Shroud Cay/Hawksbill Cay/Saving the Dinghies!

Shroud Cay:
     Its been a while since we posted because we have been in isolated anchorages without access to phone or internet services. I will try and fill in the missing links but can't possibly detail everything.
     Looking for a strong mooring because of the impending winds we quickly moved Betsy to the moorings at Shroud Cay, only an hours ride south of Highbourne Cay.  A pleasant ride found us in an idyllic setting with azure blue water, proud white sandy beaches and backed by a few minor scruffy looking hills.  I picked the biggest mooring ball, knowing that within 24 hours it might get rough.
                                                                               

                                                              Shroud Cay Mooring Ball

                                                                                   

                                                                                   

                                                                                     

                                                                     Clarity of the water




      The beaches and water invited us to explore so Huen, Linda and Lucky picked us up in their dinghy and to the shore we went. Spencer, Sophie and Lucky were in heaven, jumping around like little kids, chasing one another barking loudly, rolling in the sand, running from the undulating waves on the beach, finally free from the confines of the boat.
                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                         

     Sophie was a relentless pursuer of curly tailed ghekos and Spencer actually seemed to like being carried out into the water so he could swim back to "Mommy".  Sophie eventually joined in and repeatedly tried to race Spencer back to shore.  Rolling around in the sand to dry off they both got sand deep into their fur, up their nose and in their eyes.  For once they seemed to enjoy their rinse off and bath, back in the boat cockpit.
                                                                                       

                                                                             

     Before long other boats joined us.  Little did we realize that the loss of Highbourne Cay Marina would put pressure on anchoring and mooring places south.  By dusk there were a total of 21 boats anchored and all the mooring balls taken, one by a 115 foot yacht on a mooring ball meant for a 65 foot boat. A serene scene at sunset soon turned into a very tumultuous scene that night.  All of the boats survived but mal de mer was the order of the night on Betsy.
                                                                                 

    The next day was beautiful. A leisurely ride up a slow moving shallow stream that lead us across Shroud Cay to a beautiful beach on the Ocean side was posted for only 3 mph, but rudely interrupted by two screaming jet skis from one of the charter yachts. We put put putted over the tidal stream looking for wildlife of any sort, finally rewarded by seeing two brown and white logger head turtles.  Amazed by how fast they darted out of the way of our slow moving inflatable we continued on to see several long tailed sea birds floating overhead but only scrub brush and sand flats on the banks. Finally we could smell the fresh salt water and turned a bend to see the white caps churning on a purple ocean.   Walking the ankle deep sand beach I spotted a coarse rock trail that ascended steeply to a look out that revealed a 360 deg view of the entire island.  Scrambling up the cliff, Huen was wishing for a lift to get back down the hill but we all made it with only a minor amount of slipping and no butt sliding.

                                                                                     

                                                                                        

                                                                                        

                                                                                   

                                                                                     

                                                                                           

                                                                                       

    We were able to ply our way around to come back to our original anchorage via another connecting stream when we saw another dinghy full of guys coming from a different direction. It was actually an area Beth had explored on her paddle board but had to return for lack of water depth because the tide was low.

 Hawksbill Cay:

     The next day we untied and took a 14 mile cruise south to Hawksbill Cay. I guess I suck at picking calm spots to anchor or maybe it was just that the winds were up but we spent another rolly night.
                                                                                

                                                                                    

                                                                                         

                                                                                        

                                                                                     

                                           A tough climb to put the top rock on a Cairn

Warderick Wells:

    We moved on to the beautiful Warderick Wells, more snorkeling and one of the worst nights we ever spent at anchor thanks to the wind whipping up to a dish closet clearing 20 to 25 knots, according to Beth.  Ha! HA! I slept through most of it thanks to Antivert swallowed with a Cubra Libra.
                                                                             
                                                                    Boo Boo Hill
                                                     Panoramic Views of the Exumas     

                                                                                     

                                                                                      

                                           Monuments created by Cruisers that have visited the islands.

