Providenciales, Turks And Caicos Islands

January 22 - 28, 2014

I thought I would never see the day!  When our rental
car was delivered, Brian didn't know what it was!
It's a WiLL Cypha right hand drive by Toyota.

We are going to be in Provo much longer than we had hoped.  Why should this be different than our other stops?  The weather has flared up.  On land it is beautiful: sunny blue skies with tropical temperatures.  But, head off shore and it is a different story.  Every report tells us to stay put indefinitely.  Really, indefinitely?  Give me a sign -- a week, ten days, 2 weeks?  Don't tell me indefinitely!    We are staying at Turtle Cove Marina.  It is quiet and we like the location.  Today we  extended our car rental from 2 days to a week.  The next decision will be to extend the marina to a monthly rate. 

Paved four lane with a median strip.

We have been busy exploring the area, but we prefer the islands that are not so developed.  George Town and Clarence Town were perfect!  Provo could be a resort town in Mexico or Florida.  It has a four lane road that is paved with a divider in the middle!   They experience traffic jams at 5:00!  Wow, that says it all….  On the other hand, we have found  an IGA grocery, a store that is similar to Home Depot, lots of restaurant options and a real French bakery.  OK, I'll stop whining.

The 'Do It Center' -- Very similar to a Home Depot 

As excited as we were to find the IGA, we almost
wet our pants when we found the Greenway 
Gourmet!  Beautiful store and cold 20 oz bottles 
of Diet Coke for $1.20.  

These shells show the growth in the first 5 months.

Since we have been eating conch almost every day, we decided to visit the Conch Farm.   This is a research facility that raises conch for commercial purposes.  Conch has become a commercially endangered specie due to over fishing, pollution and environmental change.  

And, here the shells range from 6 months to 2 years.

The conch shell is similar to our skeleton.  It grows with them -- and very quickly.   By the time the conch is four years old it is mature and ready to harvest.  
Since the conch farm's beginning in 1984, it has consistently lost investor's money and never earned a dime of profit.  In spite of those statistics, they have found a new investor and are going forward with their plans to expand.  Soon the farm will include high tech hatcheries where fish can be trained to spawn on command by manipulating the water temperatures and light conditions.  Cobia, pompano, grouper, and snapper are now being raised as brood fish. 
        

A series of trays, tanks and eventually pens are
used through the process.

Sally and Jerry are two conch that have
been trained to slide out of their shells
to show visitors their anatomy.  This is
Jerry.  You can tell by the penis that is
half way up his body on the left side.  
If he should loose it, he can grow a 
new one!  How handy is that? Next time
you are at a party and there s a lull in 
the conversation, this might be a good
fact to throw out to the group. 
  And, people say this blog is just fluff!  

Bugaloos restaurant offers seating inside, on the
deck, in the sand or in the water.  Another great
meal of cracked conch!

Driving through a residential area with spectacular
views.  We think these are vacation homes….
Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous!

Resort after resort fills this beachfront.  

And then we found this secluded beach.  No resorts,
no crowds…..Just beautiful!

After a week of traveling every road (paved and unpaved), it is time to turn wee WiLL back to the rental agency.  To finalize the end of our relationship we did one more swing through the Do It Center and the IGA and then we were off to Da Conch Shack.  Where we had -- you guessed it -- conch as we looked out at the magnificent scenery.    

Tomorrow we will drop the dingy in the water, get the bikes off of the roof and start walking to see the local sites.  I'm sure the island will look much different as we explore from another vantage point.  



Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Long Island, Bahamas To Turks and Caicos

January 20 - 22, 2014

1 - Stuart, 2 - Miami, 3 - Cat Cay, 4 - Chub Cay, 5 - Nassau, 6 - Warderick Wells Cay, 
7 - Little Farmer's Cay. 8 - George Town, Great Exuma Cay, 9 - Long Island, 10 - George Town (again), 11 - Long Island (again), 12 - Clarence Town, Long Island, 13 - Acklins Island, 14 - Mayaguana Island,
15 - Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

Everything Brian read about the weather and water said that Monday was the day to go south from Long Island.  Even Chris Parker, the infamous weather guru, said that Monday would be the day to head out.  We weren't taking any chances.  We stowed everything the night before and laid out all of my seasick remedies.  Calm or bumpy we would be ready for our ten hour trip to Acklins Island.  Fortunately we had prepared.  We had a rough ride the entire trip with four to seven foot waves hitting our port side.  But, here is the good news:  nothing tumbled or shook and I did not get sick!  That night as i prepared dinner it looked like I was doing some kind of juggling act.  The plates and ingredients kept sliding one way and then the other across the counter.  I'd add something to the mix and grab something else before it slid into the sink.  I poured Brian's drink, walked to the table to hand him his plate and before I could return his glass was in the sink.  It would have made a funny video!  Later that night it quieted down and we did get a good night's sleep.          

