Zoom Zoom

Gotta love the color of the Sea of Abaco! I wish it was this calm all the time. What a happy captain...

Hog Heaven

It's been two years since we've ventured past Whale Cay, and since then pigs have been put on No Name Cay off Green Turtle. This has become quite a tourist attraction and destination. We have been anxious to get up there to see them, but it's too far in the skiff. One of the reasons we acquired the Proline is to head north and it was a perfect day to "go Walkabout." Nothing beats going through Don't Rock Passage at 25 miles an hour!

Arriving at No Name, we grabbed the camera, some bread, and a jug of water. About half a dozen pigs of various sizes came running from all over the beach.

Piggyville!

There is a man from Green Turtle that makes sure they have food and water, but cruisers and tourists are encouraged to bring more to supplement the supply. 

They were quite aggressive and came out into the water, so Dave threw the food on shore. One of them we named 'Big Mama', and she would chase the rest away. Boy, were there lots of piggy screams!

Then Dave got out the fresh water and they loved drinking right from the jar.

After they were fed and watered, it was nap time for some and others just cooled off in the water.

We joined them for a leisurely swim and it was just so funny having these big pigs wading with us and then sleeping in the sand in the background.

What an experience we won't soon forget. Walkabout was priceless!

The Calm AFTER the Storm

It seems like Tropical Storm Kate sucked all the wind out of the Bahamas when it left here. Today was flat calm and we took advantage of it. It started at 9 AM when we went swimming in the Hideaways pool to cool off after taking all the cardboard coffins and decorations from the sailing club's haunted house, to the garbage truck. It was the warmest we have ever felt that pool. Then after helping Will move his Abaco Dinghy from the top of the storage rack and another swim in the pool, we headed out to do some snorkeling off the castle of Tilloo Cay.

 

The caves...

 

Dave had to swim the boat out to a bit deeper water with the anchor. 

The snorkeling was pretty good for a small inshore reef, and we saw many french angelfish and parrotfish. It wasn't quite clear enough to take any good underwater photos though. After zooming along the shore of Lubbers Quarters and a trip into White Sound, a calm day would not be complete without...waterskiing! Sorry the photo is blurry but it's hard driving, being the spotter, and being a photographer all at the same time. Not only did he slalom ski, but he did it twice.

Tomorrow is supposed to be another perfect day and we'll be out exploring again.

Barely a Smooch

Kate didn't effect us hardly at all and luckily passed the Abacos further to the east than expected. We did get one quick squall in the afternoon and then a nice rain later in the evening. By that time the wind had died enough for the biting no-see-ums to come out. Kate did provide an eerie but beautiful sunset though.

Lots of boats came into the protected harbor in anticipation of heavy winds. Earlier in the day there were only about half a dozen boats on the moorings.

This morning there is a clear blue sky, the temp is already 80 degrees, so it's time to go exploring! In fact the rest of the week is supposed to be calm, so I will hopefully have some fun adventures to share.

KIss Me Kate

That's just what Tropical Depression 12, soon to be Tropical Storm Kate, is going to to do...kiss the 'elbow' of Elbow Cay, before heading more northerly. Where that second 'S' from the bottom is located, is exactly where we are.

The wind is already picking up and we had a squall during the night. Right now though, the sky is blue and the roosters are crowing. While we can, we'll check the lines on the two boats, happily floating at the dock in the protected pond behind the apartment. Our view from our porch should be exciting, although there are very few boats in the harbor yet. It will probably be more like we sleep though it all tonight!

Surprise Greeting

Arriving here in Hope Town  has been memorable. It is great to see so many of our friends again. I even had a special greeting today at the dock when a manatee swam by! This used to be a rare occurrence in the Bahamas, but over the last couple of years there have been several seen. Earlier this summer there were two frequenting the harbor and one has stayed on through the fall.

Its favorite meal has become the algae and growth on the bottom of the boats, so it is a win-win situation for both the manatee and the people who own the boats.

Of course the water from the hose as the workers cleaned the topside of a boat attracted the manatee to the docks, but I like to think that it was there to greet me. What a nice surprise, because we haven't seen these gentle giants since we lived in the Florida Keys.

Bittersweet

Tomorrow I take a very early flight to Marsh Harbour on a seven seat plane. My departure is bittersweet because I will miss family and friends, and of course the conveniences of so many stores and driving! My mother and I have been traveling and shopping all over Daytona and I have her as set as I can before leaving. It's time to head southeast though and join Dave for new adventures! More from the other side....