Eighteen miles in the dink

 Today we had winds out of the East which is comfortable cruising if you hug the west shore of Guana Cay. It was actually quite flat on the Sea of Abaco. We were hoping to get out onto the reef at the North end of Guana when we left Orchid Bay but when we reached the North end of the Cay and went out the inlet it was a bit choppy. It was certainly beyond "look bucket" trolling, and snorkelling would have been a bit difficult. While it was "do-able" we opted out and went over to Spoil Island for some shelling.
 It became immediately obvious we were not alone on the island since this lady saw us land and immediately shot out to an area she had not been to yet. She had to pass us in the process so it was evident that she was in a hurry to fullfill her needs of shells and had to be "there" first. In spite of this Deb managed to locate a few good shells. The seclusion of the island was further invaded by a gang of girls out with their dad. Giving up we moved on, going back to Orchid for lunch.
 After lunch we set out for the Souther end of the island and the Fowl Cay park. We were hoping the water woud lay down later in the day but that was not the case and the best we could do was scope out the area outside the park for conch. It's illegal to fish or take conch inside the park. While I had the mask and fins we didn't run into the "herd". All we saw were isolated conch here and there, all quite dispersed. Not exactly the place to go looking. Without finding a good location and not having the dive suit I elected to forgo divinf for what was there since it was spread so thin.
 Back to the marina we went with a few stops here and there to look at clumps of coral we came across.

 Tracks updated, no photos of substance. We've all been here before...

Finally a break in the weather

 I know we shouldn't complain but the weather down here this Winter has been sour. While talking with some residents the other day we learned the local fishermen lost all but two days of February to foul seas. So it's not just us that feels this way. Everyone is optomistic about Winter moving on!

 In anticipation of Spring and things to come today was a good day. It started with light winds out of the east that built slightly as the day wore on. That enabled us to run across the Sea of Abaco in the dink to Archer and Water Cays. They are just off Abaco probably half way between Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbour. As you can see in the photo we found a great spot to land the dink and sit around taking in the view. In the distance we can see Gumelemi Cay and perhaps Whale Cay in the very left of the photo. 

 After spending a while here collecting a few shells we moved on. There were many turtles in the shallows that sprang to life as we passed over them. It never ceases to amaze me how fast these reptiles can move when they want to. Since the water is so clear one can actually see how little effort (presumably) it takes for them to move at a good clip for a short while. With just a few strokes of their forward flippers they shoot off at a good speed that prevents us from chasing them down. At best all we could do was stand in the dink and try to predict which way they were going.
 After a while we packed up our shells and headed back across the Sea to Fish Cays for a brief look at some of the coral and the fish nearby them. And then we went over to Grabber's where we had an excellent lunch, and a couple of frozen drinks. A short dink ride later we were back aboard Freedom enjoying Deb's rendition of Grouper Newburgh and a sunset.
 Not bad for the first day of Spring.

 I've added photos to the bucket as well as updating the gps tracks..


 

Beach combing

 Finally we are getting a little sunlight down here. Not only that but the Sea of Abaco laid down and that enabled us to make a run to Spoil Island in search of shells.
 Here's a photo of Deb's collection for the day. Believe me she had to work for it because once we got out onto the Sea the water situation changed quite a bit. It started out smooth enough and we were able to make 16 knots in the dink easily. But after a couple of miles it turned into a good 1 foot of chop that made the ride quite rough. Since it was following us we knew the ride back was going to be unpleasant.
 With that Deb's collection activities were reigned in and we stayed a very short while. As it turned out there were other folks working the island in the opposite direction so there was no point in going all the way around.
 By sticking close to Guana we were able to avoid quite a bit of rough water but the ride seemed longer than it usually is due to the roughness.

But the sunsets are still quite pleasant.



Tracks updated.

Wind, Taxes, and Reggae

 Today we woke up to some "fresh" breezes that rocked up the bay good. Having to get going on taxes with the help of Rich at home we we able to load up all of the data and get an idea of where we stood which I feel is in the firing line with our backs to a wall.
 The first year of retirement it seems IBM balled up our withholding and blamed it on the FED. No matter who the blame lies with we all know who is  going to pay the price. It's not awfully bad, probably only 5% of our pensions will go towards what we owe. Perhaps someone wants us to feel our pensions really were better than we thought when we left?

 Anyway-

 The sun is setting and it's a beautiful night.

Fa(i)r Dinkum

 Today we got out on the dink since there were light winds and the Sea of Abaco was calm. We have never crossed the entire Sea of Abaco from Guana Cay to Abaco but today we did. The dink performed as well as it ever has giving us a good ride over and back plus plenty of slow time on the far shore so that Deb could poke around for shells. All in all I believe the trip in the dink was something like 12 miles. Even though Deb probably has ten pounds of shells already there can never be enough.

 Along the way over we happened to notice one of these crites floating along near by so we slowed down and did a few circles around it to get some photos. I suspect we were in about six feet of water and the tentacles on this baby were dragging on the bottom. Certainly this is not something one should consider swimming with and we are glad we were in the dink when we ran across it. Once over on the far side of the Sea of Abaco (see the GPS track 'Far Dinkum' we were a bit dissappointed to find out the beachs were covered with debris from boats, garbage and weeds. It wasn't exactly a great walk along the shore. Oh well ya win some and lose some. Maybe next time.

A great day on the dink

 Today everything lined up well. The weather, the dink, and tides all conspired to offer us a good opportunity to find conch. We were out off Johnny's Cay when out of the blue Bill and Carol showed up in their dink. We had already found a keeper but they talked up a great spot to find better.
 We took them up on it, and off we went towards Matt Lowe's Cay.
 By the way, in the middle of no where out here, we were introduced to a couple that lived in Poughkeepsie for many years. Small world strikes again! We have to stop by their boat and catch up with them before we take off for Orchid Bay.
 We all had a great time hunting out conch and eventually everyone was able to pull in their boat limit. It appears conch chowder will be on the menu tomorrow!
 But our time in Hopetown is coming to a close. We've had some great times with the folks here. It's a flotilla of great folks and boating offers up the best of common denominators. A transient community of people that all care enough to make sure everyone is safe and having a good time. It's difficult to imagine a better environment to be in. But it can't last for ever so off to Orchid we go on Thursday. We were originally planning to stop in at Marsh Harbour for some provisioning before arriving at Orchid but the weather is going to be fowl starting Tuesday. Since we are looking forward to the concert at Nipper's on Friday we had to forgo Marsh Harbour and head over to Orchid directly on Thursday.
 We've been out on the Sea of Abaco in 40 knots and sure we can handle it. But docking is another issue and as one soul said "why do you wan to bang your forhead?".
 I agree. So we stay here an extra day and head to the BFM concert on Thursday.