1-20-09: We're waiting out strong winds & high seas. Might be able to leave tomorrow (or Thursday depending on the sea state). We are thinking of going straight to Nassau rather than stop through the Berrys. Looks like our weather window might be big enough to get us all the way there (roughly 150 nm, about 25 hours at sea).

2-5-09: Planning to leave tomorrow for Norman's Cay. We took a dinghy ride to Leaf Cay today to check out the iguanas. As the guide books stated, we just stood on the beach and were quickly visited by around a dozen or so of the creatures. Quinn had fun, but he was much more interested in playing in the sand than the iguanas.

2-9-09: Went ashore today - left the dinghy at the dinghy dock at Highborne Cay Marina (no charge). With our WiFi booster, we can access their network from the anchorage, but they wouldn't give us the password to log on, even for a price. The marina grocery store had mostly canned goods and cleaning products along with some refrigerated items, all at a fabulous price. A 1.5 quart can of orange juice was over $5. We walked to the beach on the ocean side of the cay (maybe a 10 minute walk from the marina). It was the most beautiful sandy beach we'd ever seen... and nobody was there. Completely unspoiled. Within 15 minutes after we got back to Mirasol, a local fisherman stopped by the boat with fresh lobsters, so it will be fine dining tonight on the hook.

2-13-09: We were going to leave today to for Warderick Wells, but it's so beautiful at this anchorage and we hadn't really explored the island yet, although we did go ashore and have dinner at the Norman's Cay Beach Club last night. The club, by the way, consists of 3 guest cottages and a bar/restaurant - they had to go wake up the chef when we got there at around 5 to have dinner & watch the sunset. We tried "MacDuff's Cheeseburger in Paradise". It was indeed a great burger when you take into account that we were in the middle of nowhere. We did try the cracked conch, which we thought was really yummy. All in all, it was a pleasant night off the boat. And we didn't need to sail on Friday the 13th.

2-15-09: Got off the boat today to explore the island. We followed one of several trails that leads to the Exuma Sound side with fabulous views from cliffs over the beach.

2-20-09: Enjoying the Exuma Park, but after the cold front went through, it's a bit cold to snorkel. Jen had never snorkeled and gave it a try today anyway. Planning to leave tomorrow morning for Sampson Cay. We could easily spend two more weeks here at Warderick Wells, though. It's really beautiful and there are so many trails we have yet to hike and reefs yet to snorkel.

3-2-09: We'll check the weather again in the morning, but we're probably going to start heading south again tomorrow. Not sure now where we'll end up.

3-29-09: We're very much enjoying Warderick Wells again. It's so beautiful here. Our plans are to head to Nassau within the next few days to fuel up on the way to the Abacos. Currently, we are not planning to spend any time in Nassau, just long enough to fill the diesel tanks then we're off to cross the Northeast Channel overnight. There was a little excitement yesterday... our new neighbors here had some trouble picking up their mooring ball (strong tidal current and 15 knots of wind) and their dinghy (which they were towing) capsized and got sucked under the stern of their motor yacht. They cut it loose while they finished mooring and by that time it had been carried quite a distance from their boat. Seeing they could use a hand, Gregg dropped our dinghy and headed for theirs, which was still capsized. A couple other boats and 6 guys got it righted at towed to safety after about an hour.

4-5-09: We did find dockage, so we'll be waiting out the storm in Nassau. It's good for Quinn - we get to bring some treats on the boat he hasn't had in a LONG time, like strawberries & yogurt (2 of his favorites). Also, we'll probably be here until at least Thursday, so Jen will be able to take him to a story time again with a lot of other kids. He loved it last time. We'll also be able to provision here, get cash (which you can't get in the Exumas unless you take a cash advance on a credit card or make it to George Town, where they do have ATM's), and hopefully renew our cruising permit, which expires on Saturday, April 11th.

We are docked at Nassau Yacht Haven, which so far is OK. We are certainly in the working part of the harbour. The wakes from the other boats are brutal and last night (hopefully this was just a Saturday night thing), we were treated to very loud reggae and dance music well into the wee hours. We are docked directly across from the mail boats that deliver to the out-islands (see page header - Jen took this shot from the starboard side of Mirasol), which are all docked at Potter's Cay. We saw the Captain C frequently in the Exumas. BTW, Potter's Cay is basically an open air market - fish & produce. Plus it has stands selling food & drinks.

4-10-09: Planning to leave Nassau today. Finally. This last visit, while productive, has been less than pleasant. Glad to be moving on. We will leave the dock around 1100 or so, then head for a day anchorage so we can cross the Northeast Providence Channel overnight. That should put us in the Abacos by around 10 am tomorrow... or not.

4-15-09: We got into Hope Town around noon yesterday. It's really a beautiful area with lots of things to do. We have a clear view of the lighthouse, which is one of the few remaining manned lighthouses in the Bahamas. We all sat out in the cockpit last night and watched it and the light show provided by mother nature. Quite a storm went through and we had a few hours after dark to watch it approach with all the lightning. Today, we took Quinn on a tour of the lighthouse.

4-30-09: We're still anchored off Man-O-War Cay, but we plan to head out to Green Turtle Cay tomorrow morning.

5-5-09: For Jen's 40th birthday (May 4), Gregg decorated the saloon with balloons and a "Happy Birthday" banner, and of course, a 40th b-day novelty mug for prune juice. Fortunately, only one of the balloons has had to be rescued after going over side courtesy of Quinn. Tomorrow, we are planning to head back south a little to Treasure Cay. We decided we didn't want to sit at Green Turtle waiting for weather and it looks like there's lots to do at Treasure Cay, including getting the diesel tanks filled.