Legend has it that it is haunted by those that have gone aground on the reefs. Cruisers leave an offering to King Neptune to be blessed with fair winds and smooth seas. Lucky One and Betsy left their offering. We can use all the help we can get.

                                                                                          

                                                                                         

                                                                                      

                                                                                          
  
     Since we had launched Lil Betsy to take the dogs to shore the dinghy was tied up behind Betsy in the same direction as the swim platform.  When the winds whipped the rollers up to 4 feet the slop from the back of the boat quickly started to fill up the dinghy.  Futile efforts to use a water cannon, then a large bucket to prevent the dinghy from sinking were abandoned when Huen and Linda showed up to tow Lil Betsy to shore.
     Thus, the "Dingy Episode" began!
                                                                                     

     As we approached the rocky shore before the sandy beach, Huen's dingy spun a prop...ie NO Pushy from motor!  Linda and I each picked up our respective plastic oars and pulled into the 3 foot chop with all of our strength.  We inched forward managing to keep the inflatable dingy from being punctured by the jagged rocks. I can only guess that the fear of the situation and of course my unbelievable newly found upper body strength were the cause of my oar snapping off the dinghy. Reacting quickl, Linda jumped overboard into chest high water, caught the nose of the dinghy and the three of us hauled both of the dinghies to shore.
     "Now what!" I exclaimed after we pulled the bottom plug and emptied the sea out of Lil Betsy.
     "We will just use your dinghy to pull mine back to our boat where I can repair my prop." Huen said in a calm voice.
                                                                                     

     "I have only a 2.5 hp motor. Do you think it will pull the 3 of us and your dinghy? It only carries about a gallon of fuel and we used it some yesterday, I mumbled to  myself.
      Seeing the look on my face Huen responded like a comment out of the movie "Captain Ron",  "If she can't do it we'll just use the oars and ROW!"
     So we turned the ropes around, put Linda in Lil Betsy with me and Huen in his dingy. It was my turn to save him.  Putting Lil Betsy's nose into the waves, she tugged on to the rope and valiently strained her way across the frothy rolling waves, inching toward Lucky one.  Fortunately, their boat was on the other side of my boat.  Why fortunate?  As we inched our way across the front of Betsy's anchor line the motor on Lil Betsy burped once, and quit. Immediately the waves pushed us toward Betsy.
                                                                                 

     "Huen, grab the anchor line!" Linda and I screamed in unison while frantically waving our arms since we knew Huen couldn't hear a thing without his hearing aids.
      We threw Beth a line from Lil Betsy to pull us up to the swim platform then she ran and got what was left of the gasoline. Bouncing around we shloshed  fuel into the tiny tank on top of the motor. After  many attempts by all of us, Lil Betsy's motor kicked over and with an extra load of sea water in the dinghy we managed to get Huen, Linda and the dinghies back to their respective boats.
      When I got back to Betsy, Beth looked pale,was nauseated and headed for a beer and bed.  It was probably more stressful for her watching us flounder in the white water knowing that I am a poor swimmer than for us who were totally focused on the task at hand.
     "Enough with the excitement," I thought. "This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. However, as the unflappable Bob Bitchin of Lattitudes and Attitudes fame once stated. "The difference between an adventure and an ordeal is attitude!"  Ya! Ya!  Well I think I'm running out of attitude!
     The 3 foot rollers and 2 foot seas the next day seemed tame as we cruised toward Staniel Cay. Maybe in retrospect, Bob is right.  It's the tough times that make the less tough times, feel a whole lot easier.



