Reunited Again!

Hello Family and Friends. It's been a while since you heard from us. Our cell phones don't work here and are turned off. Our best means of communicating with you is e-mail and Wifi is rare here in the Exumas. So we hope you are patient between blog postings.

We’re still in the Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park, but a bit further south at Cambridge Cay. It’s been quite windy here (20-25 knots) and is expected to get even gustier. So, we’re sitting tight here for a while. Unfortunately, Gypsies in the Palace broke a motor mount on their cruise from Warderick Wells and had to limp into Cambridge on one engine. But a broken part does not hold the Gypsies down. They were out snorkeling with us Tuesday. Tide Hiker is rocking and rolling in small whitecaps, even in this protected mooring field. However, as mentioned above we did get in some great snorkeling immediately upon our arrival on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday.

Many of the pics are courtesy of Rick and Lynnie aboard Rickshaw. Thanks guys.

These underwater shots are courtesy of Doug and Tammy on Gypsies in the Palace. They have an underwater camera--Neat! Thanks guys.

On Wednesday we were all together for the first time in many weeks. John returned to Gypsies from New Hampshire, Rickshaw caught up, and Life’s 2 Short slowed down for a couple days of snorkeling. So, we took advantage of this rendezvous and hosted a grilled pork tenderloin dinner for everyone. With all the sides, appetizers and desert brought by everyone it was a fantastic feast and tons of laughs! The next day, Todd and Brenda departed for Compass Cay.

Someone Pinch Me!!

What a place. Some surprises, some expectations met. But always fun, adventurous, tasty and beautiful.
We stayed on Norman’s Cay another day or two. Went to McDuff’s Beachside Bar and Grille for Kalik beer and Wi-Fi. So we were able to update the blog from there. It was a very slow connection, so Skype was out of the picture, but passable for text.





Having completed that and looking for the adventure to continue, three of us (September Song, Gypsies in the Palace and Tide Hiker) departed Norman’s Cay for Warderick Wells Cay and home to the Exumas Land and Sea Park. Rickshaw decided to remain at Norman’s Cay for another day or two. Warderick Wells has three anchorages, North, Emerald Rock and South. We intended to moor in the North but all mooring balls were taken. They assigned us to the South. We initially got on the waiting list for the North, but cancelled that after seeing this place. The wind has been blowing strong for over a week and this protected anchorage is a lifesaver. (Come back to this blog entry for a great video when we get a better connection)

We got in some great hiking up to bluffs with panoramic vistas, we got in some hot and sunny beach time and of course, dinner parties. A special treat was a hike to Boo Boo Hill. We did that twice. Today's will be the second time there. At the peak, all hikers place a name board there as evidence of arriving at this spectacular location. A picture of us placing our name board will be in the next blog update.

Since we have been here, we grilled beef, chicken and pork on Tide Hiker, grilled tasty pizza on September Song and enjoyed wonderful stir fry on Gypsies in the Palace.

Life’s 2 Short, with Todd and Brenda and Rickshaw left Norman’s Cay for Warderick Wells. But they picked up mooring balls in the North Anchorage. Todd and Brenda later cruised down to the South Anchorage, but Rickshaw liked the North and stayed there. That’s the beauty of this open-ended buddy boating thing. Each can choose to do their own thing and we eventually get connected again soon. So, we decided on a rendezvous at Emerald Beach, about haft way. We all beached it today and rendezvoused with Rick and Lynnie. It was good to see them after a few days. We all snorkeled some coral heads in the area. They weren’t much, so Vicki deemed them to be “starter reefs” until we get to the “big stuff”. It was still Island Time activities and lots of fun. There were a few tenacious Geckos’ on the beach. They even bit Colleen’s toe twice and harassed us all afternoon. But they did not ruin some excellent book reading, sun tanning, snorkeling, cruise planning and, LUNCH. Tonight will be a night off from partying for Vicki and Norm. We’ll just hang on the boat and relax and watch what will most likely be a fantastic sunset. Really, as Bob has said this entire adventure, “someone pinch me”!

We're leaving here tomorrow for Cambridge Cay for a couple days, Compass Cay for a couple days, then Staniel Cay. Might have WiFi in Staniel.