GOODBYE ABACOS

 The Gulf Stream crossing was excellent. We left at 7:15am and arrived in Vero at our marina slip at 6:30pm. The wind and waves were great but it was the extreme heat in the fly bridge that was tiresome.

We are out at the Tiki Bar at Old Bahama Bay Marina. We were told they make excellent hamburgers, so we each had one. The Mudslide was super delicious too!

We are now getting Time Out ready for hurricane season; we drive back to Canada August 4. Next post will be By The Numbers for this short trip.

SPACE X SEEN FROM ABACOS

 We are anchored out at Powell Cay and just happened to go out to our swim platform and WOW! Great timing, grab the camera and start taking photos. Absolutely amazing and beautiful! 

INDEPENDENCE DAY BAHAMAS

Forty Nine! This is what Bahamas is celebrating this weekend. There are proud flags everywhere and parties. We are staying the week at Donny's Marina but took our dinghy to Green Turtle Cay for a lunch out on their patio. The inside bar is full of signed dollar bills. No wallpaper needed. 

See the walls in the background, no room for us to put a bill up. Of course, we are Canadian and I would need to tape a loonie lol!

 

We took our dinghy around to an excellent mangrove area and saw turtles and large fish. We say we should go back with our fishing gear but it is 101F with the humidity ..... no, we don't want to venture far. We did stop at Big O's and had a great cocktail and saw all the signatures with the Sharpie all over their walls and beams. Such a friendly place.

Our dinghy is there as it is the only one. Many tourists arrive on rental boats or tour groups that they have joined. 

Above photo is a pair of my flip flops. I had to throw out. 

The hot sun shrank them. And look at the shape of them!

I have a back up pair which I am keeping INSIDE the boat. 

CHEESEBURGERS IN PARADISE

 We stayed a few days anchored at Allan's-Pensacola Cay here and at one time it was two cays. Weather and hurricanes change the landscape whether it is a natural landscape or man-made.  There is a path on this island where people leave items they have found on their travels.

After we left this anchorage we headed to an anchorage that was close to Fiddle Cay near Green Turtle Cay..... because a huge Cheeseburger in Paradise Festival was happening July 5. Facebook is so great when you join groups and get real time information. The Green Turtle Bulletin gave information about this festival in Paradise. Free hamburgers and free margaritas is something everyone loves! Paul bought a cool shirt to remember this awesome day. It looked like a boat show when actually it was just a festival on the water with many boats. 

On our way to Donnys Marina in Green Turtle 

we were greeted by Dolphins! 

Our dinghy has a hockey stick too as it was Canada Day 

on July 1 and thought it would be fun to fly our flag at the Cheeseburger Festival. 

Paul's cool shirt as a souvenir and support the

Green Turtle Foundation

ABACO ISLANDS WE HAVE ARRIVED

 We have arrived from Florida to the Abaco chain of islands. These islands are different from the Exuma islands and further north. It is hot this time of year and it is hurricane season! The good news is that we are close enough to Florida most times to just get back to our home marina if a named storm is heading our way.

We arrived last week just after the restrictions changed for travellers to the Bahamas. We did not need a test anymore if we are vaccinated yippee. This is very convenient for boaters as we had to walk or dinghy to a testing place and if weather did not permit us to travel, we needed to be tested again.

We checked in to Customs and Immigration at Old Bahama Bay Marina at West End (like most boaters). Then we carried on to different anchorages. The weather is very unpredictable from one hour to the next so we have to be prepared. It can rain 4 or 5 times a day, winds heavy, then light, cloud, rainbow and sunshine. .....etc.

Our view from back of boat last night. So amazing!

We have seen water spouts every day. They are a common occurrence.

We see rainbows too!

I have started this mushroom kit. The above photo is BEFORE. Will post more photos along the way. I have microgreens on board too. 

HAPPY CANADA DAY JULY 1! 

We plan on decorating the exterior of Time Out. Check out the post Time Line Abaco.

TIME LINE FOR ABACOS SUMMER 2022

 We travelled home to visit family and friends. Why rent a place up there when we can use Time Out? We decided to venture to another part of the Bahamas, the Abaco Islands. It is super hot however we now have two air conditioners that can run off of our lithium batteries. 

I will update this specific post on occasion like previous seasons. We plan to be gone about five weeks, leaving next week for West End where we check in with Customs. 

Next summer IF we plan to visit Bahamas, our boat insurance requires us to have a rider for that area. So this is the summer to visit. 

Thursday, August 4 We left our marina this morning for our long drive back home. It was super hot while getting boat hurricane ready but hot everywhere. 

Saturday, July 23 We are enjoying the break from the heat here in Florida as Time Out has the AC on throughout whole boat. Paul will do oil changes, pickle the water maker, we will fill up tanks with diesel and more. We are getting boat ready for the hurricane season. 

Wednesday, July 20 We are crossing the Gulf Stream today to Ft Pierce Inlet and go right to our marina. It is a ten hour day but worth it. It is 105F with the humidity! Crazy. We spent two nights at Old Bahama Bay Marina, plugged in ....AC on in the whole boat. A blessing.