    

Nassau to the Highborne Cay, Exumas

     Even though the weather prediction was mostly the same as when we left Chub Cay, there was one major difference.  The predicted waves were on our nose and the wind and swell would be in the same direction. Besides, Nassau Harbor is very Rocky-Rolly, being continuously stirred up by the large boat traffic, so we left. This time I was right.  The trip was a bit bumpy but there was minimal rolling of Betsy, so we could travel at a constant 10 knots across the water slowing only for the numerous coral heads on the yellow bank.
     The forward scanner alerted us of the coral that was just below the surface but for the most part you could see them from 25 yards away, looming just under the surface.  There was plenty of time to alter course and go around them but it required concentration and the usual bickering between Beth and me that has plagued this trip, increased.
                                                                         

                                          Coral Heads just below water surface at low tide.

                                                                                  

     Arriving at Highborn Cay we were surprised to learn that they were full and had no slip to rent us, so we altered course and anchored off a beautiful soft sand beach in Bahamian turquoise colored water.  Late arrival boats and a triple masted schooner added substance to a softly settling firey globe.
                                                                               

                                                       Highborne Cay Anchorage                                                     

 
                                                                               

                                                                                  
  
     Later some friends, we had met in Nassau from the sailboat Prima showed up in their dinghy.
 John and Kim helped us quaff down, joke and laugh our way through a bottle of French wine and some Coors.  Promising to meet up in the morning at the marina we watched them disappear into the dark in their dinghy.
                                                                     

                                Linda and Huen bringing Lucky back from shore potty break.

                                                                         

                                                                                  

                                                                   
                                                                                 

     We were assigned a slip the next morning only to find out that we could only stay for a couple of days because the entire island was rented to someone who was having a birthday party and was putting on a concert. This was bad news for us because the weather was reportedly about to change to winds pushing 25 knots and 4 to 6 foot seas.  We have got to find shelter!
                                                                 

                                             Very large yachts at Highborne Cay Marina


                                                                                 

     Unfettered, Beth and Linda used the free bicycles to go to a nearby Beach and do some snorkeling  and shelling.
                                         (snorkling video to follow when better internet)

     Waiting patiently for one of the three marinas in this area to return my call, I decided to find a mooring or anchorage that is well protected.  The Exuma Land and Sea Park starts with Shroud Cay and there are moorings on the east side (the high winds will be coming from the north and west) so we will try to snag a mooring just in case we don't hear back from the marinas.
     The Megayachts have started to arrive at this marina.  I don't know who this gig is for but obviously they are throwing a BIG party because they have started construction on a large stage over where the sailboat Prima is anchored. Prima thought they would find a protected anchorage then return to see "What's going on!"  Ah! the decisions one has to make being retired in the Bahamas.
     Technically, the boat is running smooth but distracted, I inadvertently tightened up the chain on the winch too far and will have to free it before leaving the dock. Once done we will be leaving for the moorings on Shroud Cay today. 

    

Chub Cay to Nassau

                                                                                

                  Leaving Private Island Chub Cay....Freighter stocking Island with supplies

     The day dawned with a rapidly rising sun, no clouds and little breeze in Chub Cay. I checked the windy app and Sirius which both predicted 1 to 2 foot seas and little wind out of the North.  Blah! Blah! Blah!...this lasted for less than a mile out of the marina.   At first it was just a chop with some mild beam sea that I thought would settle down as we headed west and the wind was supposed to settle in at 10 knots......IT DIDN'T!
     Lucky One called and confirmed that it was pretty lumpy even a mile closer to the shore, so I decided maybe the rolling would improve if we ran on top and increased the speed to 16 knots. It worked for a short time but the rolls coming in from the north still struck us on the front port quarter and we rolled and bucked and rolled to the point that Beth had to make a hole with the couch cushions and keep her hand on top of Sophie so she wouldn't bounce out!  Spencer sat next to me in the helm chair glaring at me until he got sea sick and tried to get down to go back with Beth.
     "Ralph, can't you do something about this! The TV is going to break off of the wall!" yelled Beth.
     "The only thing I can do is slow down. No matter which direction I head there is no better ride. If I slow down we will just be longer in this mess and we are only half way across! Huckins says this boat will take a hell of a lot more than we can." I hollered back We were about to test their confidence. Beth bungy corded the TV to the rail as we flew forward.
     Three hours later we pushed well into Nassau Harbor to finally get out of the unforgiving waves.  Exhausted we stopped at the fuel dock and with a lot of help from Kevin, the dock master at Harbor Central Marina, got locked in to our slip.
                                                                           

