Sunday, March 9th, 2014 Last Day and Night in the Bahamas!

I woke up at 6:00 am thinking Circe was leaving their dock.  I couldn’t hear their engine but I thought I could feel some wave action against our boat.  So, I poked my head out of the companion way, and there weren’t anywhere in sight.   They slipped away without waking any of us!  I was hoping I cold be there to say bye one last time.  There plans were to leave at 5 am and get to Lake Worth approximately 10 hours later.  That would put them in the inlet by 3:00 pm….so they should be there already since it 3:45 now!

When I dressed and went out on the dock, I was surprised to see that all of the sailboats on the other side of our dock are gone!  The docks are empty.  One of those sailboats left with Billy and Eileen, and the others were either going across the Banks headed for the Abacos or going south toward Freeport..  The only sailboats are us, Whisper, Rising Sun and an Island Packet from Rockhall, Md, Ellen, Greg, and miniature Jack Russell, Gidget!  They are waiting for friends to show up today from Green Turtle Cay. 

Before breakfast, Chuck and I decide to walk out on the jetty to the ocean.  The Banks and the ocean near shore are so serene today.  I’m sure the Gulf Stream still has 5-6 footers because it takes a day or two to settle after the wather we had.  While out at the end of the jetty, we saw the Bahamian guy that catches and sells lobster and crab claws.  He swims the ocean aroudn the rocky shore with his wesuit on and floats a cooler behind him.  The coller is tethered to his body .  This guy catches there spiney lobsters with his bare hands!  He acutally is diving on the coral  or rock close to the jetty adn soon I see him swimming out half way between the jetty and the next cay.  Apparently he doesn't fear shark!  What a hard life!!  He seems happy to fine 4 lbosters which he sells for $20.  That's a good day for him.                                              

heliport

the local egret

After breakfast, Rita and I booked the van with Drexel, the driver,  for 12:30.  He was  a little late because he’s already in the Settlement picking up take-out orders for some of the employees.  While there, he told Indera that we are coming back (3^rd time) to eat lunch at her Coffee on the Bay.  We are hoping for conch

fritters today. The last 2 times, they didn't have any made….and none again today either….until Rita sticks her head through the server’s window and asks the 2 cooks if they’d make them for us.  I don’t know what it is, but Rita sure has a way with people and YES, they will make the fritters.  Yeah Rita!!  They are so cheap here…4 for $1….that’s $3 a dozen.   In the Abacos, the conch fritters go were anywhere between $10-$12 a dozen.  We asked for 16 and we got 32!  Yikes, if I knew that, I probably would not have ordered anything else. 

 While waiting, we watched a Bahamina guy pole his little crate-like boat out to his conch traps.  This is where they keep their conch alive until ready to eat.  I went out and talked to the guy about his boat and conch traps.  Some of the Bahamians are hard to understand!  Still waiting for food, another Bahamian came to shore with his boat and the fish that he caught this morning.  He started cleaning them at a fish cleaning table next to the road.  I went out  to see what kind of fish he had and they were all barracuda except for one rather large Spanish Mackerel.

Dave with a local

Once back to the marina and resort, we filled out our departure papers and walked around the marina to the Customs and Immigration office to drop  our papers in their box.   Chuck, Keith, and I, then went to the marina office square up our bill with them.  Keith was in and out quick.  When it was our turn, the guy couldn’t  find our papers.  Here, someone checked us out on Saturday morning which would be a 3 night stay…very interesting!  The young guy made the corrections and charged us for 2 more nights.  He gave us a break on the electric charge.  We used power for 2 nights and he said he’d only charge us for one.  That was nice of him.  It was so hot in the marina building that when we settled our bill, Chuck and I decided to go for our last swim in the Bahamas.  The pool felt cold but we swam there for awhile.  Then we went into the water at the beach.  It felt like bath water.  It had to be 85 degrees!!   Since we didn’t want our last day at the Old Bahama Bay Marina and Resort to end, we went back and lounged around the pool and read our books.  It’s great today.  With resetting the clocks last night, the sun Is going to shine until almost 7:30 pm. 

Off to bed in preparation for our 17 hour trip across the Atlantic and back to Fort Pierce, Florida.  It’s still looking to be a very nice crossing…..wish us fair winds and smooth seas…..