Saturday, March 16, 2024

ELEUTHERA, BAHAMAS

 We have spent years exploring the various islands and cays of the Exumas and we loved every minute.  Eleuthera is one long, large island. This is more developed with multiple towns, shops and roads etc. The blues of these waters are a different shade and just beautiful.  We are exploring here before we journey to the Abacos. 

Eleuthera is Greek for Freedom.  English explorers/Adventurers settled here to have freedom to practice their faiths. There are many churches here in Eleuthera.  We are anchored at Governor's Harbour and one of the oldest buildings on the island is St. Patrick's  Anglican Church. The building started in 1848! It is still a place of worship here.



We see amazing homes here, many Airbnb along these beautiful shorelines. The locals are very friendly and welcoming. We had a lunch out at a local favourite The Buccaneers, Paul was a hungry man!


The Buccaneer Burger! Mmmm.


We love the scenic dinghy rides we take.







Saturday, March 9, 2024

LAST DAYS IN EXUMAS

 We have had a fantastic time in Exumas however, we will head to Eleuthera. Below are the last photos of us at Pipe Creek area and Exuma Land and Sea Park. We hiked up Boo Boo Hill to capture some beautiful views at low tide. 





Yes. ..there is a catamaran on the sandbar. He made a beeline for his mooring ball without realizing there is a darker water channel. He was there for a couple of hours until tide came back in.





I am continuing posting this blog on my phone. The screen is small but I am managing. I do update the post titled Time Line 2024. 

We have arrived in Eleuthera, our first visit! The future post will be from here. We are excited to see and anchor in new places. 


P

Saturday, March 2, 2024

STANIEL CAY YACHT CLUB

 Staniel Cay is a special island in the Exuma chain. It has shops, fuel, beautiful beaches, anchorages, rentals and a hub called Staniel Cay Yacht Club. This island is where we shop for produce, fuel if we need any, lunch out and see the nurse sharks feeding off of fish scraps. This is our eleventh time here so we have seen the many renovations, staff changes and the locals taking advantage of a nearby tourist attraction of the many pigs on the beach that come swimming out to a boat for scraps. The pigs are well fed and watered by locals by the way.










Many tourists come with service badges to add to the board here at the yacht club. 


Nurse sharks come to the marina when they here some major chopping on the fish cleaning station table. This is the time not to have your toes in the water.  These are not bull sharks. Nurse sharks are usually harmless.

 
We are pulling anchor again tomorrow and heading to other beautiful anchorages. Ssshh, secret. 
We plan to cross to Eleuthera, which is another island before he travel to the Abacos. New places, New adventures,  new beaches, new towns. 

Sunday, February 25, 2024

GOOD BYE GUESTS

 We had a fabulous visit with friends from home. We love sharing these turquoise waters with guests on Time Out. The weather was a little cooler than normal but that did not deter a good time by all.

I tried out my brand new paddleboard. We can use it sitting down. 

While we were anchored at Big Major a float plane full of tourists arrived to see the swimming pigs. This plane I have seen many times but it is special with guests on board. 











The sandbar at Sampson Cay is absolutely beautiful at low tide even on a cloudy, windy day!


This is sunrise on the morning our friends left. They flew out of Staniel Cay to Nassau airport. No taxi, just a dinghy ride to the dock at the airport. 


REMEMBER  to check my post Titled TIME LINE 2024 for more up to date info.


Monday, February 19, 2024

RIBBONS OF BLUE

 



 







 



We have our good friends on board from Nassau to Staniel Cay. We are enjoying these blues and the amazing views with our friends. 

I am typing this blog on my phone as I have a problem with our laptop. I do try to update our Time Line post more often. 



Sunday, February 11, 2024

SWEATER WEATHER

 We are now in the Bahamas. We crossed to Bimini from Key Biscayne.  We spent a few nights in Bimini as the wind and waves prevented anyone from coming or going. We meet some really outstanding people at the marina here every time. This was not an exception. 

Never have we had to ever wear jackets or long sleeves here in Bimini. When we left the dock at 7 am a couple of days ago I had a fleece jacket on. Other visits we would have our doors closed to keep the AC air inside. This visit we had our doors closed and curtains open to let the sun shine in and warm the boat. 

We left Key Biscayne at sunrise as this photo shows. 




I took a walk to Radio Beach here in Bimini and the jellyfish were abundant. 
I have walked this beach many times and had never seen jellyfish here.



We captured footage of the Gulf Stream at Radio Beach while we were at the marina. 
We walked over the hill to see the high waves. It was noisy and very windy. 






When we left Bimini to head to Chub Cay I captured a sunrise peek a boo sun photo and then once anchored at Chub Cay the sunset. Our eleven hour trip on the Banks to Chub Cay was a hobby horse experience. It was terrible and uncomfortable. The internet is sporadic and unreliable here too. We are here until Tuesday then off to Nassau area to await for guests flying in on Wednesday. Let the FUN begin!

I have a post titled Time Line 2024. 
Check that out for more up to date information on our trip.

Friday, February 2, 2024

READY, SET, LET'S GO

 For many weeks leading up to our departure we provision, test systems, boat projects and every second year we get Time Out hauled out of the water. We get hauled out to get bottom paint done (special paint that repels the barnacles) and anything else below the water line that needs attention. This was the year! We rent an Airbnb or get a hotel with a kitchen. 

After a few weeks on board we realized that the old convection/microwave needed replacing. This is a very heavy appliance, especially in a small galley trying to maneuver the old one out and the new one in. I call this marriage bonding time. hahahaha.


This is the new one and below is the the opening to fit exactly.









The bottom paint looks amazing. We love our boat yard that does this job. The employees there are amazing and always remember us. 

Tomorrow we hope to leave for Bimini, however we just tested the macerator and it stopped working. We tested it two weeks ago and it seemed fine. Time Out is full of extra parts and pieces. We never leave without an extra of everything including a brand new macerator. This was a trying time this morning replacing this item as Paul is very sensitive to smell and literally throws up. Needless to say, we don't need to clean up vomit and waste! Therefore I did major cleanups in the cavity where the macerator was to be installed. I went through a few doggie pee pads, lysol wipes, paper towels and plastic gloves. There are no pump outs for us to use in the Exumas. It is quite normal when off shore to dump your waste but a working macerator is necessary for this.




We had guests on board to enjoy the journey from our marina to Key Biscayne. 
Miami has yachts like no other city we have travelled to.