                                                       Coming into Nassau Harbor
                                                                                
                                                                                      

Even the big boys run aground. Just took on 5000 gallons of fuel and could not make it back over sand bar

      Waiting patiently, we thought Lucky One may not make it or maybe turned around but within an hour of landing the radio cracked to life with Linda requesting the dock master to allow them to go directly to their slip.  Whew! Relief!
      With the mechanical issues they have developed ,they just keep rising above the challenge and push through.  Damn, that Huen is resilient and a master at  coming up with solutions. I believe I will nick name him McGyver!
                                                                                   

                                           They have very large apples at the Nassau Market 
                                 
                                                                                           

      
 

      Beth insisted I put on my best clothes to have dinner on Lucky One. We were dining there prior to our planned visit to the famous Atlantis Casino.  Huen had prepared a pot roast, whipped mash potatoes with gravy and peas.  The aroma had us salivating before we got settled into the seats.  A tall glass of wine did me in!  No I can drink more than a glass of wine but reaching for a second helping of peas (otherwise poor Lucky, the dog has to eat them), I tipped the wine glass and according to Beth "ruined my clothes!"
                                                                                  

                                                            Atlantis, Paradise Island
                                                                                 

            Atlantis, Paradise Island across from the Harbour Central Marina we stayed at.
                                               
                                                                                       

                                                               Pot of Gold over Atlantis
                                                                                   

     "Settle down. Nobody died!" I responded.
     A quick change into more comfortable clothes and we were off.  Casinos are not our thing but it was fun watching Huen win money on Black Jack and Linda winning money on computerized Roulette.
     For Beth the highlight of the evening was the parade by the Junkadoo band.  A colorful display of traditional Bahamian music using goat skinned oil barrels, cow bells, whistles and horns (tuba/trumpet/and trombones). Fast paced with wildly costumed dancers leading the pack, Beth laughed, clapped, and danced right along with them.

                                                                               Junkadoo      


     We finished up with some Ben and Jerry's ice cream then a viewing of the aquarium with its huge Manta Rays. This is the first time I have seen one of these magnificent Rays.  We got lucky as well. Clapping caused Beth to lose one of the charms from her bracelet and even with all the people tramping around Beth found it undamaged!
                                                                             

                                                                Atlantis, Paradise Island

         Huen is persistent and is continuing on "Even if I have to go on one motor!" he insisted.
     We are waiting for the next weather window while Huen cleans his engine room once again.
    

    
    

Chub Cay and water spouts

      Lucky One was on the move a half hour before we lifted anchor.  This was going to be a long day for them, 75 miles at roughly 10 miles/hour.  Apparently, at this speed his engine doesn't lose hardly any oil.
                                                                                       

                 Leaving Honey Moon Harbour......cloudy but going to clear and be a nice day. 


      We on the other hand, can travel faster but decided to stay within a couple of miles and enjoy the cruise across the Bahamas Bank.   It was absolutely gorgeous. No sea swell, small less than one foot waves that settled down to no waves.  The blue water became crystal clear appearing almost as though we were looking through an ephemeral gas, easily able to view the star fish and flora 20 feet down.
                                                                                 

                                                                                   

     Spencer slept soundly in the helm chair beside me while Sophie nestled up to Beth on the couch in the galley.  It was calm enough that Beth finished her trashy Nora Roberts love story and took the helm, while I nestled up to Sophie for a 20 minute dog nap.  This reminded me of the dreamy days we had on Doc's Holiday, but of course it wasn't to last.
     The VHF radio cracked to life with Linda calmly asking, "Betsy do you see the water spout off your port side?"
      I looked behind me on the port side just in time to see a water spout about a mile away.  Huen, later described it well. He said, " A white funnel cloud seemed to suck up the water into the overhead cloud.  It swelled and turned black and then it started to rain."

