What happened to Guana Cay?

We anchored off Guana Cay yesterday and thought it was kind of funny that we were the only boats there. Later three other anchored but that was all. It was difficult to find the sandy spots to anchor but then it became obvious that there is little anchoring going on here now. We later found a good reason why. That new marina in Bakers Bay above us had a lot of of small boat but big wake traffic and it really made the anchorage uncomfortable.

Today we went to the settlement and what a disappointment. There were 3 boats in the Orchid Bay marina there and 2 on moorings. We went in around 10am and there was no foot traffic -- just an occasional golf cart. We went up to Nippers and the ocean beach and nada -- Nippers was open but no one there.

The shops in town were either closed today or permanently. That great cafe bakery was boarded up. Several other buildings were boarded up. It was just dead!! The old harbour grocery is in a new building but still quite small.

I can't believe the millions of dollars of development that went on here and especially around Bakers BAy but the ol Guana Cay business area is just dead now. Hell all these places to live now and no one here. How depressing.


We couldn't take it anymore so before lunch we packed up and headed to Treasure Cay just 2 hours away. It still was like the ol days -- at least the harbour -- but more condos than you can shake a stick at. What insanity.

The only grocery store is still the same but little traffic.. Where do these folks get their groceries or is there no influx of people to match all the new housing?

Unbelievable. The grocery prices are higher here but just under Green Turtle Cay prices. The liquor store is cheaper but that is all. It is quite quiet here in the mooring/anchorage field here tonight. Ohh Skat, Bubbles and us are all anchored tonight.

The beach here is one of the 10 best in the world and tomorrow we will invade it and maybe play some Bocci Ball.

Merry Christmas and moving on again

Merry Christmas to all.

We had a very nice Christmas day yesterday. Karen was able to contact all our children on Iphone Face Time and we had a nice visit. Matt did the turkey and they all gathered at our house of which Matt is the proprietor for now and doing a great job of keeping it all together and taking care of our mail.

Here on Green Turtle cay we celebrated the Christmas dinner with a cruisers pot luck on Brendel's Dive Shop properties -- Thank You Brendel -- he also furnished 2 gallons of Goombay Smash -- an Island Rum punch.

We enjoyed the holiday with our Carolina cruising buddies -- Jim and Barb also Buck and Vickie who we have cruised with for 22 years, Craig and Dovie and Dell and Cory who have cruised with us for 14 years. A great time.

Today we all left the Green Turtle Club to finally live off the anchor for awhile and stop the money drain!! It was $67 a day to stay at the Green Turtle Club but it was worth it. Now we will bounce from anchorage to anchorage and just put in for food and water and maybe some fuel. I topped the fuel tank today with 40 gallons so I'm good for a long time here in the Abacos.

Today we went around the Whale Cay Passage to Great Guana Cay. The Whale is every Bahamas cruisers nightmare. It is impassable some days and you have to wait for a window. Today it was WIDE OPEN and easily navigated. Bubble and Skat came across with us and we are in the "Hub of the Abacos". Everyplace easily reached now.

WE will stay here for a few days then hopefully go back across the Whale to Green Turtle Cay for Junkanoo on New YEars Day.

We need to find some cheaper groceries right now. On Green Turtle Cay all provisions are three times what we pay in the states -- like a 12oz Log cabin Syrup for $8.95 or a cucumber for $3.77. Over here and at Treasure cay we pay twice as much. In Marsh Harbor it is 1.5 times as much.

Ohh the little things that count.

Tomorrow we will explore Great Guana and go to Nipper's, the ocean beach, the grocery store and stop at Milo's strand for fresh veggies and LOBSTER TAILS -- they call them cray fish in the Bahamas but they are LObsters with out the big claws. My mouth is watering already.

1st Day Winter Green Turtle Cay Bahamas

Yesterday was the winter Solsitce -- 1st day of winter. Not bad here in the Bahamas. The picture of me is on the Bluff House Beach with New Plymouth in Green Turtle Cay in the background and the Sea of Abaco. Not bad. High was 75 and a low of 70. Eat ytour hearts out northerners!! The living is easy that's why I don't update every day now. We moved over to the Bluff House Marina yesterday but today we needed to do 2 weeks of laundry in their "new facilities". It was a disaster. They had 3 working washing machines out of 4 and NO working dryers. We were besides ourselves. The docks are not friendly to sailboats for egress and this was too much. I checked out and moved BACK to the more expensive Green Turtle Club to dry the clothes and wait out the coming severe weather which apparently is becoming less severe and taking longer to get here. Bubbles and Skat also checked out and moved over here. Ohh well it is only money and the entire Carolina Contingent is again together; Victoria Gaye, Bubbles, Skat, Temptation, and High Flite on the hook just a stones throw away. The laundry and moving marinas took way too much time but that's cruising somedays. I was able to get another swim in the atlantic though. Beautiful beach and just a bit too cool water but great nevertheless. This morning I heard distance drumming around 4:30am. I learned later that there was a tradition here of folks beating drums between 4 and 6 am to "awaken the Christmas spirit". I hoped it worked. Lots of decorations and Christmas music abound even though this looks like the tropics.