January 7-9, 2022 - Allan Cay

5:45am- Bread making day. After my stretching exercise, I mixed my bread to let it rise while we are on our way to Allan Cay. 

When it is pitch black out, you can see Nassau lighting up the sky from this anchorage. 

7:00am- Anchors are up and off we go to Allan’s Cay. 

We are heading to Northern Exumas. 

9:15am-  It is so nice to sit at the bow of the boat on this very calm day as we motor. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom. It is very deceptive since you can see rocks at the bottom along the way and hope they are deep enough. 10:00am-  Time to knead my bread for its last 3 hour rise. 

Steve takes the time to do stretching and breathing exercises on the bow of the boat. 

11:45am- We covered 29 miles and arrived at our destination. I forgot how beautiful it was here at Allan Cay. It didn’t take me long to put the kayak in the water. First thing is first. While the bread is baking in the oven,  Steve went to get diesel with the dinghy at Highbourne Marina. He made two trips. They request you to show them the Travel Health Visa and wear a mask to get service and to go in the store. The store had a sign posted “ You will be fined $200 if you do not wear a mask inside public areas”

After the bread came out of the oven, I went kayaking and went to see the iguanas. They were looking for food but I didn’t have any. It was so calm. 

3:00pm-  When Steve returned, he went for a swim and showered on the back of the boat.

I then followed him and swam one lap around the boat. I have to start slowly. 

Later Gunter and Sue followed us to the beach to feed the iguanas lettuce.  Some actually eat right out of your hands. 

Afterwards went for a sundowner on their boat. 

5:30pm- Wieners on a bun tonight for dinner followed by watching a series 

January 8, 2022

Woke up at 6:30am to do my stretching since my back was stiff from kayaking and swimming yesterday. I don’t think I will be swimming today since the winds are  approximately 15 knots and the current strong. 

7:30am-  Had our breakfast and relaxed until Steve noticed one of the nuts missing on the ladder. The ladder was down and the current is  strong. All the nuts where loose so he tightened them. 

10:30am-  We had to make water since we were running low and the water is so clear here. Our water maker makes 30 gallons an hour of R.O. water. 

We are so pleased it is working so good. We even fill up our jugs for drinking. 

1:00pm-  With the high winds, we decided to move our boat in a more secure area and not as close to the shorelines.

After we secured our anchor, a fisherman, who was anchored near us called Steve over.  He had a beautiful snapper for $40. Steve and Gunter went half and  Gunter came to the boat to fillet it. Looks like we will be having fish for a couple of nights. 

Sue and Gunter came over for an Hors D’oeuvres lunch.  

3:15pm-  When they left, we rested before our get together for the well anticipated fish dinner. 

5:30pm-  Gunter and Sue came back to the boat for dinner. Gunter brought ratatouille and I made mac&cheese to compliment the snapper fish. It was an excellent meal.  

The wind was just howling. As they were leaving at 7:30pm, you could really hear the wind whistling through the boat. 

Dishes done, watch a series and let the wind put us to sleep. 

January 9, 2022

1:00am-  It is just  blowing out there and I just keep thanking God that our anchor is holding. Everything is creeping and twisting. The boat is swaying side to side. I look out to look over Sun Spirit to ensure she is riding this wind along side of us. It always sounds worse than it probably is. Now a heavy rain is coming down which surely wash the salt off the boat. 

6:30am-  Holy Toledo!  I feel like I have been through a ringer. It is still windy but not like last night. Steve went out the boat to assess anything missing. All is good.  It is amazing how much that anchor holds. He was at investment. 

7:15am-  Had our breakfast. There are a few squalls coming through.  We ran the engine for about an hour to charge up the batteries and make hot water. 

After lunch, I had a well needed nap while Steve read. 

2:30pm- I enjoyed a cup of tea and then practiced my guitar  Steve is getting a lot of reading in. Good thing he brought books. 

3:30pm-  We made reservations for the Exuma Land and Sea Park for tomorrow so we brought up our dinghy in preparation to our 7am departure.  

Weird how one moment it is sunny and the next moment dark clouds. The minute there is a spec of rain, I rush down to shut all the windows and hatch if they are opened.  I like a dry boat. We purchased these wonderful rechargeable fans with light. You need air circulation if everything is closed up especially if you have the oven on. I have to cook one at a time because the oven is small and doesn’t allow for two tier cooking.

 5:00pm- I made pizza dough yesterday so today it will be homemade pizza for dinner. 

Interesting how people rent catamarans and stay on them for a week. No matter what the weather is, they have to make the most of it. 

6:00pm-  Listened to music while having coffee and dessert. The wind really died down. Much more comfortable. Hopefully, it continues tonight. 

6:30pm-  Steve is a happy man. Our friend Andrea let him know that the Bills were playing tonight and they were winning. He managed to listen to the game on satellite radio and they won the AFC and will be moving to the playoffs. 

8:00pm- Watched a movie before going to bed. 

Two years ago when we went to Land and Sea Park, there was hardly any connection to wifi or cell. If I don’t update my blog while we are there, it is because I will not have access to a cell tower.