Well, it's been a couple of years since I blogged here, but that doesn't mean we haven't been back to Exuma...we have, twice. It just didn't dawn on me to repeat so much of what I had already written, so most of our posting was on Facebook. But this time will be different. This time we are bringing friends with us, so we will definitely both blog here and post to Facebook.

We leave May 13th and will return on the 20th. Let the fun begin...

6-5-14-We decided not to cook last night and went to eat at the Taste and Sea restaurant on the water near the marina. To say the least, the sweet and sour wings and fried grouper were fabuloso!

After a good nights sleep (with assistance from the Kalik beers the night before...see photo above), we got on the water early for our longest run ever, 25 miles to the Land and Sea Park. Our sounding map gets us about halfway there, so after that, we were guessing. And guess what? We got past Bell Island and went to the next island that looked like it might be the headquarters because of the little "police" vehicles running around. As we were tying up to the dock, those little vehicles began to disappear. So we walked up and followed the sidewalk, calling out "hello," but no ever answered. As we walked past a couple of buildings, a door would open and when we turned, it would close. Man, it felt like we were in one of those movies where you yell out loud "just leave, man!" Well, we just left! We followed some other people to the headquarters and discovered that we had been walking around Tyler Perry's island, White Bay Cay. Let me tell you, homeboy is pouring some money in it!

At the headquarters, we decided to swim some...

Then we walked up to Boo Boo Hill and took pics of the Atlantic and the Caribbean...

Here's Tyler Perry's Island...

 

 

And Johnny Depp's...

 

 

We had an awesome day and after spending almost 10 hours on the water, we got back, cooked supper and are about to hit the hay so we can do it all again tomorrow. Ciao for now and God Bless...

 

 



6-4-2014- Well, we woke to a rainy morning, so we waited a little while before we went out. I made Danna an awesome omelet and she made me some awesome bacon and we left nice and full! Oh yeah, she made Rice Krispy treats last night after I grilled a couple of awesome ribeyes. So we golf carted over to Coral's house to get our boat from the dock there. Our golf cart is so slow that people pass us walking. When we go up the hill to Coral's house, it almost comes to a complete stop, but somehow it keeps going enough to get us to the top. Then I simply floor it going down so I have momentum for the next hill. The problem arises when someone is coming the other way and I forget that I'm supposed to be driving on the left side of the road. That reminds me...does that "left side of the road" thing apply to boats on the water? Anyway...

Here's one of the islands we hung out on today. Any footprints you see are ours and ours alone...

Here's a pic of Danna enjoying our solitude...

Here's me standing on an Atlantic inlet at Big Ganna Cay. Notice the ocean spray in the background...

A pic in front of water we just can't explain...

The pigs swimming out to meet us for some food...

A sandbar that connects 2 different islands...

A stingray swimming next to our boat. That's in about 20 feet of water...

I simply can't explain the clarity and enormous number of different hues of blues that the waters down here encompass. There are no matching crayons in the box. More pics tomorrow. Ciao and God bless.

Okay, time to start the blogging!

May31,2014-We got into Nassau Saturday, checked in to the Comfort Suites and then ate at the deli at Atlantis. We were too late to see anything else and went to bed early. Booorrrrring!!!!!!

June 1, 2014-We got up, ate breakfast, then went to Atlantis for the day. It was pretty cool, but still just a big waterpark with WAY overpriced food...though this waterfall made a great backdrop!

 

We grabbed a cab and went to the Poop Deck for dinner...that was worth it...

 

June 2, 2014-We got up Monday and caught our flight on Flamingo Air south to Staniel Cay. Our pilot was really cool and at 6'7", had to fold himself into the cockpit. But he was a real technician, constantly making adjustments to keep us comfortable. The weather was bad, but he flew over it, around it, and through gaps in it. The landing in Black Point was awesome, then we flew to Staniel Cay...

 

We got to the house, dropped off everything, got our golf cart, then went and found our boat owner  to get set up for the next morning. We went to the marina for dinner and ate HUGE fried shrimp with Kalik Light beer. We got back to the house and crashed hard!!!!!!

 

June 3, 2014-We got up and got our boat and headed out. It was cloudy early, so we didn't take a lot of pics, but we headed north to Big Ganna Cay, past Over Yonder Cay, through Pipe Cay, and stopped at Samson Cay. Samson was one of our favorites last year because it had a great store and fuel at the marina, but for a number of reasons, the owner shut it down and made it private. It's absolutely gorgeous nonetheless. We wandered on up to Compass Cay and hung out with the sharks for a while. Then we headed further north looking for Rachael's Bubble Bath, a break in the cliffs on the Atlantic side of Compass, where huge waves explode through the gap, creating millions of bubbles each time in the mass of foam that blows through. On the way there, we stopped here for lunch...

 

Man, what more can I say? The pictures absolutely DO NOT do this place justice. It is insane beautiful. Oh yeah, last year we travelled around in a 1983 15' Boston Whaler with a plywood seat and an older motor. This year? We are rolling in style in a 19' Mako with a 2014 4 stroke Yamaha 90 HP motor, GPS, the works. Check it out...

 

 

Here's a pic we took at Samson on the way back...



Here's Danna having fun watching me get BOMBED by the Atlantic waves crashing through the gap at Rachael's...

 

This is a sand bar between 2 islands at Sandy Cay, and yes, they are all absolutely deserted and all ours for the day, though we left for other things later...



 

 

Oh yeah, here's a little "boat" we saw at Compass today. It was one of a dozen motor yachts docked there. The boat in the front left is a 21' center console. This yacht is about 140' long...

 

Wow, what a first day. We did more today than we did on our whole trip last time, mainly because we know what we're doing and we have an awesome boat! Yeah, I know, it helps to have Danna, the most organized, detail person I know, with me. We have everything we could ever need, including most of our food, in 2 suitcases. All the Ziploc's are labeled and lined up in the pantry in alphabetic order. I feel so useless. If she didn't have me driving the boat, I would probably wilt away.

 

We grilled steaks on the deck tonight, looking at the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other. This is stupid beautiful, and the pictures we take do no justice to the prettiest place on the planet (according to everyone boater we talk to, who have been everywhere else on earth). I hope and pray that all of our friends get a chance to come here at least one time in their life. Ciao for now. I'll post new pics tomorrow night. God bless you all.



Well, it's Friday, May 30th and we are wrapping up work and getting ready to leave. Danna, as usual, has everything packed and ready to go. I, of course, have stuff to do. We will be gone for 10 days and at least my clothes are packed...3 swim trunks, 3 shirts, and 1 pair of lounging shorts for "after shower" time. Last year I brought twice as much and still wore just that. Each day we wake and put on swim gear because we spend the whole day in and out of the boat, the water and the islands. We typically get back to the marina and eat in the same clothes, then shower and go to bed. I know, I know, it's a viscous cycle, but after a few minutes, we get used to it. I can almost hear the wind off the Atlantic...or the waves lapping against the boat...or the pigs swimming...or the iguanas walking... Good grief, I don't know if I'll be able to do this again...LOL! Yeah, right. I'll have an update tomorrow and pics to post. Ciao for now.