Bahamas 2025

Unfortunately, weather only allowed for a short stay in the Berry Islands…one of our favorite places!  Under normal circumstances we try to never let a ‘schedule’ determine our movement, as this is how boats usually get in to trouble, but we had to be in Nassau by December 18 to see our oldest granddaughter, Alexis, compete in Gymnastics.  A weather window opened about a week before we wanted to leave the Berries, and the extended forecast showed it was our only chance to get to Nassau before the competition…so we took the window, and had a great passage.

Once in Nassau we anchored at Junkanoo Beach, near the cruise ship terminal, for one night, then moved to Athol Island for protection from the strong north wind, which blew for the next 7 days. The ‘schedule’ ended up working out perfectly, and we checked into our slip at Atlantis Marina right on time.

Cruise ships were moving every evening and every morning.

 

So happy to be able to take Alexis and her friends (and their families) out on the boat during their ‘down’ time.

Wonderful to have some family time with Christopher, Christina, and Alexis!

Fun for everyone.

The competition was spectacular! Great job, girls😘

We left Atlantis on Dec. 23, and headed to the northern Exumas (luckily the weather cooperated).

We enjoyed a beautiful and peaceful Christmas on anchor at Little Spirit Cay, and spent the afternoon on this beach.

People are surprised to see that we do decorate, but due to space constraints all of our decorations must fit in one bin. This has caused me to be very selective and a little creative👍

Our next ‘scheduled’ stop was Staniel Cay. Nicole and the girls were scheduled to fly into Staniel on January 6.  There was no pressure or worry about making it, since once we were in the lee (the side sheltered from the wind) of the Exuma chain it was easy to move from island to island without going into rough water. We had more than a week to cover less than 50 miles. It was island hopping at its best!

The short hops left ample time for snorkeling, and we were on a mission to stock some lobster for our incoming guests…success!

Everyone arrived safely, and we had one week to explore the northern Exumas with three of our favorite girls😘

 

An amazing time was had by all, and we were super happy to catch up with Eddie & Gail, before Nicole had to leave.

Nicole flew out of Staniel on Jan. 14, and Lucy and Maggie stayed on Right Hand for another two and a half weeks! During that time, we traveled from Staniel to Great Exuma exploring islands and snorkel grounds that were new to all of us.

Apparently, David Copperfield commissioned this underwater statue to be installed near his private island.

This is the most amazing osprey nest I have ever seen!

This bull shark visited our boat, two evenings in a row…time to relocate our boat!

The day before the girls were scheduled to fly home, we attempted one final snorkel excursion. We didn’t have high expectations, as the wind had been very strong, waves (outside) were still high, and visibility was less than ideal.  We found a small reef that looked very damaged, but to our amazement we experienced the most incredible sighting of an octopus we had ever witnessed! 

Keith was the first to spot it, but by the time he corralled us back to the spot it was gone. We swam very slowly, keeping still for long periods of time, until it was spotted in a small cave. The octopus would stick an eye out and look at us, then duck back inside. Eventually she/he must have concluded that we were harmless, and it started to move along the reef. At times the movement looked like a lava flow. In all, this beautiful creature showed itself 5 different times…WOW!

I told Lucy that she inspired the good octopus omen, because she had just finished reading ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ the day before, and we talked about how amazing and elusive octopi seemed to be!

On Jan. 28, I accompanied the girls back to Charleston from Great Exuma Island.

In a few days, I’ll catch you up on our February excitement.

We’re Back

 

Hello from Great Harbour Marina! Yes, this is the same location as the last time I posted, in April, but the boat has not been here all of that time.  In fact, we just checked into the Bahamas yesterday, November 30.

The last time I posted, I was leaving the boat in the marina so I could fly home to check on both Keith, and my dad.  

I’m going to give you the ‘Cliff Notes’ version of the past 8 months…

My son returned, with me, to Great Harbour to help me overnight the boat back to Florida

It did feel like quite an accomplishment to be back in the U.S.  

I continue north alone, from West Palm to Fernandina beach…on one engine.  The trip went well, but was complicated by the loss of my port engine.  I developed a raw water leak at the exhaust elbow, and decided to shut that engine down, to be safe.  This required better planning and timing on my part, as the maneuverability of this vessel is drastically reduced with one engine.

Finally, by mid May, Keith was well enough to join me in Fernandina with the goal of getting the boat to the Chesapeake, where we planned to spend the summer.  Keith was still plagued with unexplained fevers, and by this time my dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
 

In Oriental, NC we did a crew change, and Keith’s brother joined him on the boat to continue north. While I returned to MD to attend my niece’s graduation.

Thankful to be able to spend a few days with family! This is one of the last pictures taken of my dad.  Unfortunately, he passed unexpectedly on July 4.

While in many ways, our summer was very difficult…we were blessed to have the opportunity to be surrounded by family and friends.

So grateful to attend the wedding of Eddie and Gail’s daughter…what a beautiful event!

Anna still got her boat time, but instead of a Caribbean Island she had a Bay adventure!

Before boat time, she wanted to explore the museums in DC.

Kayaking the Sassafras 

This was her favorite activity 

It turns out, she is an excellent crabber!

As summer progressed, Keith’s right lung slowly healed, and by the beginning of September the fevers diminished, and all of his scans came back clear.

We spent the last few weeks, before departure catching up with friends.

We took Amy to Thomas Point to get pictures for her 2024 gingerbread extravaganza.

Amazing!

By the end of September, Keith had the ‘all clear’ from all doctors, and we began to plan our departure from Maryland.  By October 1 we were heading south.

It was fun to, once again, watch for interesting boats.

And just enjoy the sights and sounds of life on the water.

 

During our trip south, we restocked our freezer with local delicacies.

Our biggest upgrade was a new refrigerator, while in Fernandina Beach.

We are fully provisioned, and back in the Bahamas.  Our cruise here was amazing…

It feels good to be back!