Ahoy Maties,

On Friday we sailed to Guana Cay for a little snorkeling and fishing. It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze. Lyse raised the sails and Franci worked the jib. It took only a short sail to get to Guana Cay so we sailed around just for fun for awhile before anchoring close to Delia Cay.

Jay and Lyse put on their wetsuits and went out for a little snorkeling. They reported that they did not find a good spot for snorkeling but they had a lot of fun chasing a turtle with the dinghy instead.

It was a relaxing afternoon. Franci worked on the blog and caught up with email messages. There was good Internet service. Here we are relaxing in our berths.

Jay and Stephen tried a little fishing. After being successful fishing off the back of the boat, they took the dinghy to another good spot.

Lyse and Franci tried out the two gallon garden sprayer with the shower nozzle. It already had about a gallon of water in it. We added a pot of boiling water to it. It was enough for two people to have a nice warm shower

The fishing trip was a total success. Stephen cleaned the 10 grunts and one porgy that they had caught. It was a big job but he was a happy man.

After that he needed a good shower.

For dinner we had fresh fish, boiled potatoes and a green salad.

This is all that was left when we were through eating.

As always it was a beautiful sunset.

Life is good!

Fair winds,

Stephen and Franci

Fair winds maties, Stephen and Franci

Ahoy Maties

Once again, a relaxed morning. We went to the Marina for ice and beverages and set sail for Man O War Cay

It was a beautiful sail. It only took a little over an hour to get to our destination so we just sailed around for fun before anchoring at Man O War.

We had our first humbling experience here. The dinghy escaped and began drifting out to sea. Jay, our hero, dove in after it and, fortunately, caught up to it. Also, our good fortune, the neighbor boat saw it happen and came over in his dinghy to rescue Jay and our dinghy and towed them safely back to the boat. Boaters are a great group of folks and are really good at helping out their fellow boaters. Lucky us!

We took the dinghy ashore and bought groceries at the local store. Jay and Stephen took the food back to the boat while Lyse and I shopped. We visited Albury Sail Shop, one of my favorite stores. Just about everyone in Man O War is named Albury as are all of the local ferries. They are a big family here in the Abacos having been here for many generations we presume. The Bahamas were originally settled by Loyalists during the American Revolution. There's a British accent and attitude all about. Many Canadians come here as well.

These ladies sew canvas bags on good old fashioned sewing machines. Their goods are made with love and last forever.

That evening we cooked our first meal on the boat. Setting up the barbeque grill for the first time was a bit of a challenge but Stephen and Jay conquered it.

We ate steak, rice and grilled zucchinis….YUM!

It was the official full moon evening. A little cloudy on the horizon but beautiful.

I had difficulty getting the moon to hold still for my camera.

We look forward to sailing to Guana Cay tomorrow.

Fair winds,

Franci and Stephen

Fair winds maties, Stephen and Franci

Ahoy Maties

Once again, a relaxed morning. We went to the Marina for ice and beverages and set sail for Man O War Cay

It was a beautiful sail. It only took a little over an hour to get to our destination so we just sailed around for fun before anchoring at Man O War.

We had our first humbling experience here. The dinghy escaped and began drifting out to sea. Jay, our hero, dove in after it and, fortunately, caught up to it. Also, our good fortune, the neighbor boat saw it happen and came over in his dinghy to rescue Jay and our dinghy and towed them safely back to the boat. Boaters are a great group of folks and are really good at helping out their fellow boaters. Lucky us!

We took the dinghy ashore and bought groceries at the local store. Jay and Stephen took the food back to the boat while Lyse and I shopped. We visited Albury Sail Shop, one of my favorite stores. Just about everyone in Man O War is named Albury as are all of the local ferries. They are a big family here in the Abacos having been here for many generations we presume. The Bahamas were originally settled by Loyalists during the American Revolution. There's a British accent and attitude all about. Many Canadians come here as well.

These ladies sew canvas bags on good old fashioned sewing machines. Their goods are made with love and last forever.

That evening we cooked our first meal on the boat. Setting up the barbeque grill for the first time was a bit of a challenge but Stephen and Jay conquered it.

We ate steak, rice and grilled zucchinis….YUM!

It was the official full moon evening. A little cloudy on the horizon but beautiful.

I had difficulty getting the moon to hold still for my camera.

We look forward to sailing to Guana Cay tomorrow.

Fair winds,

Franci and Stephen

Fair winds maties, Stephen and Franci

Ahoy Maties,

Wednesday morning we had a relaxed morning at the Conch Inn and left Marsh Harbor on the 10:30 a.m. ferry headed to Hope Town. Ron Engle, our host, met us at the ferry dock and took us over to Moon Doggy, the 30 ft catamaran that will be our home for the next week. We immediately began the boat briefing. He showed Jay and Lyse all the workings of the boat.

Following a brief lunch break, we took off on our afternoon check out sail. Ron does a very thorough check out and makes sure you are familiar with all the maneuvers you may need on the journey. He also makes sure you know how to navigate yourself back into the home harbor, Hope Town.

Before leaving us with the boat to ourselves, he did an excellent chart briefing, filling us in with lots of good information about snorkeling and fishing spots, Jay and Lyse's primary interests.

We had dinner at the Edge that evening. Hope Town harbor was spirited that evening with a ladies birthday party going on at the Edge as well. We went to sleep excited about taking off the next morning in Moon Doggy.

Fair winds,

Stephen and Franci

Fair winds maties, Stephen and Franci

Dolce Vitavillians

We've made it back to the Bahamas with Capt. Jay and Lyse as our host on Moon Doggy, a Maine Cat 30 like the one we are buying. We are at the Conch Inn in Marsh Harbour. Tomorrow we take the ferry over to Hopetown to pick up Moon Doggy for the start of our charter. After that we fly to Maine to start the delivery to Galveston.

Stephen misspoke in the narrative. We are at the Conch Inn in Marsh Harbour rather than the Abaco Inn where we stayed after the boat last and featured in previous blogs.

We had drinks and dinner at the Mango Bar and restaurant with Capt. Jay and Lyse. Very good!

Conch Fritters

Cracked conch.

Fried Whole Sapper with rice, peas (beans), veggies

Cracked conch wit rice and peas

More tomorrow from Moon Doggy in Hope Town Harbour.

Fair winds

Fair winds maties, Stephen and Franci