Now we have this stow and go system down to a science.  After breakfast Tuesday morning there was a quick check to make sure all cabinets were locked, everything was stowed and I took my seasick pills.  We were blessed with a beautiful day -- sunny with calm seas and very little wind.  Our eight hour cruise was a breeze!  Brian put out the fishing line (no success), I read and we took turns driving.  We arrived at our anchorage at Mayaguana Island early enough to relax before dinner.  

On Wednesday the 22nd we entered the Turks and Caicos after a quiet eight hour trip.  We were excited to install a new flag and explore the next segment of our voyage.  T & C are internally ruled by a Governor that is appointed by the Queen of England.  It is increasingly popular as a tourist destination.  Even though it is closely associated with Great Britain, it's currency is the American dollar.  As we approached the marina we were surprised to see large homes and hotels lining the beach.  It looks more like coastal Florida than anything that we saw in the Bahamas (except Nassau).  Once we passed customs we rented a car and were off to see what is in the area.

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Long Island -- The Beauty And The Beast

January 15 - 19, 2014

After a busy morning of preparation, we left Great Exuma Island, George Town and the Emerald Bay Marina.  Brian had a little maintenance to do on the main engine and we decided to top off the fuel tanks to give us more ballast.  By the time we left the fuel dock it was 1:30 and we were 37 miles from our anchorage on Long Island.  The water only had two to four foot waves, but they hit us on the starboard side of our bow giving us a rough ride for four and a half hours.   We arrived at Cape Santa Maria (named by Columbus in 1492) as the sun set and a huge full moon guided us to our quiet anchorage.    

Did I say a quiet anchorage?  Oh, my!!!!  Well, it was comfortable until 2:00 AM.  That's when I moved to the salon.  Our stateroom is in the bow and when the boat starts bouncing that area gets the most action.  At 4:45 AM Brian came up to tell me it was pouring rain and the wind had picked up.  We quickly closed all of the windows and hatches.  A cold front was passing through.  Winds went instantly from 5-35.  Waves from calm to 5+ in our anchorage.  Not hitting us on our bow, but our port side so we rocked.  Our anchor did its job holding us in place, but we were like a rag doll being tossed in every direction as we twisted at the end of 125 feet of chain.  Since we weren't expecting this event, we didn't have things stowed.  Everything hit the floor:  pictures, books, blender, soda stream, lamps…..  We were definitely experiencing the worst water and wind in our 30+ years of  boating!  At 7:15 AM we couldn't take it anymore.  Brian put on his life jacket and went to the bow pulpit to pull up the anchor. This was the only time I was frightened.  He was hanging over the front of the boat with huge waves crashing over and around him.  He managed to get the anchor up without falling overboard and got back inside. Now we were able to get underway with the stabilizers helping to diminish the side to side motion.  For the first hour we were in 10-12 foot waves every four seconds.  Anything that hadn't come loose earlier did now including the television swinging freely.  Falling off one wave was enough of a bump for the pressure struts on our bed to push the mattress up to the ceiling (it usually takes a hardy pull to lift it, so we can get to the storage under the bed).  It was a rough seven hour trip to our new "quiet" anchorage at Clarence Town, Long Island, Bahamas.  I was no help at all as I laid on the coach in the salon alternately sleeping and throwing up.  

We are very cautious boaters that try to stay out of uncomfortable situations, but when we are surprised we are so thankful to be on our Kady-Krogen.  Gotta Smile never blinked and we never worried about her ability to deliver us safely to our next anchorage.  Now, if I could only say as much for my ability! 

When Joan was visiting earlier this week she told me about another remedy for sea sickness.  This is the weirdest one yet!  Put Vicks Vaporub in your belly button and cover it with a band aid.  Weird as it sounds, I did buy the Vicks and will soon try it along with the wrist bands, ginger pills, Motion eaze and Dramamine.  Sooner or later I've got to find the combination that keeps me upright on bumpy rides.  And, in case you are wondering -- NO, I didn't use any of them on our trip to Clarence Town.  Things happened too quickly as I came out of a deep sleep and I was throwing up before I knew what we were in.  

This little island and a reef offered us protection
from the waves as we took a day to rest at anchor.

On Friday we took the day off to recuperate.  The anchorage was quiet and we had a great wifi connection.  It was fun to talk with both of our kids on FaceTime and catch up on emails.  Earlier I mentioned a cold front came through -- that means the temperature dropped to 78 and I put on a long sleeve t shirt.  After 26 years of cold fronts in Minnesota, this is a welcome change.  

