December 2005

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Saturday December 3, 2005
We went to but the last few charts and we met a woman who had spent quite a bit of time in Venezuala. She filled us in on all the areas where there are pirates. Evidently some areas are noted for lots of theft. It was good to get info from her.

Sunday December 4, 2005
We have hit every boat store and provisioned enough for 10 years!!! I am ready! Larry installed a new traveler on the boat and it works like a charm. What more could this boat possibly need??? We have been going out at night and today we took a walk on the beach. It was about 80 degrees and the beach was packed! This is my kind of weather.

Thursday December 15, 2005
We crossed the Gulf Stream headed for the Bahamas. Our destination was further south, but we ended up in Bimini. The Gulf Stream had a different agenda for us. But rough as it was, we made it and here we are with white beaches and clear waters!

Sunday December 18, 2005
We are in Nassau. All the marinas are booked for the holidays and we were lucky to get a slip. Looks like we will be here a few days. Our running light got busted in the crossing so we need to replace it.

Tuesday December 20, 2005
Everything is outragously expensive. Well, most everything. Beer is almost $50 a case but liquor is cheap. So it looks like after I drink all the Miller Lite I brought on board, I will switch over to something else. We went to see Atlantis, the new marina they have recently built here on New Providence. It was something to see. It made Vegas hotels seem modest.

Wednesday December 21, 2005
The trip to Allan's Cay from Nassau was beautiful. It is so awesome to stand on the bow and in 30 feet of water and see the starfish on the bottom. We were just a little dissapointed with the going ashore situation. It seems that most of the islands are either private or there are iguanas and they recommend you don't take your dogs ashore. We, of course, are not going to any of the private islands, so we are here at Allan's Cay - home of the iguanas. We got in the dinghy and did find one small beach where no iguanas ran out to greet you upon approaching, so that is our designated "dog beach." As you can see from the pics, we would not dare bring the dogs to the iguana beaches. They are huge and very aggressive. But Larry and I did visit several iguana islands to see them and they were pretty cool.

Friday December 23, 2005
After 2 nights at Allan's Cay, we are here at Staniel Cay, anchored at Big Major. We have a perfect spot right in front of one of many dog beaches. There are only about 6 other boats. Quite different from when we were here last summer. It is still beautiful and everything is really green.

Saturday December 24, 2005
We went to Sandy Cay. It was awesome!! The entire island was ours and we ran, snorkeled, and just had a blast. The girls were in heaven. Sydney had her first real swimming lesson and she is a real pro. Frankie was not keen on the whole idea but I am sure she will come around. There was a Christmas Eve bonfire on the beach and everyone brought a dish. We sang Christmas carols and had a great time. Christmas in the Bahamas is turning out to be awesome. We met some people on a nearby sailboat, Tanden, that we really liked: Al and Jennifer. Hope to get together with them soon.

Sunday December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas from the Bahamas!!

Tuesday December 27, 2005
We went to Sandy Cay with Al, Jennifer and Henry (their dog). We had fun and Sydney learned to swim today. I think it was from watching Henry, who likes swimming out in the water to fetch sticks. After she got the hang of it, she did not want to stop. Frankie is still skeptical about the whole thing. She will swim, of course, if we just place her in deep water and let her swim into the shore. But she won't voluntarily swim out to us like Syd will. It is still early in the trip. She has to get up her nerve. We went to Tanden for drinks and lobster dip. Yummy!

Wednesday December 28, 2005
Al and Larry went lobster hunting today. They came back with 2 good sized ones so lobster dinner tonite at Tanden.

Thursday December 29, 2005
We went to Pig beach to feed the pigs and they seemed very grateful. We hear there is a pig roast this weekend so Larry advised them to lay low. Another day of lobster hunting and finally sending this update in. Hope this gets to everyone in time to wish you all a Happy New Year! Oh and Frankie learned to swim today!! She was tired of all the attention Syd was getting. Pics later.

Monday December 30, 2005
We went to Thunderballl Club with Al and Jennifer for dinner and dancing. Met a lot of new people and had a good time.

Tuesday December 31, 2005
The day started early with Bahamian boat races seen from the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. We went to those and so we began the "festivities" at about 10 AM. The races were delayed a few hours due to lack of wind, so all we could do was wait, visit with one another and enjoy some adult beverages. In the afternoon, there was a cookout on the beach where they served lobster, rice, slaw and mac & cheese for $10! It was delicious!

At about 3 PM our friends on Rainbowrider came in and found us. They have friends on their boat that they are taking to Georgetown, so they stopped to visit. By sundown, we were finished "partying" and fell asleep early. But we woke up around 11:30 to see the fireworks and bring in the New Year.

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