All things must pass

And so it was with our time at Compass Cay.




Our last day was a fine one though. We swam at Rachel's and I did the final tweaks to the internet then passed the torch on to Marcus.
A potluck was organized so we provided 3 slabs of Memphis style Baby back ribs that we have been hoarding . Everyone brought out their finest and it turned out to be a really good island style gourmet dinner. The ribs must have been a hit.. they didn't last long.

The next morning brought an early start so we rushed around saying our "See ya laters" and giving a few hugs too. We will miss them all, but a few of those folks... we will miss a lot. Wonderful examples of the human species.

We were sent a few pics of our departure by Ward who is onboard "Goodtimes"; a nice fellow from Bermuda. We hope to receive more pics of our friends Karin, Mano, and Tucker. We will post those when we do.





We truly loved our time at Compass. On so many levels, this is our favorite place in the world.

Till next time.

Adios,


Istaboa

Rachel's Bubble Bath

So on this day we took the dink over to Rachel's Bubble Bath. Radar really enjoyed the hike through the tidal stream called Rachel's Falls. Warm, shallow, and clear. He had a blast.

As you can see from the picture, Rachel's Bubble Bath only happens at high tide when the sea washes over the rocks and fills up a pool on the island side. If you're there at just right time you'll find it's natural effervescence is very cool.

Natural Born Hiker, A premier hiking web blog, had this to say about it.
Rachel’s Bubble Bath is the name given to one of the best swimming holes in the Caribbean, this deep, crystal clear, blue lagoon is the perfect destination for a spectacular hike.
Click here for the whole post and more pics>>> Rachel's


Then later back at the marina I got this pic of a couple of gulls. Not sure if they are fighting or flirting... or both.

We're having a bit of unstable weather which brings nice little tropical showers in between long periods of beautiful sunshine. This makes everything smell good and Istaboa has lost it's cover of salt and the stainless is shining again.
The winds are predicted to blow for a few more days so the marina is starting to fill up. Which means we will probably be here for a while longer.

We're lovin it.

Adios,


Istaboa

Radar's day at the beach

The winds have picked back up so no fishing but we can take the dink out and run along the lee side of the island to play on the beach. As you can see Radar loves the beach. The hot weather has been keeping him in the boat for a few days and we knew this would cheer him up.


He usually does some crazy stuff when he plays in the water. Always a funny pic or two will come out of a walk on the shore. This time was no different


Then we all walked over to Rachel's bubble bath where we were treated to a -rare- but nice little rain squall. Fresh Water... ahhhhh

Bahamian boat wash!

More about Rachel's later.

Adios,


Istaboa

Want to own an island?

Leaf Cay's harbor

Yesterday we and some friends took a runabout over to Sampson Cay for lunch. After lunch, Don from Bold Pursuit, said, "lets go look at some real estate". So we plotted a course for Leaf Cay.

Aerial view

It turns out our friend Don was seriously considering purchasing the island (for business reasons) and has had a tour before. We hailed the caretaker and he was kind enough to give us another walk through.
Leaf Cay is, at first glance, a beautiful little island but after further inspection it's much more.
The owner has spent millions of dollars to make this island a survivalist's dream.
I have copied an excerpt from an article that ABC news did in 2007.

Jack Halcomb bought the island in 1986 for $650,000 and said he has made $25 million worth of improvements to the property since he first moved in and ran his business sometimes from the Bahamas.

He sold electronic surveillance equipment to the military and law enforcement agencies, and initially ran the company in Florida before moving the business to his island. In 1992 he sold the company, Audio Intelligence Devices, to Westinghouse. Halcomb now lives on a Kentucky ranch and has a Florida business financing aircraft, and said it is now time to sell his piece of paradise.

"I'm 79 and I had trouble with skin cancer," Halcomb said. "The doctors ordered me to get out of the sun. … They said: get rid of the island or make funeral arrangements."

The owner has stocked the island with enough food to last a couple of years and the island's cisterns will hold 175,000 gallons of water. But there is so much more. It's worth your time to read the ABC article... Click here>>Leaf Cay

Here is another article out of the LA Times>>Leaf Cay 2

This island compound reminded me of the TV series, Lost... I kept looking around for the Dharma Project logo.

The internet has been spotty so we will be back when we can.

Till then...

Adios,

Istaboa

Lilly's view

A few days ago we walked up to Lilly's Villa. A great view of the marina and Pipe Creek.

Looking South to Pipe Creek

Looking west at the Marina

Internet is working very well right now, I am happy to say. Friends are bringing in some more wireless gear Sunday so maybe we can make the Wifi situation a bit better.

We are still not sure of future plans but sadly we realize we must be leaving soon. The rest is still an adventure though... and it will be nice to see friends in the states.

But for now...

Adios,

Istaboa

Walkabout again on Compass

Man the fish have been going crazy so we haven't done any blogging lately. We went early this morning and caught more than 20 fish in less than 2 hours; all between 20 to 30 lbs. I have never seen so many fish so frantic to bite bait.
The above pic is Mel and Gail. Gail is an old friend of Karen; she's from Taos, New Mexico and has flown in to visit for a few days. She, Mel, and I hiked the south end of the island.

