. Once we docked, we headed to the inn’s outdoor bar and restaurant. I ordered a house rum drink for me and the girls ordered soda. I took my drink with me to the pool since it would be a while before the food would be ready and the day was nice and warm. There were some clouds building, but nothing to worry about. And the girls grabbed their sodas and followed me to the pool.
After about thirty minutes in the pool, we were alerted that the food was arriving by Granddad. We quickly headed back to our table to eat because we were very hungry. The food was very tasty and had that special Bahamian Island Spice flavor which I like. Did I mention that I am a “Foodie”? And I cheated by ordering another rum drink. Once we finished eating it was back to the pool for a quick dip in the water before we went back to the boat.
On the way back to the dock on Green Turtle Cay we had to dodge a couple of small showers. Nothing big, but just enough moisture to dampen your hair. Our clothes were already wet from being in the pool. Getting wet on a boat is just part of the adventure.
We arrived at the dock and tied the boat to the dock and did a quick cleaning. Once the boat was secured, Granddad headed back to the house. The girls and I headed to Gilliam Bay since it was nearing low tide so we could go sand dollar hunting. Low tide is the best time for this. And low tide in the bay means that the water depth can be anywhere from two feet deep to a couple of inches at the sand bar. And with the sun still shining brightly and the water being crystal clear you can easily see the bottom.
We found a good many intact sand dollars and took them home to add to our collection at the beach house. While the girls were going through our find for the day, Granddad announced that we were going to be leaving a day early since the weather report was not good for making the return crossing as planned. My youngest daughter again was not happy. She felt like her vacation in the islands this year was being stolen from her. Granddad explained that there is not much that we can do except to get packed. We were leaving early in the morning.
Dinner was quick and the packing began right after the kitchen was cleaned. There is not much more to add to today’s story since there was much disappointment in the air. No one was happy. Bedtime.
Good night…
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