April 11 , 2004
Conception Island

Well! after the last entry, seems like there's a need to get things straight!

First of all, I did not emit ultrasound shrieks, I merely did a little dolphin-esque calling to lure the baby towards me.

Secondly, (I thought - turns out I'm wrong) there are only 2 places to buy liquor of any quantity in the Bahamas: Nassau and Georgetown, so I thought I would stock up for friends back home so they can all get a taste of the local rum: Fire-in-da-Hole. Plus, it was 15% off if you bought 3 bottles of more. My Scottish roots will not be denied.

Onto storytelling...To explain some of the pictures at right, you might want to know that we do not consort with pirates. That was our send-off party from Georgetown, and they got a little dressed up for the occasion. The rest of the photos are, in order after the Pirate: Maciek as usual at the tiller; various interesting rocks on Pigeon Cay (Tobi's trying to expand her photography subjects so you all don't get sick of blue on blue beach scapes); Tobi trailing behind Afterblue tied to a towrope (more on that later); Conception Island beach; Tobi hiking and then some more... beach.

Finally leaving Georgetown was a big day, unfortunately we picked the wrong day for wind. We couldn't go as far as we wanted, so had to settle for the night at a small cay that looked like a rock with some waves going over it. Since it didn't look likely to protect us from the swell we camped out for the night on yet another gorgeous beach. My personal highlight was climbing to the past of the island that faced the breakers and getting a shower from 3 different sides as the waves crashed over. It doesn't matter anymore HOW I get wet, as long as the desired state of all-over wetness is reached, I am a happy woman.

Wet, yes, wet was what I was all day on the way over to our next island. I had finally discovered the joys of towing. It was sheer delight being tugged along at 5 knots behind the AfterBlue, in water so clear I could still see 20 feet to the bottom, holding on for dear life to a few knots I had made in the line that were probably but not definitely secure.... Now Maciek has to struggle to not only keep me from going overboard when I'm hot from making dinner, but also when we're under full sail!

That day we reached Conception Island, an idyllic little place ridden with those inevitable beaches, cursed with numerous beautiful reefs and plagued with more up-close and personal sea life than we've never encountered before. There was the sea turtle Maciek actually swam with (and although he won't admit it, I'm sure he tried to talk to it too), and the eagle ray that I halfheartedly chased then backtracked from when it started swimming in my direction (if something that floated like a snowflake, was spotted like a silver leopard, had a head like a giant moth and a big long stinger for a tail was headed your way - wouldn't you run too?) and the spiny, armor-plated orange fish that we mistakenly ate for dinner. I wasn't surprised when I met some cruisers who had spent their whole season there the year before, it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever stepped foot on.

We tore ourselves away 3 days later, muttering under our breaths: "There's still to much to see, must get moving, still places to go..." Unfortunately for us, haste was a wasted effort, because the next day in San Salvadore there was some serious adverse weather (meaning small craft warning, some higher seas and a little rain - no worries!) and San Salvador had no protection from this westerly winds. So instead of being cozied up for a few more days on our new favorite island, we had to bunker down in a marina for a few days to wait out the weather. One of the vagaries of cruising: you can almost never predict when you're going to end up where you think you might be going, and even then you might as well wait because you will probably change your mind. I don't know how many times I have gotten a game plan, or at least a vague idea for what's in store for the next week, day or hour, only to have it completely reversed as Maciek either changes his mind or the wind changes its direction.

However, there's always a bright side: for me, free hot showers whenever I want and ice cream! (the first time in over 6 weeks) and for Maciek, he has time for his latest project. The air is full of dust as I write, the sander has been going full blast for the last 3 hours stripping some wood, and I have Q-tips in my ears like some alien creature trying to protect my delicate senses. Life is a blast.

Next stop: probably Rum Cay, maybe Long Island, then again maybe straight to Cuba. You never know where the wind will blow. Adios for now.

(T)