Back in the Exumas

Nassau was nice but busy and we are happy to be back in the Exumas. The weather is predicted to cooperate for a couple of days so the running around should be pleasant. After that a blow is expected so we will hunker down somewhere.

The above pic is, "Octopussy"; at one time the fastest Megayacht in the world. Top speed 53 knots!!
That's 60 MPH on a Yacht that is 143 feet long! I met the Captain and he told me they usually only run around 30 knots and only burn 500 to 600 gallons an hour.
Hmmm.... Istaboa usually burns 5 to 6 gallons an hour.

We are looking forward to seeing our friends at Compass and delivering their supplies. Compass is a magical place. If you can... you should Google Earth (Compass Cay, Bahamas) it is unbelievable.

Net for now but not for long.

Adios,


Istaboa

Nassau revisited

Once again we are in Nassau. Our problem has been fixed so we now have a guest head for all of our friends who may be interested in visiting.
We have found that contrary to popular belief, you can find about anything here. I had parts shipped in only to find out the servicer I used was a dealer and had them in stock. From clothes to gourmet groceries can be procured and the prices are not that bad... sometimes better than the states.


That's why this is a major re-provisioning stop for many of the large yachts like these.
We had seen the above sailboat at Little Pipe Cay during our harrowing dingy ride back from Sampson. She's a beauty. Well over 100' ; she has a crew of 6.

This boat stops at Compass often and is a major sucker-upper of internet bandwidth while there. Oh well... Net neutrality huh... We met the crew and they were nice young folks.



I just threw this picture in because... she's beautiful. Looks to be an old Trumpy restored but we're not sure. She was coming in to Higborne Cay Marina for the night.

So anyway..... Nassau has been fun again. We got hiking sandals for the many trails we found. We got wetsuits for snorkeling at Warderick Wells. (It's still a bit chilly) We are loaded up with supplies for the Compass Cay Crew. We now have two heads. (bet that sounds funny to you non-boater types) And... last but not least we bought some fancy Rum from the Bacardi store that supposedly you cannot buy in the USA. (Tried some last night and it's really good. (I'm thinking Cuban Cigars...))

Tomorrow's weather looks like a go... so.... We are heading south to pick up where we left off.

Be back when we find bandwidth.

Adios,


Istaboa

Back in Highborne with Exodus

So we left Compass and made the short run to Highborne.
All the crew at Compass gave us a shopping list of things to bring back. Everything from Tequila to Turkey.
When we got to Highborne our friends Arnie and Susan were already there and invited us over for cocktails.
We first met Susan and Arnie a few years back in Eleuthera; at anchor in the harbor at (the now and forever changed) Royal Island to be exact. Susan had instigated a dingy party for all the boaters in the harbor. She took her dink out in the middle and dropped anchor and everyone else dinked over with their drinks and goodies and rafted up to her. A good time was had.
We seem to be connected to these folks in a six degrees of separation sort of way... but I guess if you do this long enough all us cruisers are.
They are heading back to Royal Island and we are heading to Nassau so we said our "See ya laters". We are sure our paths will cross again.

So for now...

Adios,


Istaboa

Happy 15th Anniversary

We beat the odds and quite a few competitors also.
I'm proud to say we did it the right way.
Congratulations.

Food of the Gods

"Octopus in garlic sauce? Hmmm...", I thought as I stood in the isle at the grocery store in Nassau where I was looking for Sardines. "Could it be any good?"

It Was!! Now we are back in Nassau and I will pick up some more. This will definitely be added to my Foods of the Gods list.

Istaboa

Wow!! What a SportFish.

When things got quiet after everyone left Compass we saw this yacht pull up. She's looks to be about 110 feet and is a stunner.
As we were walking Radar late that afternoon we decided to wander over and take a closer look. They had a crew of 5 and they were all busy at either cleaning the days catch or cleaning the boat. They had some nice Wahoo.
The owners stepped out of the cabin to talk and were very friendly. They told us her name is Contigo and the boat was custom built in Seattle and shipped over here. They said they were from Nassau.
We later found out the people we were talking to are the Bacardi Family. Yep... The owners of Bacardi Rum. Nice down to earth folks.
You never know who you will meet on Compass Cay.

Adios

Istaboa

Killer Whales in the Gulf of Mexico?

Who new? Turns out they are there all the time.
Good article.
Orcas in the Gulf

Ahaa! We found a way.

To post pics.
These are pics of our dock friends (here at Compass) leaving for points south. Some really nice boats. Nice folks as well.

It's a quiet little island

Everyone has left and It's really quiet around here. But that's kinda nice. It has not made much difference with the internet though. Still no bandwidth. So no pics.

The wind has really picked up so we're glad we decided to stay tied up at the marina. Looks like a good day to read.

There may be a plan formulating... Maybe back to Highborne on Sunday then head back across to Nassau on Monday. Weather is looking that way.
After we finish our business in Nassau we will head back over here to what we hope is better weather. We really want to do some snorkeling and more hiking.

So that's all for now. Not much going on.

Maybe pics later.

Adios,

Istaboa

Jammin on Compass Cay

I can't believe it... I actually got out my old guitar and played and sang a bit last night. We had a little impromptu jam session at Happy Hour. The other fellow playing is Hal onboard Blue Gil. Hal is very good. It was fun and we didn't sound too bad at times. Everyone on the dock got a kick out of it. Even Tucker seemed to enjoy himself.

The wind has been blowing like hell here for a few days and Compass is nicely protected. So we have enjoyed our safe harbor here.

Yesterday we took the dink over to Sampson Cay via Pipe Creek. It was pretty rough crossing pass the inlet so after a nice lunch we decided to go back taking the safe and long route.
That was not a good idea. The winds had really picked up while we were on Sampson and we got the crap beat out of us. Then as we were trying to negotiate some short cuts our new little Garmin Chartplotter lost satellite signal.
If you're not familiar with these little Cays; they all look alike and can be a bit confusing. But we managed and arrived back to Istaboa safely but very wet.

A lot of the dock folks left today heading south. We have decided to make a quick run back to Nassau to pick up a part for the head system. But for now we are just going to kick back and enjoy the natural beauty and serenity of Compass Cay.

Adios,

Istaboa