We decided to go back to the Bahamas. This time we left our own boat at home in the frozen tundra of Long Island. We went on a bareboat charter with friends. We chartered a 47 ft. powercat from the Moorings in Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas. There was 11 of us, 6 adults and 5 kids. On Day 1 I was thinking that we needed a bigger boat! I was wondering that by the end of the trip would we all be friends or enemies? The weather was perfect all week, and we were able to do plenty of swimming and snorkeling. Last year when we were here for the month of February, it was always too windy and rough to do much swimming or snorkeling.
Day 1: We headed first to Guana Cay, home of the famous beach bar Nipper's. Our Dancing Queen, Lynne, put on quite a show. She clearly was the best dancer in the whole place. We had lot's of laughs. Too bad Al missed out because he wasn't feeling well.
Day 2: We then headed north for Green Turtle Cay. We had to go out into the Atlantic to go around Whale Cay. This can be a dangerous crossing in bad weather, but we were very fortunate that it was very calm and posed no threat. We made a lunch stop at No Name Cay and fed the family of pigs, and did some snorkeling. We stayed the night at the Green Turtle Club. I think this is our favorite place to stop. We were surprised that the dock master, Justin, remembered us from last year and asked about our dog, and was wondering were our own boat was.
Day 3: We headed south for Fowl Cay to do some snorkeling in the national park. We had to anchor the big boat on one side of the island, then take the dinghy around to the other side of the island for the best snorkeling of the whole trip. We took the dingy through a narrow cut between the rocks. It was like whitewater rafting and the dinghy was half filled with water. The reef there was beautiful and full of colorful fish. We then spent the night in Hopetown Inn and Marina. We climbed to the top of the lighthouse for an amazing view.
Day 4: We anchored by Tahiti Beach for swimming, snorkeling, and lunch. This was a beautiful spot. The beach gets much longer as the tide goes out. The snorkeling area here was filled with small conch.
We spent the night at SeaSpray Marina. We had dinner at the Abaco Inn which was beautiful and overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.
Day 5: We anchored at Matt Lowe Cay for swimming, snorkeling and lunch. We then went to Treasure Cay for their famous "Pizza Night". In the Bahamas you eat so much fresh fish, that you really start to crave pizza and tomato sauce. It's a big party because all the cruisers and locals come out for pizza. The crowd started dancing once the DJ came on. Once again Lynne was the best dancer on the floor. It's fun to see the other ladies give her dirty looks, because they can't keep up with her.
Day 6: We headed to Man O War Cay. This was the roughest and windiest day, so we couldn't stop for snorkeling. We headed right to Man O War Marina, and took a walk through the town and explored the shops for souvenirs. We had cocktails at the small marina pool, and had a delicious dinner at the Dock & Dine Restaurant. The next morning we could see a beautiful rainbow. This is the same spot we saw a rainbow last year.
Day 7: THE LAST DAY. We headed out early, because we had to turn the boat in by 10 AM. We made a straight run to Marsh Harbor. We fueled up at the fuel dock and were surprised by how little fuel we used all week.
We had a great trip, we all remained friends, and are looking forward to planning the next trip.
The Gang
