I’m sorry for leaving you hanging for the past month, but once you read this post you will understand why I was too busy to post sooner!
Our repairs to the crane cable went smoothly, and we were able to leave a few days later. We checked into the Bahamas on January 1st. We were so happy to be there, and in place, for the Jan. 8 arrival of two of our grandchildren. Thanks to home schooling, Lucy and Maggie were able to spend three and a half weeks cruising the Berry Islands, and the islands in the northern Exuma chain.
I had an extensive itinerary planned for the girls, and just hoped the weather would cooperate…allowing us calm conditions for two ‘semi-large’ hops in open waters.
This shows the girls’ entire trip from Great Harbor to Staniel Cay.
Nicole accompanied Lucy and Maggie on the flight to Great Harbor, and only had two short days to enjoy the surroundings before returning home for work.
The day Nicole flew out, we moved the boat to Hoffman’s Cay to share one of our favorite spots with the girls.
We staged the boat at Soldier Cay in preparation for a decent weather window to get to Nassau, and we thoroughly enjoyed having the island to ourselves for the day!
Lucy and Maggie started their second day of snorkel practice in a shallow tidal pool left behind at low tide…perfect!
They quickly graduated to protected lagoon snorkeling. They both were naturals!
And I am so proud of how brave they were…both watched this nurse shark rest under our boat for more than 30 minutes, but when it was time to get in the water…they didn’t hesitate!
Our cruise from Soldiers to Nassau proved to be a bit rough, and Maggie was suffering from seasickness. This was the perfect opportunity to try these special glasses I purchased, and I was amazed to see how quickly they seemed to work. Within a few minutes of putting the glasses on, Maggie’s color went from grey to pink, and her smile immediately returned!
Our trip from Nassau to Norman’s Cay was also a little rough, with 2-3 foot waves, but luckily this time we were taking them on the nose and the girls enjoyed the rodeo ride…no need for the glasses! Once we made it to the northern Exumas, our hops were short and the islands provided fabulous protection from the winds out of the east.
Norman Cay
The biggest ray we have ever seen!
Spirit Cay
Shroud Cay
They loved the ‘Wash Out’
East side of the island
O’Brien’s Cay
They loved snorkeling the Aquarium!
They loved Rachel’s Bubble Bath!
Nature’s infinity pool.
They loved Thunderball Grotto!
We explored the microscopic world.
They each completed a sewing project.
Together, we read ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ and they built a wind generator.
We enjoyed art and music!
A LOT of reading happened!
Learning about circuits was a favorite activity for both girls!
The ROV provided the platform for learning a variety of skills, and everyone was thrilled with the success!
Twenty four days flew by, and on Feb 1 we hopped on a puddle jumper at Staniel Cay for the first leg of our journey to get them home.
This flight was the perfect culmination, as it allowed us to see all of the islands we had just visited by boat. This is Shroud Cay, and we could clearly identify the mangrove river and the Wash Out…COOL!