                                                                                  

     Spencer picked up his head when he heard the fat rain drops start to hit the windshield.....I immediately picked up the boat speed to 16 knots and "got out of town!"  Sorry, Lucky One but we had enough of that crap on our trip with Doc's Holiday to Maine, when our boat couldn't out run one....It turned our boat around! (see 2012 Delaware Bay) Fortunately, Lucky One stayed ahead of the storm and had the same calm trip that we had all the way to Chub Cay.
                                                                               

                                        Tucked in safe and sound Chub Cay Marina and Resort

                                                                                   

                                                                                    

                                                                                    

 


      We were about 2 hours ahead of them but they called us when they were only 4 miles out.  It seemed to take them forever to come into the marina because, they were told on the VHF in no uncertain terms:"Please exit the marina immediately! You are pumping oil out of the port side of the boat. DO NOT ENTER!"  This was not an easy task since an afternoon storm had increase the winds to 20 knots.  They shut down their bilge pumps and let the marina know they had secured the oil and were allowed to come in and take the slip beside "Betsy".
      Huen had checked the engine room two hours prior to arrival and everything was fine.  "Something let go!." he said.  Linda commented, " He came up out of the engine room with oil splattered on his face!"
       He was told not to wash the streaming oil off into the water, so he launched his dingy and wiped the oil off with rags.  His plan is to keep adding oil and reassess  when we get to Nassau where he may be able to effect repairs.
       The marina's attention to Lucky One was soon diverted to an even bigger problem.  One of the fishing boats was pumping out voluminous amounts of diesel fuel!
        Chub Cay is a resort fishing village.  The girls decided they wanted a fancy night out dining so we made reservations for 8:30. Evening wear was in order.  Linda appeared in a sexy little black evening dress and Beth in a coquettish  white open shouldered summer dress.  Dinner was superb with fresh Mahi and a bottle of red wine. The boats radiated blue, red, green,and purple lights that punctuated the darkness and infused a sultry end to our fine dining.

                                                                               

 
        Tomorrow we plan to head the 37 miles across the "Tongue of the Ocean" to Nassau.  The question in my mind is...."Will Lucky One make it?"


   

Honey Moon Harbour

     We were anxious to leave Bimini to see the wreck "The Sapona" which has become a coral and fish reef.  The plan was to snorkel around it, then cruise on down to Honeymoon Harbor to anchor for the night and thus stage our departure for 75 mile trip across the Bahamas Bank to Chub Cay.
                                                                                 

                                                                  Leaving Bimini 


     Lucky One left before us and by the time we got there Linda, Huen and Lucky were beside the Sapona and getting ready to enter the water. The currents around the wreck seemed moderate but  were obviously too strong for a poor swimmer, like me and Beth still coughing from her upper respiratory infection couldn't snorkel, so we watched.
                                                                             

                                                 "The Sapona" (Linda, Huen and Lucky in dingy).

    Linda being the adventurous soul that she is, put on her full face mask snorkel and dropped off the side of the dingy to swim toward the rusting wreck.....excited, 70 lb Lucky jumped in on top of her! Yes, we thought she was going to drown but she and Huen managed to pull him back on the dingy. She did get to go over and view the wreck and told us about the beautiful colored fish swimming around and in and out of the holes in the wreck.