Monday! We are in a marina again! Old Bay Bahama for next 2 nights. Plan still is we cross on Wednesday. Today was boring but thank goodness for Sirius Xfm ...channel 167! 

Sunday, July 17 We were anchored at Allan's -Pensacola Cay and now today at Great Sale Cay. We plan to do the 6 hour journey to Old Bahama Bay/West End tomorrow. Wednesday is our plan to cross to Florida as it stands now. 

Last night a shark was in the anchorage and not the friendly nurse shark! Did I go for a swim after that? No. 

Thursday, July 14 We are anchored at Powell Cay and saw the Space X send up a cargo supply ship up into space. We saw the booster release. It was amazing. Even people in Cuba saw the sight. This is the 30th launch this year!! 

Tuesday, July 12 Another scorcher! Our last day at Donny's as we leave here in the morning. About a week from now we will cross back to Florida. We ate lunch at The Wrecking Tree. This very old tree was super large and gave alot of shade. Long ago many ships crashed and wrecked themselves on the reefs. Locals would go out to the wrecks and bring in the bounty to this huge tree ..... nicknamed the Wrecking Tree to share the loot. There is only a large base to this tree outside of the restaurant as weather has destroyed alot of this local, well known tree 

Sunday, July 10 We took our dinghy to a mangrove area and explored then stopped at Big O's for a drink. There are pigs here too but because they are so common in the Exuma where we anchor I did not see or take photos of them. 

Saturday, July 9 A special celebration this Sunday as Bahamas celebrates 49 years young. It is their Independence Day. We went to Green Turtle Resort and Marina for a lunch out. Delicious but I am so full.

Thursday, July 7 We have decided to enjoy a little marina time. We are at Donny's Marina here at Green Turtle Cay. We want shore time, walk, walk and more walking. Unfortunately, it is extremely hot! We can only run one air conditioner at a time at this marina because of the power available. Dorian has left a big huge impact here. So much devastation. 

Tuesday, July 5 CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE festival. We dinghied over to Fiddle Cay to enjoy free hamburgers and margaritas! Great boats of all kinds there. 

Monday, July 4 We are anchored at Crab Cay close to Fiddle Cay because tomorrow is a Cheeseburger Festival there. Today was beautiful as we explored the area in our dinghy. We are the only Canadians here surrounded by Americans. No other country flag. 

Sunday, July 3 Off to Powell Cay to walk a fantastic beach and see a sunken wreck!

Friday, July 1 Canada Day! We put up extra flags and wind scoops. This anchorage is great. 

Wednesday, June 29 Yesterday we left our anchorage and travelled to Allan's -Pensacola Cay. We will stay here for a few days as we are picking up a tower for internet. We had to wait to anchor here because a rain storm was overhead. We just circled around until the squall left. 

Monday, June 27 We have had a problem with our water maker last two days. We thought we could explore the area yesterday but Paul dedicated everything to get our water maker in working order. Today it is ok! Yesterday a water spout nearby. 

Saturday, June 25 We are in the Abacos. We anchored in Mangrove Cay last night, no internet there. Today we are anchored at Little Grand Cay. Tomorrow.....photos! We start our exploring. Super hot here but better than in a marina in Florida 😆.

Thursday, June 23 We crossed the Gulf Stream and now are at West End, Bahamas. We look forward to seeing the Abacos in the coming weeks. 

Wednesday, June 22 We have left the dock and hope to cross to West End tomorrow. The Gulf Stream looks great for us.

Monday, June 20 We took the dinghy to Riverside Cafe for lunch. We like to test everything. Our friends Kelly and Mike were great company to share the afternoon with. 

Saturday June 4 I arrive at boat at 3am from flight to Orlando from Vancouver via Toronto. I was on Vancouver Island and overnighted in Vancouver. Long, long day from Vancouver!

Sunday, May 28 Paul drove down himself and arrived at the boat.

SUPER HOT OUTSIDE..... 8am in the morning. 

This is a reason to leave Florida for Abacos.

BY THE NUMBERS 2022 EXUMA TRIP

 This post is more for our records and to compare from one year/season to others. This summer we plan to visit the Abacos, Bahamas for the first time so the title for this post is a little different because I have included Exuma in it. This was our 9th!!! time visiting Exumas on Time Out; this summer we plan to venture somewhere new in the beautiful Bahamas.

84    Days in Bahamas

18    nights of guests on board in our guest stateroom

16    nights in a marina (we flew home for a week and left boat)

5      Soda stream CO 2 gas containers used, I ran out this year!

2      Staniel Cay t-shirts bought for souvenirs

1      Barracuda caught .... zero Mahi Mahi

725  Gallons of fuel (U.S. gallon)

87    Hours on our generator

2    Seasons of Jack Ryan was watched (great show)

17    Butane canisters were used, we cooked alot!

4.53    Was the price per gallon in February in Nassau

6.11    Was the price per gallon in April in Nassau

3        Homemade pizzas made for 3 couples for Paul's birthday

22      Hours of drive time to get back to Canada

Some more cool boat names I saw on our way back to Florida

Its Aboat Time

Liquid Pleasure

Half Mine

Sea The Good

Sweet Emocean

Crime Pays (our friends, he is retired police)

Our next post will be in June when we arrive in the Abacos.

