Bahamas!

Greetings Friends, Family, and Followers -

Well - 6 months to the day, I am making our next post - sorry it has been so long since I've last posted, but this is the first time since November that Paul and I have been on Master Plan off the dock!

We've had this in the plans for a while and it has been a dream to bring Master Plan to the Bahamas since we purchased the boat - almost three years ago!  For work, it is always best for me to get away over Christmas, but that is also a rough time to come to the Bahamas due to weather - so many told us to come here in May or June . . . and here we are! 

Below is a map of the Abacos to give you an idea of where we are.  We departed Stuart very early on Friday morning and spent the entire day crossing over to the Bahamas.  The islands start about 55 miles from the Florida coast, but our goal was to go as far as we could the first day - about 120 miles. 

The gulf stream is very deep - thousands of feet - as you approach the Little Bahama Bank, it gets shallow very quickly and within moments, the water turns that beautiful blue - noted by the Captain below!

We arrived to Great Sail Cay at about 6:30 PM and dropped the anchor and relaxed. It is an uninhabited island, but also offers a lot of protection for anchoring.  Many people stop there either right after they cross or right before they return to Florida.  We enjoyed a few beers and grilled burgers and hit the hay - we were tired! 

Sunset from Great Sail Cay

On Saturday morning, we headed east to Spanish Cay - about 45 miles from Great Sail Cay.  We arrived about 5 hours later - just in time for lunch!  It was a much shorter day underway and we still had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the afternoon.  Spanish Cay is a privately owned island - there isn't much there - a few condos, a tiny resort, a restaurant with a swimming pool, and a few great beaches. It's lovely, despite the fact that they got hit hard with Sandy.  A few photos below of our slip - truly paradise!

 The water was warm, clear, and beautiful!

 "Sailor" - a dog a few boats down from us - was enjoying a nice afternoon nap! We also napped by the pool - lovely.

We turned on the back lights of the boat once it got dark and hundreds of fish swam in front of the lights - really cool!

On Sunday morning, we took a short trek to Great Guana Cay - about 25 miles East of Spanish Cay and docked at another beautiful marina.  What drew us to this beautiful island is a very famous bar called Nippers - known for its Sunday Pig Roast.  It was interesting - lots of party music, cocktails, and great food - but the best part was its location overlooking this breathtaking beach.  So, we grabbed a few beers (local beer here is Kalik) and went for a swim - awesome!

"Downtown" in Great Guana Cay is very picturesque - lots of beautiful flowers.

This morning, we left Great Guana Cay and headed southeast to Elbow Cay (about 10 miles) and are happily docked in Hope Town - known for its beautiful lighthouse.  Below is the lighthouse with Master Plan just below it and to the right.  We're at Lighthouse Marina and it's a tiny little marina - and we're the only boat here - it's like our own private marina!  Lovely!

Hope Town is positively charming - beautifully bright colored houses and flowers everywhere - I couldn't help myself with my camera - it was a feast for the eyes!

As we walked around town, we came to this cool spot which overlooks the channel coming into the harbor.  The channel is a little tricky and shallow, but Paul guided Master Plan into the harbor with ease.

Paul standing next to the makeshift "range markers" which helped us come into the Harbor.

Bahamian Stop Sign!

Bahamian Store Hours!

The captain with Hope Town and the Lighthouse in the background.

Out for a sunset cocktail dinghy ride - you can see Master Plan on the left at the dock.

Admiral Jen with Hope Town harbor in the background - am standing up by the lighthouse.

Master Plan with the town behind us - lots of brilliant colors - so picturesque!

We will stay here for two or three nights, then start working our way back to Stuart - our goal is to be back in Florida on Sunday.  Tomorrow, we will rent a golf cart and really explore Elbow Cay - we understand that there are some beautiful areas south of here and we look forward to checking it out!

Until then, thanks for following along - we are very grateful to be here and are enjoying this beautiful area and send or best to all!  Love, Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:

Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is right here right now. Don't miss it.

~ Leo Buscaglia