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.

Why we Love Compass Cay...

 Showing the view from the trails that surround this Cay, can a morning run be more beautiful?  Makes you ALMOST want to do it!

 That crescent beach that I keep talking about!

 Nice white sand trails crisscross the island leading to the beach!

 AND this is not just another pretty face!  In MN terms...equal to an 8 point buck!  This is a picture from last year, but watch out lobsters...we are on the hunt!

Relocation coming soon!

 Veda L has been tied to the dock at Compass Cay just long enough,we need to get this "double wide that floats" off the dock to find new adventures!  I took this photo from our tender after a short ride to an anchorage nearby that our friends from White Bear Lake, MN told us about.  Yes, we heard "Front Page" calling Nassau Harbour Club when we stayed there, it was Gene and Kathy Johnson who own the White Bear Press.  We have run into them throughout FL and Bahamas for years, on the street at Green Turtle Cay in Abacos, years ago; at the lock in Moorehaven FL...and now in Nassau.  Anyway they told us of a secluded spot that they tuck into not far from Compass Cay.  Not only does it look peaceful, but we saw a sunken barge in about 15' of water that looks like promising lobster habitat!

 We enjoyed this serene view from our aft deck, (aka back porch)  The storms seem to be over now, poor Kitty Buddy spent two nights doing the Navy Seal crawl from one hiding spot to another.  A great light show, and a free boat wash!   I did get a run in between showers, as I returned I told Tucker that he must have lengthened the trails since I was here last.  :)

 While I made two batches of caramel rolls to freeze and take back to MN for Christmas (we get home 12/16 and I want to play with Grandgirls vs. baking!) Bob spent his evening poring over charts locating the reefs that Tucker's Sons told him about that are not too far away, and have promise of lobsters.   MN hunters track deer... Bob tracks lobsters, plus hunts "old school" with a spear!

 Goodbye Tucker till after the Holidays!  Our host Tucker enjoyed samples of my caramel rolls, and my peanut butter cookies, keeping "the boss" happy!   Compass Cay is undoubtedly the home to our favorite crescent beach, makes my morning run a sprint through paradise! 

 A morning walk with my Capt along the beach, always looking for goodies; I found this sea egg and two sand dollars to take home to the girls.

 While waiting for weather to give us that "window" to cruise over to Compass Cay in the Exumas, we kept ourselves entertained with Nassau exhibits, learning more about Bahamian culture.  One stop was to find the Junkanoo exhibit where it was shown on the map, which it wasn't...but they did have a Junkanoo costume that I kiddingly asked Bob to get into...for those of you who know Bob...you will be as amazed as I was that he actually did it...AND smiled!  I really almost "inked" myself over it.

 No explaination needed, but there were two of these in the downtown area.  We wish they were as concerned about the safety of crossing the street.  Near death experiences occured freqently... My  morning run includes several "dashes" getting to one side of the road to the other; as there are never sidewalks on both sides, very fast traffic, lots of honking...then throw in the dog that leaps walls! (at a single bound....super dog!)

 Bob's comment "It would be like paying for sex"  they were asking $30-50 for these.  On my morning run I found a vendor along the sea that was selling lobsters 6 for $60...I ran back to the boat and said; "Baby; it is time to overcome your adversity of paying for lobster and  pick out some of those bad boys"  We got 6, weighed the tails as we got home and they were about 8oz each, and Bob cooked them (one each) so perfectly that you did not need to dip it in butter, awesome meal. 

 Of course I would end up dancing on the local TV channel with a group of Bahamians ending their fundraiser for Parkinsons Disease, this doesn't show the dancing, but this is part of the group that invited me to join them.  On my morning run I met the organizer handing out trophies, asked and what it was about, she explained to me and I said I would come back to buy T-shirts for my four Grandkids and ourselves as a donation.  Perhaps I can run in the marathon next year, a 10K. 

 A historic photo of The Queens Staircase just North of Downtown, we went there two years ago and walked the staircase (kind of like the Stillwater stairs!) to the fort above.  The photo below shows Bob at the bottom of that climb.

 

 Finally found the Junkanoo Museum!  As our taxi driver was taking us around on a tour I screamed "OMG there it is...the Junkanoo Museum"  Needless to say...I am crazy about Junkanoo, it is the Carnival/Mardi Gras of the Bahamas, costumes and music, is that not a good enough reason to LOVE IT?  We came back the next day and spent a couple of hours here, we were lucky to be given the tour by the husband of Nassaus Junkanoo Queen who has lead her group for 45 years.  In Aruba they call the dancing "jumping" in Bahamas they call it "rushing" and the costumes cost on an average of $2,000., they are made from paper and if the judges find any other materials they lose points. 

 Just one corner of the museum with so much color it makes you dizzy.  Our taxi driver Mo, drove us on what he called a ghetto tour taking us to a store at Ross's corner to find some Junkanoo music for me, the "tour" to get there was the best; one street we went down was called Dead Cat St, another was Dog Flea Rd, and Tin Shop Street. Along the way he showed us the Junkanoo Shacks where they make the costumes 24/7 until 12/25 for the first Junkanoo, and then the last parade on New Years Eve.  Each little territory has their own group.  It was the most colorful day we had culture wise in Nassau, we saw poverty but we also saw such happiness!  Go Mo. 

 This is one of the historic costumes on display with the cowbells in hand, the masks covered their faces so they could retaliate against the people who did them wrong the year before.  That has changed now thanks to the local police, and now the costumes may change to other materials due to the fact that with climate change they get more rain than ever before in Dec. and lets face it...rain and paper don't mix well.

 We spent the afternoon today at the Art Museum, they had an exhibit of WHO IS BAHAMIAN?  Black and white photos of locals were hung on a long cord, after our tour we noticed these displays all around the downtown. 

 This young man said "look!  I am Tom Cruise in Cocktail!"  as he flipped his machete while cutting fish, he did the behind the back, under his leg, pretty good show!

 OK...Bob decided that buying lobster was not so far after all.  "Just in case" he says...as in two weeks we fly home to MN from Exuma, and will we find lobsters hiding under ledges between now and then?  Keep in touch and find out!

 We passed on the $40-$50 lobsters assuring ourselves that we will spear our own after finding them under rock ledges in the Exumas - we hope!  Grouper season is ending Dec 1 so we did buy a large Grouper and had it steaked out, about $8 a lb.  Looks like Tuesday may be our day to leave for Compass Cay.