Refrigerator Rock

Today as we were trolling for Mahi Mahi and the excitement had slowed a bit, Tucker said, "steer toward that calm stream". I didn't know what the hell he was talking about but he motioned to starboard so I went that way. Soon I saw what he meant. In the choppy seas was a calm spot. As we passed through this calm stream the fish started hitting like crazy. We had at least 2 at a time on and sometimes 3. There were 20 or so under the boat and they would hit if we were trolling or not.
Sometimes we would just jig the bait under the boat and they would strike it and run. Truly the wildest fishing trip yet.
Tucker explained that the calm spot was caused by current and held bait fish and that's what the Mahi Mahi were looking for.

Weathered rock

Years of wind and waves have eroded the terrain on the south side of the island in a peculiar way.
The fishing has been too frenzied to take any fishing pictures.
Not sure what tomorrow will bring but the weather is perfect which gives us plenty of options.

Till later.

Adios,

Istaboa

Fishing with the King

Tucker wanted to go fishing and asked if I wanted to go along. He didn't have to bend my arm.
We went out in front of Compass Cay where the depths go from 100' to 600' like falling off a cliff. We only fished for about an hour and half but caught 5 nice sized Mahi Mahi.



I think Melonie was surprised when we returned so quickly; then she saw what we had in the box.



What a great day it was. I really enjoyed fishing with Tucker and getting to know him better. He's an interesting man.
He told me the story of how he named Refrigerator Rock. (a big rock offshore of crescent beach)
He said that when he was a kid there was a restaurant on the island and his job was to supply it with fresh fish everyday. He laughed as he told me he never had to go further than that rock. That was his refrigerator. Tucker says the rock still holds plenty of fish and lobster today.
So while I cleaned the boat, Tucker cleaned the fish and we gave everyone on the docks some. Made a lot of folks happy. Fresh fish for all

Another memorable day amongst many.

Adios,

Istaboa

Compass Cay Characters

The evening drink and think.

Happy hour discussions are always interesting here on Compass. This day's group included our German friend Torsten and Giles from Corsica. Giles and his wife Martinique have been here for a few days. Giles doesn't speak English as well as Martinique so she translates. Our dry American humor does not always translates as we expect. Often we get odd looks until we explain; then we get big laughs at the absurdity. This day's pow wow was all about alcohol. Torsten likes Haitian rum and broke some out. Barbancourt is good stuff. Giles shared his Anisette which is similar to Absinthe; also good stuff.
Happy hours around here are never boring.

Crew of the Bahama Star

Our German Friends on Sandpiper

Captain Bruce of the Bahama Star

All very colorful characters we have had the good fortune of meeting and getting to know.
Bahama Star is a charter sailing boat. Bruce and Eric have crossed our path several times during our stay in the Exumas. Fun Guys.

More pics later when we find more net

Adios,


Istaboa

PS... Thanks to Mike from Panama City for the Smoked Chicken quarters. They were very much enjoyed and totally consumed here on Compass.

What is, is...

No restaurants... No problem.

Tonight we will have Whole Roasted Yellowtail snapper with herbs. Tucker pointed out an area I could go and catch fish without being blown away by the 30kt wind. I went out in the dink and a little while later we have just what we wanted. One 2lb Yellowtail... Just what the recipe called for.

The sharks love it when you clean fish.
They are like puppies.

If you spend time here on Compass Cay you soon learn that Paradise comes at a price. No, not money but the loss of things we take for granted back home instead . Restaurants, grocery stores, unlimited internet, and cell phones are not always available. Right now the wind is blowing and the seas are rough so we just hang out and exist. Which is not bad at all. You soon come to understand... What is, is. Before you know it, you prefer it that way.

Our favorite bar is the overhang next to the dock office. You couldn't find a more interesting bunch of characters if you tried. They come from all over the world. Everyone gathers there around 4:30 or 5 and we stick around until 6 or 7. Low key to say the least.
Sometimes it's our favorite restaurant too; if we decide to do some cooking and sharing. Tonight our favorite restaurant will be on Istaboa.
Our grocery store? about a quarter of a mile behind us on Exuma Bank.
Cheap too. A wad of conch guts on a hook and now we have dinner.

Cell phones come and go as does the internet.

Tucker finally allowed me to take a look at the wireless internet network and I managed to get it back up again. The Taycom techs back home in Memphis would be proud.
All the folks here on the island are ecstatic.

We walked around the eastern side's crescent beach yesterday and we saw a few things to come back and take pictures of when the light grows warm just before sunset.

So until later...

Adios,

Istaboa

Not much net

The Blue Hole on Long Island
This is world famous for free divers. It is 650 feet deep.

Staniel Cay Harbor from the the Thunderball side.

Our Friend Andy, on Maggie May, passed by as we were having lunch at Thunderball

Then later we were strafed by this guy. He and 5 other planes like this were terrorizing Pipe Creek.
They are Chinese training planes.

Rode over to Staniel and dropped Russ off to fly back to the states for biz.
We are at Compass again and ducking the wind which is blowin like hell. No internet in Paradise so we will be dark for a while.

Life is good.

Adios,

Istaboa