One Particular Harbour!!

   We have finished up the laundry, defrosted the ice maker and refrigerator, went to town to make a trash run, and got provisions for a 2 week journey. We also bought a Conch Cookbook to keep on the Pearl.
   We came back to the boat and relaxed for a little while and then took the Dink for one last exploration in Elizabeth Harbour! We went to the other side of Stocking Island. Chewdog got to do her dancing on the beach! Boy is she gonna miss that when we get home!! I can't understand why they won't let dogs on the beach....they pretty much let them anywhere else!!! Not fair...
     We had blackened Mahai Mahai for dinner.  Now we are listening to SIRRIUS radio....classic vinyl and watching the sun set having a drink.  Not a bad way to spend our last evening in Elizabeth Harbour!
  We have spent about a month here and it has been magical! We have never gotten board! There is always something to do and best of all there is always something new around every corner (island)!
 We have had some major engine set backs that have put us down for a little while and the people George Town has been a wonderful help to us!
  We will miss Sue on the S/V Wind Dancer doing the Cruiser's Net every morning at 8 am to give us our weather/wind  report and to see if anyone needs a help in the harbour. ...we have received help and given help. It is very comforting to know there are other cruisers out there that are willing to go that extra mile for ya!!
I like  watching boats come and go...I like looking at all the different names people have thought up to name their boats. My favorite so far is a Catamaran named Lost Cat...please don't help.
 Tomorrow  we will be heading to Little Farmers which is about a 5 to 6 hour run.
We have not been there yet......let the adventurers continue!!!

Chewy doing her Snoopy Happy Dance!

The Captain Relaxing!

Other side of Stocking Island

Saying Goodbye

It was hard saying goodbye this morning and has been a long quiet day. Phil worked on finishing up cleaning the bottom of the boat and the dogs and I have been moping!
We did have the people in the sailboat next to come over for a visit.  Nice couple...have been cruising the carribean for about 2 years! They said they can hear our conch horn every night. They have been trying to conch back but their horn isn't working right.
  The thought as of right now is.... go to town tomorrow for provisions and then maybe start our journey home on Wednesday.  :( We will see!!

 Waiting to hear from the boys and how their trip home was.

Phil and his cleaning tools!

Getting ready to start cleaning

Last Day with Family

At Chat n Chill everyone hangs t shirts up with names and sayings on them... so we had to do it!!! Jaden gave up one of his Bent shirts and we all signed it! Kirk found a great place to hang it.

We left our mark at Chat n Chill

We made our way back to the Blue Hole and then beached it for awhile at a beautiful beach . We found a big starfish in the flats....1st one we have found in the harbour!

Footprints in the sand. ..Jaden's and Chewdog's

Back at the boat the boys all pitched in and helped Phil clean the bottom of the Pearl which was well overdue!! Phil anchored right over a coral reef so while the boys were snorkeling to clean the bottom they also kept an eye on the reef. Jaden found another big starfish! The calmer the water got the more visible the reef got! We all snorkeled and swam around the boat. Later that afternoon the boys went fishing of course.

Calm water!!

It was a warm evening...not a breeze at all. We all ended up eating inside with the air on!!
 We couldn't let them go home without one more last late night fiasco. ...at midnight Kirk and Jason heard a bad noise and woke Phil up. He jumps up (in his whitey tightys of course) and tries to get into the engine room, but Jaden had the front hatch shut! Half asleep it took Kirk and Phil together to stumble through trying  figure out how to open it! The half of a 220 volt breaker had trip and the AC salt water intake shut off. It took the Captain about 20 minutes to figure it out! There is always something on a boat to figure out and fix...just wish it wouldn't happen in the middle of the night so often!

  I'm gonna miss the boys!!!

Exploring the Atlantic Ocean!!