                                                                                
     The locals run snorkel tours to this spot and have a much safer way of getting people in the water. They put a bow and stern anchor out so that people can hold on to a solid line while viewing or getting back to the swim platform to re-board.
                                                                                 

   
 A leisurely ride got us into Honeymoon Harbour.  This is an idyllic spot on Gun Cay which is protected from a south and east wind by low bars that are visible at low tide.  We anchored in beautiful shades of blue water and white sand.  A cool breeze kept the temperature comfortable even after soaking in the buoyant clear salt water.
                                                                                 

   
      Serene setting, warm sun, cool breeze , easily floating on the top water I felt relaxed....when Beth calmly said,  "Ralph, look around you in the water."  I thought she was directing my attention to another star fish or coral head.....but no....I saw several triangular dark objects floating toward me.  They were about one to two feet across... and then I saw it.....it was huge! ... black in color, triangular shaped and at least 4 to 5 feet across...and racing directly toward me!  Crap! It was the biggest sting ray I had ever see....and it looked hungry.....It is possible for a guy to turn blue water white and guess what....this made all the stingrays come faster.  It turns out that this area has been a popular place for many years to come and feed the stingrays.  We watched as children on the shore slapped the water to get the rays attention, than feed them fish.

                                                                               

   
    I'm two for two in picking rolls spots to anchor.   Even though this is a fairly well protected anchorage from the winds, the flood tide caused the water to curl around through the entrance  and roll us from beam to beam all night long.  There was a 100 foot motor yacht anchored directly in the path that had to move because of the rolling.                                                                           
     Spencer, Sophie and Lucky enjoyed chasing each other on the beach.  I think Sophie has a crush on Lucky from the way she teases him and maybe Spencer is just a little bit jealous, but they all seemed to have fun .
    Beth blew up her new paddle board and is trying to get enough balance to stand up on it.  "No problem. Let me try it", I joked as I kneeled on the board and paddled out to a little deeper water.
    Immediately, my audience saw me splash awkwardly into the water when I attempted to stand...cruel little brats! Linda didn't last much longer.

                                                                           

   

Cat Cay to Bimini

     We left Dania Beach Marina at daylight and slowly made our way out the shipping channel (Port Everglades) at Fort Lauderdale.  Rocky -rolly with all the fishing boats, cruisers and Cruise Liners leaving but once we cleared the entrance marker, not too bad.  There were swells coming from the north and a 10 knot wind on our nose but the Betsy handled it well enough to push the speed up to 16 knots and though somewhat choppy, even Spencer and Sophie settled in and seemed to enjoy the fresh breeze coming through the open side doors.
                                                                                 

     Two and a half hours into the crossing I looked down at the helm gauges and watched the pressure on my starboard transmission jump up to over 350 psi, jump around and stay high (occasionally locked hard over!) The port transmission was running at 250psi.  Crap....I immediately cut back the throttles to run at 9 knots with minimal change in the transmission pressures.  So!.....down in the engine room I go, while Beth took the helm....little did she know she would be at the helm for much more than "just a minute".  I could see nothing amiss and the infrared temperature gun read 134 degrees on both transmissions. Needless to say I was worried about blowing a transmission hose or seals in the transmission, so we shut down the stbd motor and ran on one engine until we could get some place where we could work on the problem.
     Nauseated and dizzy from rolling around in the engine room and trying to get our navigation system functioning so that Beth could avoid the container ships traveling across in front of us in the shipping lane, I had to lie down.  Waves of dizziness and nausea swept over my profusely sweating face as Sophie tried to help by licking my cheek.  When the nausea started to pass I would go back up to the helm to help a very nervous Admiral.
      Running on one engine caused us to be out in the gulf stream an hour longer but we made it into Cat Cay, tied up at the fuel dock, gathered all the paperwork Beth had painstakingly prepared and rode in a golf cart with the Dock Master to the Customs and Immigration to get cleared in.  $440.00 lighter  including cruising/fishing permit and "tips", ( but still nauseated) we anchored out just west of the flight path for the air landing field and waited for "Lucky One" to clear and anchor nearby.
                                                                           

                                                                                  

