2012.04.12 LYC Green Turtle Cay

I have been nagged for quite a few days so I go again...

We are in back at LYC spending the few days of our winter season here amongst friends who are all (mostly) hauling out here...in other words no more Gulf Stream crossing for them.

What have we been up to since our last posting...

We went racing on "Hope" with Thomas and Belle.

Rounding marks....oh!!!!what a feeling!

Lynn and Walter came for drinks and we were having such a nice time they stayed for supper.

David searching for the elusive sea bean...

We attended the commodore's dinner (Hope Town Sailing Club).

Richard Cook, Commodore at large.

We went to Great Guana on Froggies boat to attend the Bare Foot Man's concert

It was spring break .... Grabbers...lots of people and fun on the beach

 Lynn is such a party girl...a kiss for a frozen Nippers!

But Walter is her man...

Gail singing along and Sea glass par excellence hubby Bruce

And their kids...,got married in Hope Town last year.

For those of you asking "WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE" ...well here they are!

It was a lot of very good clean fun....why did we wait six years to go?

Sea of Abaco from Cracker P's

Guess who was the star of the St Pat's stand-up......none other than Kim Rody

Dinghy race in Hope Town

Good exercise for that six pack tummy!!!

We walked around the north end of Elbow Cay in the water...it can only be done at very low tide...we stated a little late but made it around the point as the tide was coming up.

Sea oats

That was a very spectacular sky...any idea what caused it?

Then it was another  "Cay Topics " ladies lunchon...everyone was hanging to every word from....

Annie Potts, an extremely dedicated member of the BLHPS (Bahamas Light House preservation society)

Fortunately the wind and rain joined the party almost at the very end!

Our dink had grown a healthy beard and needed a good scrub so we beached it and did just that.

Better don't you think?

Yes...David actually in the ocean, we had a lovely reunion with Vicky and Dave (Trllium)

This was a day where we were "on vacation" lounge chairs, drinks on the beach with friends...not at all our usual cruising life style....it was wonderful, we'll have to do it again,,,nest year!!!!

Bingo night at Cap't Jack's...Bill and Carol didn't win (neither did we) but the conch fritters were yummy!

 Then we had birthday parties...first Karina's at her uncle Peter and aunt Trish....great fun and food.and Karina has the best smile!

Then it was the double William birthday party ...Bill and Will...potluck style again good fun and great food.

Canada was very well represented...Betty, Gilles, Joan and Bob.

Karina had helped our favourite lighthouse keeper Sam light it the previous night.

Amazing Di catching up with Brad who just came back from India


We then spent a day on "the dark side" (motor boat)....a very kind invitation to have a taste of speed on John and Jo's "Heartbeat"

The Skippers!

The Admirals!!!

First stop was for lunch at Treeasure Cay...claims to be one of the 10 most beautiful beach in the world...I would love to see the other nine,

Second stop was at Bakers's bay for a swim from the boat

Meanwhile David and co went exploring .....

We had stopped at Man O War to pick up J&J's friends Charlotte and Leo 

David might go swimming more often with this kind of treatment.

We were treated to a very quick visit (the tide was going down) of Leo and Charlotte's first home on MOW, on Jack's Hill...it is a little jewel which was built by William Albury

We had to cut out visit short as Heartbeat was waiting to take us back to Hope Town.

Bye Charlotte,,,we hope to come back next year.

That was the end of our day on the dark side ...it would have taken us a week to do it all....that is if we could sever our umbilical cord  fro Hope Town,

We had Heartbeat's crew over for drinks and again were having such a nice time,,,they stayed for supper.


Then it was time to say good bye to Hope Town, and our next Cay was Guana, and  I must say I love the beach at Nippers and the best grilled tuna bar none!

After two days in Fishers's Bay - Great Guana, it was time to continue our northbound trek,,,so we headed up towards the feared Whale Cay passage...we had spotted another boat ahead of us, so I hailed him on the VHF to inquire about conditions around the Whale...I was informed "it is doable for me and my 44 foot, forty thousand pound sailboat" so we decided it was doable for us and Soli, although she is only 40 foot and twenty thousand pounds!!!

It was really a bit like riding a bronco...or what I imagine it feels like as I have never ridden one.

When we arrived in Green Turtle Cay, all our friends were surprised we had gone around the Whale that day....it was actually fun and exciting and Soli could certainly handle it.

Amazing Bahamian water colours.

I love Black headed gulls.

 Back at LYC, we decided to go to Sundowners with Carol and Bill since they had never been.

On our way there we saw this large bush with flowers, Carol and I could not resist smelling them and were rewarded with the wonderful scent of Jasmin....and the funny thing is there was a chicken nested in the middle of the tree, we could hear it clucking away but never saw it.

Wonder how much they pay that seagull to enhance the sunset view?

Carol and I tried our luck at pole dancing, well sort of...neither one of us wanted to hang upside down from it so our hubbies had to pay for our drinks.

Old buddies D and Reg walking back grom Gillam bay,,,,sorting out the affairs of the world.

I could not resist taking this picture of our neighbour Dave on board his sailboat and the bikini clad beauty lounging and sunbathing on board a sports fishing  boat.... next dock but worlds apart.


The it was David's birthday and we were on land this time not in the middle of the Gulf Stream like last year,  it was also Easter sunday, so he go rather spoiled ...

Carol and Bill gave David a Hope Town Sailing Club cap, they were notified  that we are now officially members

 We decide to go to the Green Turtle Club for lunch with Carol, Bill, Val and Reg.

Frangipanni...they have the most wonderful smell.

.We could not figure out who had ordered this...Little Renee and Renee....had overheard us toasting David and brought him this slice of cake with a candle...only in the Bahamas.

Special delivery early in the morning from Val and Reg...it was delicious, David kindly shared it with me.


Susan , Rolf and Rudder, of course, came to Green Turtle Cay, we were looking forward to spending some time together as they had had a very busy winter with family and many visitors.

Rolf and I had the tuna at Bluff House

Susan and the most  amazing Jack Russel.

We walked up to the lodge at the top of the hill and found this smaller building that had not survive hurricane Irene very well.

Beach at Bluff house

I had never seen wild orchids in their natural habitat.....and nobody waters them Alain.

Susan joined "The water lilies" as Val calls us for our morning routine, we are practicing for synchronized swimming at the Olympics. Kathy, Val, Barb, Cathy, Janis, Lynn, Carol, the rottie and Susan ...I supply the music and have been accused of being bossy ...moi???

We then took the two Sabres, as Soli and Breizi are sister ships an went for a mini cruise to the next island , Manjack Cay, where we anchored  an then took the two dinks for a mangrove exploration...we had never done it as the water is very shallow but time we were lucky and arrived at high tide ...we still had to walk the dink over some super shallow parts....

Our fearless leader....

....ran out of gas!

 We then took this amazing very long path that meandered through this tropical forest, or so it looked to us with poison wood and  air born plants and ended up on this magnificent Atlantic beach...the water was delicious.

I do not remeber their name, Rolf, but they are of the same family as orchids.

Poison wood with  five leaves distinction

Bark of the poison wood antidote...it usually grows near it and has seven leaves

Distinctive spotted Poison Wood bark

Back acroos the island on the Sea of Abaco

And what is this. you may well ask...this is our anchor so beautifully buried that only the roll bar show.

I am exhausted...it will probably take you five minutes to skim through the pictures ...it took me five hours to do it....no guilt trip...just thought I would mention it...now you know why David nags me.
Til next time probably state side.