Saturday morning we checked into the Flying Fish Marina in Clarence Town for two days and rented a car to do some serious land exploration.  The island is only 80 miles long and four miles wide at it's widest point.  It is considered one of the most beautiful of the Bahamian Islands and is famous for it's caves and Deans Blue Hole -- the deepest underwater sinkhole known.  At 663 feet deep it is more than double the others.    

A group free diving from a platform.

We think this is one of those rare places on earth
where there are more churches than bars!

It wasn't uncommon to see open graves that had
been cut into solid rock some time ago.  I tried
to talk Brian into getting in it for a photo, but that
was not even up for discussion.

A mat of tires had to be laid across the road
for this tractor to cross.  

Stacked stone walls and slave houses from the 18th 
century cotton plantations.

This could make your skin crawl --
the black is a huge ant nest.
It was about 18 inches tall.  I took the
picture from inside the car! 

Goats, sheep, pigs and chickens roam freely.

 Anglican Church designed by Father Jerome who
later became Monsignor Jerome Hawes and designed
the Catholic church.

A different shade of blue.

This beach was covered with natural sponges.

In the 1970's Diamond Crystal had a salt plant on 25,000 acres of land in Long Island.  They were the primary employer.  When they left a shrimp farming company moved in only to close a few years later.  Much of the equipment is still there.  We set out to find it and it wasn't easy!

The roads got narrower and rougher and then we
were on an abandoned airplane runway.  

   

This rotted bridge didn't stop us.

Finally, we found the evaporation ponds, but that
wasn't good enough.  Where was the plant?

The road gets narrower…..

Thank God, we found it!  I'm sure you can see why
this was worth the search……  But, we still couldn't
leave until we found the tug.

Bingo!!!  Now can we go eat dinner?

Looking forward to getting on our way.  What will our next adventure be and what islands will we visit?            

    Gotta Smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Maybe George Town Chamber Of Commerce Should Hire Us

January 6 - 15, 2014

Spending time with family and friends on board is one of the best parts of the life we live.  We hope that once they visit they understand why we are so happy.  It may not be the life for them, but (hopefully) they see why it appeals to us.  Since we left Miami on November 17th we have had guests for 34 days.  We also spent 13 days in Afton and St Louis over Christmas.  So, of the 53 days since we left US waters we have been with others for 47 days.  Today we begin our next adventure traveling to islands that we haven't seen or even heard of  and we are on our own!  As much as we enjoy the company, it feels good to get everything cleaned up and tucked away.  Plus, life is much simpler when it is the two of us:  meals, schedules, routines.    

Last day on board, Christopher made
a palm frond fish and was able to get
it home in good condition.  Love 
those AA baggage handlers!

"No, Grandpa-----"

We found a new way to meet the locals.  When we had a rental car, we picked up hitchhikers.  The first time two guys were standing along the road with a four month old baby.  As we passed, I yelled "Brian they have a baby".  We pulled over and met Quentin.  He was on his way to drop his baby at daycare so he could go to his first day of work as a chef.  His truck ran out of gas and the local gas station was closed.  We were glad we stopped to help him out.  Later that day, we found another person needing a ride.  I asked if it was hard to get picked up.  He said no, because everyone knows everyone on the island.  That could be a blessing or a curse!  

Joan and Larry came from Arizona for a visit

While showing Joan and Larry George Town, we ran
into Joanne.  We originally met her and John in 
Jacksonville. Running across friends from other 
boating stops is always a treat.  

I'm sure this rock is a petrified alligator head.
Do you see it?

I celebrated my 68th birthday in the  best way: friends of 35 years were with us, a perfectly gorgeous day, dingy rides, walk on the beach and a delicious lunch at St Francis's Resort overlooking the bay.  Now, only two more years and I'm 70!  Can't wait!!!!

Linda told me I must have been a very good girl
to see a starfish on my birthday!  Can I get a
second on that motion?     

Birthday lunch
I asked if we were dressed OK to eat with them, when
we arrived in our bathing suits.  Oh, sure -- You
may be overdressed. The best conch on the island!

The gas station at the end of the island -- one pump
with an oversized umbrella at some one's home.

Fuel is the same price for the car or the boat -- $5.53/gallon.  That seemed like a good price down here so we topped our tanks with diesel…307 gallons.      

We never tire of this beautiful turquoise water.

A rain storm on the other side of the bay almost
made us miss the sunset.

I've seen a lot of palm trees in the last
couple years, but none sprouting from
a coconut.

Driving back to the boat after dropping Joan and Larry at the airport, we noticed a photo shoot on one of the beaches.  We didn't think too much about it until we got back to the marina and one of the guys told Brian that they were shooting the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue!  Now, I guess he will have to buy a copy to see how beautiful the beaches are…..                  

     

Good-bye Emerald Bay Marina  

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!