Saturday, April 15th - Great Guana Cay, Bahamas

       

 
 
It IS actually better in the Bahamas, the commercials don't lie.  I will say we have had everything from soup to nuts on this trip.  The weather has been awesome, and I mean that in every sense of the word.  If you check the photos you will see the storm that greeted us on our second night- we were so nonchalant before it hit- "wow, that looks pretty bad.  The clouds are amazing!  I've never seen the sky so green.  It looks kind of like that time we had to take shelter in the basement from the tornado, remember?"  I think Christy and Joe got the second anchor in a few minutes before it really hit, but not many.  50 knot gusts, the most C and J had ever had, what looked like 100ft waves to me (but were actually 6ft-ish).  It was REALLY hairy.  I was stuck inside trying to keep the kids calm while Christy, Joe and Ramin were running around like crazy trying to keep us from dragging onto a reef or running aground.  The sky was black as night, the wind was howling, even though I knew the land was right near by you couldn't see a thing.  I admit it, I was pretty scared.  Once the worst of it passed Ramin and Joe jumped overboard to check the anchor only to discover the chain had chewed it's way into one of the daggerboards.  I left Natasha with the kids and went to help while Joe and Ramin tried just about everything to dislodge it- I will let Christy write the details, needless to say we were praying another squall didn't hit while we were working.  It was all over by 10am, and we were ready to start drinking.  It makes a great story because everyone survived, the boat is fine except for the daggerboard, and the weather has since cleared.  We got a couple days of rain, and the wind didn't go below 25 knots until Thursday night.  Christy and Joe had set up a tent on the trampoline- which survived the storm believe it or not, but it was kind of hard to sleep in as it sounded like a wind tunnel :-)
 
Our very first whole day was Leila's birthday- lucky girl.  Christy did it up right, with a ton of Sushi with her own caught fish, and even a carrott cake with cream cheese frosting.  The girls supplied gifts, and our hosts topped off the night with Dom Perignon-  Wow.  We had a really late night, it must have been after 10pm when we finally crawled into bed.  But not to worry, we made up for it the rest of the time.
 
We moved to Treasure Cay on Wednesday and tried the beach, but got blown off and moved to the pool- quite swanky and the location of my first sunburn (which I have worked on ever since).   We are headed back there tonight for a beach barbeque.  Thursday morning we made a bumpy crossing to Great Guana- AKA Paradise, Mecca, Eden, call it what you will.  I am supremely happy.  Thursday we were in Fishers Bay, rented golf carts and drove around, "borrowed" some bikes from a deserted beach club for half and hour, ignored the rain.  Ramin let all the kids from Juliana on up drive the golf cart- exciting if you were riding in the back I must say.  Juliana is a very nonchalant driver, while Cassie is quite determined- no one is surprised by that I am sure.    Natasha and I even got a run in Friday morning and then we headed to Nipper's- your classic beach bar on the dune- with a great beach and good body surfing.  Wind down to 20 knots by the end of the day, and how funny is it (all you sailors) that we were ecstatic and lying on the beach!  Now of course it is 0-3knots, and we will have to motor back to Treasure Cay tonight to get to the airport tomorrow.  We have had a few hours of sailing twice during the trip, both times were fantastic, it makes me understand all the more why some one would want to do this.  It is so peaceful sailing across the water- the wind in the sails, it sounds so trite but it never gets old.
 
Thursday brought beautiful skies and blustery winds, we found the first of many fantastic beaches on Great Guana Cay- great body surfing and thousands of Sea Biscuits which we all dove for hour after hour.  Friday and Saturday melted into each other- skies so blue and water like glass- when the waves rise they act as prisms and you can see the reef as if there were no water at all.  Long walks lead to more undiscovered beaches and bad sunburns (for me most of all, Ramin with his "factory color" escaped largely unscathed).  They are building a super super super swanky golf community on Great Guana, much to the dismay of most of the locals- cries of reef destruction, pollution abound.  However, now, before the community has been built but after they have done all the cleanup- it looks absolutely heavenly.  Of course, once the houses go in we'll never be back, a small lot in the middle of the island is going for $2 million, the large lot on the point is $25.  And that doesn't even include the house.  Ouch.  For that, I would buy an entire island somewhere.  Or a giant boat and have enough left over to sail for a couple of years.
 
Tonight, our last night on the boat, we are headed to a beach barbeque- and one more short day on Treasure Cay beach- then it's off to Freeport for a night in a big hotel (hot showers!  big comfy beds!)- I will miss this life.  But maybe not the military showers....
 
The absolute best thing about this trip?  My friends.  My most wonderful friend Christy, who I have missed so terribly, was her most wonderfullest- yes we got chili, and sushi, and long talks, and hugs and dancing and everything you would expect.  Joe was the perfect host-he and Ramin teased each other constantly of course- they worked on the boat together, he got the girls set up to waterski for their first time, his general good humor got us through everything with a smile.  Cassie and Juliana are such great girls- smart and sassy and full of fun things to do- never bored or crabby (or not for us anyway)- and SILLY, SILLY, SILLY.  There was constant  giggling.
 
The memories we take home will last a lifetime- Rummikub, diving for sand dollars, reading and sleeping in the sun (and the rain!).  We dream of meeting these guys in a year and a half when they are back in the Caribbean, this time with our own boat....
 
Be Right Back-
 
Hope (and family)
Next entry >>>>>>>
 
Many thanks to our friend Craig Homenko for his assistance in setting up the website.
We also would like to thank our buddy Scott Brunner who has been kind enough to host the website on his server.
 

 
   

 
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