                                                                               

                                               Quarantine Flag until we clear customs



                                                                                 

                                                                    Bahamas Flag  
                                                                                         

                                                            Anchored off Cat Cay
                                                                                  

                                            Captain Ralph in the water with starfish.                                                                             
          

   




     They had mechanical problems as well with water and oil leaks from the starboard engine.  Huen has attempted repairs on these and had two different mechanics assure him "Everything fixed" but it appears he is going to have to tackle the repairs himself.  Nevertheless, he and Linda seem to be in good spirits and accepting of their issues.
     The wind came up from the east and all the anchored boats banged, bounced, rolled and hobby-horsed all night long.  I was so dizzy in the morning I had to hang on to tables, counter tops, hand holds just to move from the stateroom to the couch.....and the boat wasn't even moving...UGH! 
                                                                                 

  

     We hauled anchor in the morning and headed to the closest port where we might be able to fix our mechanical problems... Bimini.  As we came back out the Gun Cay pass, there sat several yachts and sail boats slowly bobbing on the lee side (down wind side ) of the island.  Crap!...first Bahamas lesson learned.  For a comfortable night at anchor, get on the downwind side of an island.
     The cruise up to Bimini was only about 10 miles but our transmission pressures didn't improve, so we retained a slip at Blue Water Marina for a much needed rest and recovery from sea sickness.
     Bimini is a beautiful island from the water side.  Calm turquoise water, brightly painted boats and white sand.  You sink up to your ankles in the soft sand on the Florida side beach and it is scattered with different colored conch shells.  The shallow water slowly swept in and out, but a surge surprised all of us, soaking our shorts and drowning Huen's shoes with wet sand.  I couldn't contain my laughter when I saw the surprised look on his face.  Unperturbed, he slogged his way down the beach and back to the boat without a whimper.
     The girls gleefully picked up conch shells, discarding one when they found a bigger or better colored one. They finally settled on the one they were going to keep and we headed back to the boat.
      The Island folk are polite and friendly and the marina is tidy, has clean bathrooms and is a bargain at $1.00/foot. They charge .75 cents/ gallon for water and 7.5%  VAT but all in all it is a comparable price to what we paid in Dania Beach.  The rest of the town though, is dirty, dilapidated, and obviously not well respected by its inhabitants.  There are no side walks along the very narrow streets down which golf carts careen , the drivers concentrating more on their cell phones than on the traffic. The street is littered with plastic cup, straws, paper and garbage.  Malodorous fumes waft from the garbage that is piled up on street corners and littered between buildings.
     Remnants of a more glorious past exist in the burnt buildings (Hemingway's) and the boarded up hotels and enclaves that line the beaches, but I suspect those times will not return until the island folk clean up their act and show some pride in their island.
     I remember when this happened in Antigua.  From my childhood, I can remember that Antigua was the  winter vacation destination for my Canadian relatives.  When the Antiguans began to resent the tourists, treating them with disrespect and having riots, the tourists stopped coming. The Island folks suffered greatly with a depressed economy.   Beth and I visited there several years ago and things had changed. We were welcomed with open arms. The Island was clean, tidy and reasonably priced.  We will go back there.  We will be unlikely to return to Bimini for anything other than a "waiting for good weather stopover."
   A call to Justin at Huckins Yacht in Jacksonville led us to the solution of our transmission worries.  He suggested we get a mechanical gauge to measure the pressures directly at the transmissions....VOILA!  The readings for the pressures were right where they should be.  The electrical gauges were incorrect!  Now I know the 250 psi rating is actually 325 psi.  Cleaning up the electrical connections solved the high pressure reading.
    We will be leaving Blue Water marina today to snorkel the wreck Sapona and later anchor out at Honeymoon Harbor ( maybe relive our honeymoon...if I don't get sea sick!!) Tomorrow, its on across the Bahamas Bank to Chub Cay in the Berry Islands.