2007.01.11

We have been here at the Old Bahama Resort and Marina now for nearly a week thus are pretty well settled into a routine. Catherine, I know, left it to me to describe my feelings about our Gulf Stream crossing which I find hard to do, other than to say that as we were rocking and rolling across I knew why I had always loved what I did in my younger days. The dawn was almost perfect, there was a nice sea running so that you knew that you were on the ocean, but it was not in the least bit uncomfortable and the flying fish jumping out of the bow wave or just out of the swells were just as I remembered.

We pitched and pounded quite hard as we came out of the inlet but it was basically the ocean swell meeting the shore line and once out of it things quieted down and we had a glorious passage. I would have liked that the wind came around onto the beam a little sooner so that we could have sailed rather more than we did but I would say that this passage would be hard to improve upon.

Since then we have spent a day lounging on the beach and drinking rum punches, a day in Freeport, not too prepossessing, and today we spent the day in Lucaya, tourist heaven .

Yesterday was major maintenance day, all day. For those of you who may think that we are spending all our time lying around, drinking rum punch, and sleeping Catherine and I did the following…….

- All batteries (7) checked and topped up as necessary.
- Main engine raw water filter cleaned.
- Air conditioner raw water filter cleaned.
- Potable water filters removed, cleaned and replaced.
- Main engine oil and filter changed
- Racor fuel filter changed
- Water levels checked and adjusted as necessary.

Since a lot of the filters are low down and in the back of lockers we had to unpack all the additional gear, clothes, stores that Catherine, in her role as Chief Steward, had so cleverly hidden and stowed. I found out how much beer we actually had aboard and had been hidden from me (beer is horrendously expensive here in the islands) so she didn’t want me to know exactly what we had aboard! The unpacking and then repacking takes quite a lot of time.

The previous day had been spent polishing all the stainless steel fittings on deck as the salt air and water that we had taken aboard during the crossing wreaks havoc even with stainless steel.


Look at her shine...

Yes, “Solitaire 1” is now a happy puppy with all systems in top condition and lord be praised the engine started and ran without problem after all this had been done !!!! I think that we surprised even ourselves !!!!

After washing the engine oil from my hands I baked a delicious (if I say so myself...the last one was absolutly horrible!) banana cake...I did have vanilla this time (Louise bought me some ) but I added a shot of rum anyhow ...we are in the Bahamas after all , aren't we?

Jacqueline baked the most amazing SOUR DOUGH BAGUETTE !!! she promised to teach me in exchange for setting her up with on-line banking and showing her how to enter waypoint into the chartplotter using lat and long...we exchange skills...computer/bread baking.... I think hers takes the cake!!!!

Today, as mentioned above , we have been to Lucaya, tourist heaven…… casino, big hotels and tourist trap shops selling everything that you do not need. We walked around , had a good lunch, bought a couple more bottles of rum and returned to our boats in West End , with, I think a sigh, of relief and delighted that we had picked this spot, which is so much quieter to wait out the norther than Lucaya.

Talking of our touring, we are taking public transport, which, I find to be great fun. Small buses with lots of locals all of whom are very friendly and happy, one driver, we have had him twice, even stops at his home on the forty five minute run into Freeport to pick up his children, for the ride so we are almost like family. The buses are small vans like Volkswagon combis, seat twelve people in the back and two up front with the driver, and cheap .

That’s about all for me, I shall hand over to the chief blogger for a more detailed and better informed view on the past week. Binow!

David talking to the office on Skype...between filter and oil change...the many hats one has to wear when cruising, navigator, mechanic, baker, computer geek...

talking about computers count the stack of laptops on the nav table his, hers (Soli's) and D is using MINE!!!