The Beatings will Continue until Morale Improves!

THE BEATINGS CONTINUE UNTIL THE MORALE IMPROVES…. The Smalley’s Pirate Bar T-Shirt that I wore this morning to leave the dock, to humor our friend Shavago as he released our lines to start our voyage. 

I ran out to the point this morning to watch the 164’ yacht Mary Jean leave, its Capt is a Australian woman that looks to be about 16 as she is so adorable and petite.   She was navigating from the starboard Portuguese bridge to take it out the channel.  I wanted to see it leave so that I would know how tight to batten down our vessel.  I decided due to Mary Jean’s rise and fall from incoming waves that I had best do a pretty good job.  9:30, throw rugs replaced with newspapers (no cat will EVER throw up on a bare floor…they always run for a rug!) 

We had a non-eventful departure into Exuma Sound, glad I tucked everything away, but it is smooth enough that Buddy may not have to Ahem… puke during our 5 hour cruise.  Once we get out in deeper water Bob is going attempt fishing, and I will start some wheat bread!  (that was a bust by the way…no surprise there)  But the fishing pole got some air J

March 18

Roosters crowing at 6am, sunrise over Black Point on Guana Cay silhouetting the 50 or so boats in this safe “parking lot” where we all chose to drop our hooks rather than have a bouncy and perhaps unsafe anchorage anywhere else on the island.  Our night was very calm, just enough rocking to lull you to sleep,   My latest “go to sleep book” is the Stuart Woods Severe Clear.  I just finished the John Grisham Litigators, which was difficult for me to put down.  Bob is reading the new Randy Wayne White on his Kindle, so when we are both finished with our respective books we are going to switch and I will have my first Kindle experience.  I have a hard time not keeping books, as my family room library shelves attest, but they are old friends that I can’t part with.  Once I get a piece of something I hate to let it go, so I only put the books I struggle through in the charity bag! 

I am on the Isogenix dietary system, not just trying to lose weight but to get my body healthy, leaner yes…but more muscle and more strength.  What is interesting about it is that even though I joke with Bob that he has to eat his potato chips outside so I can’t hear him, I really have not had any cravings for anything that is not part of the system.  I told Bob to wake me up if my fat cells burning away during the night bothered him J  I did my work out on the aft deck, drank my shake, took my supplements and look forward to a low cal lunch at Black Point…something like fried conch, perhaps!  Oh, and a Kalik to wash it down with!

3/18

Took our love to town, a short tender ride to the dock, met a couple from Stuart FL that we had lunch with at Lorraines, (I had the conch sandwich and of course the obligatory Kalik!) then introduced them to Willie Rolle at his Garden of Eden.  We had been there in the past, he is Tucker (of Compass Cay fame)

Rolle’s Brother.  Betty Rolle was sitting on the stoop plaiting strips of straw to be sent to Nassau straw market, her Grandson Gentry gave a tour of the pot hole garden naming each tree and plant, he is 4 and smart as can be.

I would not give up Veda L for anything…she is beautiful, and her aft deck makes a perfect gym!  Nothing sweeter than working out with a view of the sea, a little tricky balancing sometimes, but sure that is good for me as well!

Laying in bed this morning,I was thinking that I should have elaborated a bit on the one time that we buried the bow of Veda L and then due to the weather that created that "event" we also surfed Veda L into Emerald Bay Marina on a 6' wave. We were at Farmers Cay (check out the Where in the World are Bob & Linda link)and we broke the rule of not following a schedule. We were watching the cut which takes you out to the sound (our route back to the marina)and Bob was seeing 9 out of 10 waves and I was seeing the 10th (which was not a good one). I say "are you sure Bob?" He says "we will be fine...it's not that bad" Aye Aye Cap' and away we go, everything battened down safely. We knew it was going to be rough, and we have an ocean going vessel, but as we approached the "no going back zone" Bob saw the wave in the set that he hadn't seen before, yelled "hang on" as we plunged down into the trough, we took green water over the windshield, popped back up and then got hit by a 2nd (not as bad) and a 3rd and last. In the midst of this, the only thing loose in the pilot house was Bob's treasured coffee cup, which went flying in the air on the first "dive" and was caught mid-air by me! Coffee everywhere of course, but the cup was safe. Once we got out into the sound we had 6-8' rollers on our port beam for 6 hours. You would look out the pilot house window and see...well, you would see SEA. I spent the majority of the trip under a blanket on the pilot house seat saying "that felt like a bad one" and Bob responding "it was a bad one" As we were approaching Emerald Bay Marina I was naturally concerned about the breaking waves at the entrance, Bob calmly says "we will have to surf them in" OK...why not? We hang out a ways watching the waves as the break moves to the north of the entrance, timing the waves more carefully than at Farmer's Cay as we can clearly see them all. After watching a few sets Bob calls on the radio and says "Veda L entering the basin of Emerald Bay" the response was something like "Uncle Bob!" The sensation of surfing a 48' boat is pretty amazing as you don't feel power beneath you, you just feel that floating/gliding sensation that you get on a surfboard, we entered with no problem whatsoever, were greeted by our "nephews" who were beaming "Awesome, Uncle Bob!" who told us that as we were coming in all they saw was the top of our mast with the radar. In the pilot house as we were coming in I was saying "hang 10 Buffalo Bob, shoot the curl" As we were walking around the marina looking at the other boats in slips and saw a trawler nearby, the captain of that boat said to Bob "Did you see that boat that came in today?" Bob asked "which boat?" He responds... "only one boat had the nerve to come in today! It was so cool, this guy surfed his boat in, amazing boat handling skills!" Bob says "was it really that cool?" Of course he finally tells the guy that it was him but he was just enjoying the praise! Let's say I slept well that night, and although we would not repeat the experience knowingly, we learned from it and I appreciate the Capt. that I have at the helm!

Goodbye Emerald Bay....again!

 Leaving Veda L. snug in a slip at Marina of Emerald Bay Dec 2012, Bob and I enjoyed a fabulous family Christmas with our Grandgirls in Stillwater, we got "dumped on" a couple of times with snow, then spent 3 weeks in Aruba so that Bob could perfect his jibes, and Linda could perfect her dancing moves in 4 parades during Carnaval!  After our "vacation from our vacation" we flew back to the Bahamas Mar 10, where we have been awaiting a weather window so we can once again point this beast to the east and leave the marina.  The seas are calming, Bob walked out to the point to check things out and he declares a safe passage to be made in the morning.  Provisions purchased & stowed, if we'd be lost at sea for two months we would not starve!   

 Linda getting ready for the San Nicholas Grand Parade, the costume reflects Bohemian Gypsies....lot's of coins jingling!

 Aerial of Marina at Emerald Bay, old photo, but you get the idea of the narrow channel, which is normally not a problem, but when you have 6' breaking waves coming in....let's just say you appreciate the slip!

 Veda L all polished up, and ready to head toward Staniel Cay where Dylan and Teresa will be meeting us next weekend, they are flying in on Watermaker from Ft Lauderdale.

 Shows why the slip was much preferred to venturing out.  A couple big boats did leave however, if they timed the waves perfectly it was not TOO dangerous, but not for the faint of heart.