The winds have kept us in Lucaya for more than a week. If you're going to be stuck somewhere, this is a great place to have to layover! There's an Olympic size heated pool, wi-fi, the Port Lucaya Village and Marketplace across the harbor, and friends down the pier. All five boats (Barefootin, Bad Boy, Smiles, Eldridge C and SeaTryst ) have stayed at the marina during the period of high and unfavorable winds. We kept busy kicking up our feet in the pool and planning our escape to points south when the wind and waves settle down.
Betsy on Smiles led us daily in water aerobics. Eight of us rented a van and toured Grand Bahama by going east to the Lucayan National Park. After a tour of the caves and a walk on the beach we decided we needed to rest and re-hydrate ourselves at Bishop's bar on the beach.
Maggie took advantage of the free wi-fi to close the books for Peter Block Inc., after a long conference call with Peter and the accountant, thanks to Skype. She was relieved to have the internet access to make all the necessary transfers; Bob was relieved that he didn't have to listen to her concern anymore! Afterward, we went on a little hike of about 10 miles (so it felt to Bob) to Winn Dixie to buy food for Christmas dinner. It was early to bed that night.
Rosie got a bit too comfortable with being at the dock, and escaped the boat several times to roam in the grass. We appreciated the dogs passing by as a way to keep her onboard.
After happy hour onboard Bad Boy we all got on the water taxi for a trip to the Marketplace, where the annual Christmas show was being held. Its funny how much more fun you can have when Kaliks are only two for $5.00!
While spending the next afternoon at the Port Lucaya Marketplace, we spotted Mystic residents, Paul and Dee. It really is a small world! And then there was the cutest and coolest 2-year old at the bar who allowed us to take his picture. His father quickly took the Kalik beer away from him before we could snap him drinking it. Teenagers in America will be happy to know there is no drinking age in the Bahamas.
By Saturday the winds finally slowed down, and it would have made for a good sail to the Berrys or to Nassau, but we decided to stay at the marina to join in the Christmas festivities. On Christmas Eve, we decorated SeaTryst , and then had another happy hour at the dock, with more cruisers joining in; Sailor, Jim and Betsy Smiley's 10-month old puppy, doesn't want to miss a thing and was sure to pose with us. This was the last of 3 nights that marina staff came by to sing Christmas carols. Maggie had to keep running to SeaTryst to chase Rosie back onboard.
Up bright and early on Christmas morning to see what Santa had left, we opened our gifts (Bob loved Joanna Arnold's idea of wrapping gifts with linens onboard - no need for paper or tape). Maggie spoke to her sisters in a conference call via Skype (how we love this technology and free wi-fi), and then prepared vegetables for our pot-luck dinner. Here's the group again, before our bellies were full with turkey, gravy, stuffing, ham, vegetables, homemade pies and rum cake. Evvie made sure to have fine decorations for the table, cutting hibiscus from the bushes around the pool. Luther even enjoyed the celebration.
We expect to be leaving tomorrow (Tuesday, 12.26) to do an overnight passage to Nassau. We're watching the weather and will be talking to the other boats all traveling together. Thinking that it might be a while before we get wi-fi again, we thought we'd take advantage of it now and update the site. Did we tell you how much we like free wi-fi?! Make that how much Maggie likes wi-fi. As for Bob he wants to pretend that this is 1930 and the islands are yet to be discovered without the help of electronics. Back to a simpler time and place.