MAHI MAHI? NO

 We have left Rose Island and West Bay. We are at a marina in Bimini just waiting for the waves to die down so we can cross to Florida. Our on way here we caught a huge fish on the line. We are bringing it in but can see it is not a Mahi Mahi. Unfortunately, it was even one we can keep. It was a huge barracuda. It got to swim another day.

We are socializing here in Bimini because as a coincidence two couples that we know from our Florida marina are here. We dinghied to their marina and sat at their pool yesterday. On Friday they picked us up and we went out for lunch. We are leaving these blue waters soon.

Joe's Conch Shack

Mountains of conch shells (dead....umm, plug your nose)

Radio Beach is nearby that I have walked to. I collect shells and sea glass. It was absolutely beautiful and calm the day we arrived.

There are huge sharks here in the Bimini area including the marina because the fishermen return and clean their fish here. All scraps go into the water for the sharks, rays, fish and the birds even want a piece now and again. It is amazing. Of course, do not fall in the water!!

The sea gulls are pretty awesome too. They have some great skills to get the scraps before the sharks do. 

Paul has a birthday tomorrow so it is more fun with friends. Grilled pizza on our barbeque is the plan.

CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER AND GUESTS

 We had a fantastic six nights with young guests on board. It was his fourth time here and her first. It was an action packed week of Thunderball Grotto, shell collecting, lunch at Staniel Cay, Sampson Cay sandbar, Rachel's Bubbles, snorkel spot with a private beach, Pipe Creek Sandbar, tour the Compass Cay area, pet the sharks, swimming, gourmet food, paddle boarding and many beaches. Plus, all with ribbons of blue throughout. We can't forget the barracuda that hung around Time Out. 

While we were at Pipe Creek the Beckham family (approximately 20 of them including children) were there with their large tenders (Seven is the name of their yacht). According to media their son got married in Florida. We were sharing the sandbar, blue waters and the beautiful weather. We did not share the drinks and food that they were getting served. However, we did bring our own lunch and drinks and served ourselves. LOL.

This photo is Paul near our dinghy at Sandy Cay (near Staniel Cay)

Pipe Creek Sand Bar (same as the Beckhams, didn't photograph them.... we pretended we didn't know who they were)

This video is of Rachel's Bubbles near Compass Cay. Sandbars we go to at low tide and we go here at high tide. 

We are travelling north and heading to Florida slowly. I will only have a few more posts for this trip. 

BOAT NAMES ARE FUN!

 I see and hear many different boat names but some just stand out. Since we left the marina in Florida these are the coolest names I have seen. 

Dougout

Boatox

Head Office

Don't Say No

Passing Wind

Jobsite

Snowless (and their letter O was a beautiful snowflake)

Sea'd Money (which I saw today in Staniel Cay)

We are Time Out with a hockey stick flying our Canadian Flag, so many fellow boaters think Paul is a retired hockey player of some sort.

This old boat was arriving at the dock in Staniel Cay today. It has staff quarters at the front and you can see all the windows below with sliders to open. Such a cool looking boat. Their dinghy on the top deck has a side door. 

Tomorrow is a big day as we pick up a wonderful young couple, his fourth time here in Exumas and his wife will be the first time. We get to look at everything anew; boats, megayachts, sunsets, sandbars and the many ribbons of blue!

We bought a lot of produce because after they leave Time Out, we will be travelling north to Florida and then onward back to Canada for May.

RIBBONS OF BLUE

 We had an amazing twelve nights with good friends and this is what we shared. 

Mega Yachts, Ribbons of blue waters, Pipe Creek sandbar, snorkeling (at a special undisclosed amazing spot), turtles, fish, our look-see bucket, paddle boarding, beach walking, sand dollar collecting, Saddle Cay sandbar, sea planes landing and taking off, Shroud Cay mangroves, rays, Sampson Cay sandbar, Thunderball Grotto, lunch out at Staniel Cay Yacht Club, shopping at the Pink Pearl and SWIMMING in the blue waters. There was a rain storm we got caught in the dinghy but it was not freezing rain, we got rinsed off! Memories to share.

This above float plane landed near the sunken airplane at Norman's Cay so their guests could snorkel for awhile before heading to another destination.

Norman's Cay's sandbars and beaches are our favourite. They are best at low tide but our larger dinghy can't get in as close. We just walk in. 

Our friend was flying over Norman's Cay and captured this awesome photo.

Thanks for reading our Time Out blog. 

FRIENDS EQUALS FANTASTIC FUN

 Many boats down here have guests that come aboard for a holiday. We haven't had guests since 2019. We welcome our long time friends Doug and Vicki; we get to share the blue waters, good food and awesome times.

We took them to Pipe Creek, Norman's Cay then onto Shroud Cay but it is very windy these days. Tomorrow we head to the Exuma Land and Sea Park's north mooring field (hopefully). We will put our underwater lights on and show them the rays and sharks. 

Pipe Creek

Norman's Cay

Lagoon at Shroud Cay

Shroud Cay