The winds have laid down and the Atlantic side is super calm so off we went!! We moved the boat to Man of War Cay. I love that island! So remote and has such a beautiful view of the harbour! We explored the fort and Jason found his way to the old cabin! We collected flat rocks and made an island monument in honor of Mom.   Then to Pigeon Cay in the Atlantic Ocean.  1st time we have been able to anchor on the Atlantic side!!!! The water is so crystal clear! We spent the day swimming and snorkeling then on back to the old anchorage at Sand Dollar Beach.  It was a wonderful day trip.
  Phil made us cracked conch for dinner and I made conch salad.  There was another beautiful sunset. There has been 3 magnificent sunsets in a row!!! Mom must be a happy angel!!!

I love this island....

Island exploring

Jason looking for sea glass

Our monument to Mom

Jaden fishing at sunset

3rd gorgeous sunset in a row

Fun in the Sun

Wednesday we snorkeled the reefs and found more conch. Phil saw a boat with some local guys hand lining and asked them if they would clean our conchs. It took them about 5 minutes!! The boys fished off the boat in the evening. ...which they have done almost every night!

We had a town day on Thursday.  Phil had to pick up the 2nd set of alternators from Reggie's. He had to go in at 9:30am and then again at 4:30. We made about 5 trips into town in 1 day!! Ate lunch at Da New Eddies and hit the Straw Market.

  Friday we hit the trails while Phil worked in the engine room putting in the new alternators.  We almost got to Monument Hill...but we pooped out and only got to the 2nd hill! It was a beautiful walk across the island to the Atlantic Ocean.

When we got back to the boat Phil told us he needed to find a welder. Seems the other side of the bracket for the alternator broke....so off to Rolle Town he, Jason and Jaden went.  This whole alternators thing has been going on since the beginning of the trip!!! With mission accomplished Phil finished all the rewiring and putting on the new alternators at around 5pm ...then it was test time!!
He started the engines and the alternators started charging the batteries!!!! After almost a month of having to run the generator to charge the batteries we are finally back to normal!!
YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!

Thunderstorms...Wind...and anchor alarms going off!

We got the cave exploring in before the lightning and thunder started. Jason had a huge moth land right on his nose between his eyes!! So funny! We had moved the Pearl to the other set of reefs but before we knew it the wind got so bad we started dragging anchor. It also pulled the cleat right off the dive platform of the Pearl where we had the Dink tied up!! So we had to nix the reef snorkeling for the day and take the Pearl back to Sand Dollar Beach.  It rained pretty much the rest of the day.....but that didn't stop the boys from fishing. Jason caught one huge Marget....Jaden caught another spinner shark( I got a video this time!) and Jaden also caught a good size Barracuda! We had an awesome fish fry for dinner. (We didn't eat the shark or barracuda!) We let them go.
   It rained all night with a beautiful show of lightning all around us. There is something to be said about watching a thunderstorm roll by on a boat....Not only do you see it, but you feel it too. The thunder vibrates the boat.... And the waves rock you to sleep. So peaceful.
   Then you are awaken (by Kirk)  in the middle of the night because the the anchor alarm is going off...Phil actually jumped straight up out of bed. That's not a good noise on a boat! We figured out Phil had put the distance too short...we were not dragging after all thank goodness!
  And of course Jason and Jaden slept through the whole thing!

The boys exploring the caves

Jason helping Phil fix the anchor cleats on the swim platform

One big Marget

Phil helping Jaden with the spinner shark

Jaden's barracuda!!

A New Adventure!

We moved the Pearl to a new place for  a day of snorkeling. ...Conch Cay.  We snorkeled two reefs.  Phil

found a Slipper Lobster! That is one wierd looking creature!!
Chewdog alerted us to a dolphin that came to the boat to ride our bow...she's always on the look out!!
  The boys set up the blowup bed on the upper deck to sleep. It was a beautiful night and even got a little cold.  Kirk and I were laughing all night long at Phil, Jason, and Jaden. There hasn't been any rain for 3 or 4 days....but wouldn't you know it at about 5 am it started to rain! We were all up in a flash! Closing things and shoving the bed up under the isenglass.

The alien of the sea!

The reefs were beautiful!

Wonder what he's thinking. ..

Dolphin hunt!

Buds!!!!

Kirk taking a siesta!