Here and There, Part 2

I'm still here (Daytona) and Dave is still there (Bahamas)! Things aren't working out quite the way we expected them to. The last race has been postponed until the beginning of April and then the weather is predicted to get very windy, meaning that Soliaire1 won't be able to leave until at least a week or even longer. Therefore, Dave will be flying back to Stuart on Saturday, picking up the van and driving to Daytona.

Dave has been slowly pulling things together for a departure, which includes storing the boats. He has also been having fun attending various events, including a bonfire on the beach, which is really a sandbar that isn't even there at low tide.

Meanwhile, I have been working like crazy getting leaves raked (good practice for home!) weeds pulled, and the pool area and furniture cleaned up and bleached. Every morning I try to take a 2 mile walk and again in the evening. These are my walking pals...a family of white ibis.

Once Dave is here, we can hopefully get back out on the Helix and do some cruising around. More when he returns.

Here and There

In a few hours I will be heading out in a 7 passenger plane to Daytona. Dave is staying here for at least a week. He has our friend Scott coming for a few days, and then Ken (who came over here this past fall in Walkabout with him) and his father Don will be arriving to sail their boat Sozo. Dave also has an executive meeting to attend, where he will read my website report and his own past commodore report, and one last race on the Rage. Then he is going to be sailing back to Stuart, Florida on Solitaire 1. Our van is in Stuart so that will work well and he can then drive up to Daytona. Hopefully the weather and Gulf Stream will cooperate so they can begin their journey the day following the race. David & Catherine are both on the race committee and David is race chairman.

Bye for now! Wish us luck in our travels...

When I Grow Up

I want to be like Di! She is 87 years young, sails her catamaran down here every year and even sailed a Sunfish in the Ladies Race.

Di is such an icon here that the race is named after her with a trophy in her honor. Plus she came in second last year and third this year!

 

This is the wet shirt trophy for anyone who flips their Sunfish during the competition, but it wasn't Di, who sailed flawlessly.

What an amazing woman!

It's Time

The last dinghy race of the season was cancelled due to inclement weather, but the weather improved later on, so Jim and Dave started putting away their toys. Jim's kayak, Sunfish, daysailer, and inflatable are all stored away (he and Sharon leave Tuesday). Then they took down Dandy's rig and stowed that. The boat itself will be hauled out with the forklift in the next couple of days.

Our daysailer Suja will stay on the beach until just before Dave leaves the first of April, along with Safari the skiff and Walkabout. Since I am leaving Wednesday and the weather isn't conducive for paddling, the kayaks are back on the porch and ready for their storage covers. They get tied to the lower railing 4x4s in case of a hurricane.

Yes, it's time to start heading north. Once again it is bittersweet, but we are really looking forward to the summer months and our other lives.

Another Day Begins

I'm liking the time change with the sun setting later, and I am up early to see more fantastic sunrises like this:

Perfect Day

What a gorgeous day to be out on the water! Early this morning we headed to Marsh Harbor to get our prescriptions filled for the summer. We had to see our doctor first. It was amazing when we walked in the door and the medical assistant greeted us by name! We certainly aren't just a number here. Then it was on to the pharmacy where they give us a 10% discount for cash....and the drugs are about 1/4 the price in the States to start with.

The trip back to Hope Town was so calm with the blue-green water. This is looking back towards Marsh Harbour:

This is looking towards Hope Town as we skirted the shoal between the Parrot Cays:

To top off our day, we kayaked out to Nathan's Bay Beach and swam in the surprisingly warm water. Then we took the skiff to Johnny's Cay and went snorkeling around the breakwater as the tide was rising. To make it even more memorable today, we saw dolphins, turtles, and even a large nurse shark in our travels. "Spring has sprung!"

Pumped Up

The marina just received a new fuel pump to replace the original one. It looks smaller and probably more efficient. 

Out with the old:

 

In with the new:

Hopefully it won't affect the already high price of gas!