Abacos again

Our first week back in the Abacos on Parrot Cay has been spent doing what we love here – snorkeling, relaxing and eating out at some of our favorite places like Captain Jack’s, the Abaco Inn and Pete’s Pub. We have enjoyed dinner at the Hopetown Lodge with Northport friends Nina and Bill, and their friends Rena and Mike from Charlotte; and made some new friends as we ventured out sailing on the authentic Bahamian sloop Abaco Rage (No pictures for this as we were too busy just holding on during this racing wild ride).

Hog Wild Days

While there are no frogs hopping across the landscape we find ourselves at Kermit’s airport lounge at the Exuma International airport arriving an hour and a half before departure by tour guide Jay’s, and admittedly the taxi driver’s predictions based on post music festival crowd departures, precise deadlines and now apparently faced with a one and a half hour delay (that would be in American departure standards but “on time” in Bahamaland lingo, like our 6:20 am flight the other day that had to wait 40 minutes for sunrise – thinking reschedule?). Our stay here has been wonderful and we look forward to returning on our, or someone else’s yacht , someday as there are more beautiful places to anchor here than anywhere else we have been. We enjoyed the most fantastic trip through the lower Exumas on Robert’s Adventures yesterday and thrilled to snorkeling Thunderball Grotto. Amazing with all the human presence abuse that there is even any corral left there at all. We also swam with sharks , watched swimming pigs, and walked the longest sand bar in this hemisphere (eat your heart out Johnny Depp –who does own a home here as does Nicholas Cage –where doesn’t he). We also stopped to see the indigenous iguanas.The day before we revised the movie “Wild Hogs” and rented scooters to go south to Little Exuma. This is only the second time in our 25 years together that Jay has been willing to Ride the wild machine. Good times rolled.

Exumas ahoy

We have arrived in the Exumas and staying at Regatta Point in Georgetown, a charming inn close to town but separated by a causeway for privacy. There’s a Heritage Music Festival in town that we hear each night, and last week a major sailing regatta from which many of the boats remain in this sailor’s paradise. After breakfast yesterday at Club Peace & Plenty we journeyed across Elizabeth Harbor to Stocking Island for some snorkeling at coral just yards off the beaches, and a conch stop at the Chat ‘n Chill. The Exumas are every bit as gorgeous as the Abacos to which we have often traveled with sand as white as that found on Treasure Island.

Beautiful coral strewn beaches and a yacht voyeurs paradise.

Nassau Honks

Our stay at the quaint Arawak Inn has been convenient for the jitneys into downtown Nassau for walking up the Queen’s steps to Fort Fincastle, strolling the straw market with hors d’oeuvres at Graycliff and a terrific salmon Panini at the British Colonial hotel. Afer a second delicious breakfast at the Cricket Club this morning it’s off to Paradise Island’s Atlantis resort. We’ve decided in addition to cricket , and for our friends who aren’t aware the World Cup of Cricket is taking place in 2011, the national pastime is honking car and truck horns. A number of different tones for different purposes, mostly to let you know it’s okay to walk across the street in front of them in the virtually constant stream of traffic

Leaving the snow behind in Traverse City we arrived safely to our friends home in Southport, NC. After launching yesterday Gary , Ann , Jay and I took a terrific daysail at the mouth of the Cape Fear river past Bald Head Island.

Only to be boarded for inspection by the Coast Guard on our return.