Layin low in Abaco at home for the holidays

In 1999 we spent Christmas in Puerto Vallarta thinking that it would be nice to be in the tropics for the holidays before the world ended at the stroke of the millennium. As we know nothing really happened at the stroke of midnight on 12/31/1999 as time continued in spite of the hype. But now for the second time in our lives we are spending the holidays outside the US safely ensconced in the Marsh Harbor Marina and Jib Room to enjoy the holidays and prepare for our trip south in a few weeks.

Since we got back home from our Thanksgiving sojourn to cold country we have been working on the boat, working on personal fitness and enjoying the Abacos which are a nice subtropical place where the living is almost as easy back in the US but more expensive. Being on this side of the Gulf Stream we don't need a weather window for crossing and can travel south with less issue. The weather just dictates where you can anchor.

Little Harbor after a lunch at Pete's Pub.

First let me talk about the work we've been doing. We're using the comfortable conditions to polish the deck and our stainless to clean the salt tarnish and wear to prepare for further travel. This is a task that's ongoing to keep the outside of the boat looking good and able to stand up to the elements. Tarnished metal turns into corrosion which turns into non-working parts which turns into mechanical failure. I've also undone loose bolts we're I found them and rebedded them to prevent water intrusion into the hull and below decks.

Sunset on Christmas Eve.

A beautiful Heron searching for food near the water.

Just before Christmas we discovered that our water heater was leaking and needed replacing. I had looked at replacing it last summer before we left but decided given it's apparent condition and knowing the previous owner probably didn't use it much we should be able to get another couple years out of it. Lesson is that if something is near the end of its useful life, replace it. Over the holidays it is tough to get replacement parts and deal with the challenge of the Bahamas bureaucracy. But in spite of the challenges I was able to get a replacement from the US and install it. I used the opportunity to paint the area under the water heater with Bilgekote to protect the fiberglass from moisture and dampness caused by the water heater. I was unable to prevent a loss of engine coolant which I will need to replace before we do another cruise.

One of the neighborhood streets near the marina we frequent on our walks.

But even though we are engaged in constant projects to maintain and improve our home we have spent times having fun. There are many folks hanging out here in the marina and we’ve shared some good times with several of them. Across our dock is a couple, Dave and Alice, on a power boat with whom we’ve become friendly and done some lunch trips 

View to leeward on the race course.

over to Man O War Cay and down to Pete’s Pub at Little Harbor. Dave also has a Rhodes 18 that he has fixed up and will be racing in the Hopetown Sailing Club races. I plan to crew for him as it’s always fun to sail on a small boat.

Having lunch at Pete's Pub.

Some of the crowd waiting in line to order at the bar.

We also met another IP cruiser. Cliff on his IP 40 Navigator was here a few weeks over the holidays and we shared discussions about cruising in the Caribbean where he’s been for several years. Just before he left we took a bottle of Pusser’s Rum on New Year’s to share painkillers which served as a good antidote to the holiday hangover.

We also took a couple of opportunities to snorkel over at Mermaid Reef. The first time we went the fish were biting us because they’re used to people feeding them. The second time we went they were much more sublime as there were lots of people on the reef and they were feeding them. As often as the word is disseminated people feed the animals. In fact, many rental places sell or give fish food with their rentals and some dive masters take food to attract fish. It’s bad enough the way many snorkelers abuse the reef but by corrupting the critters

Dining and dancing at the holiday parties.

While we’ve been here we’ve been stockpiling a supply of fresh coconut that we can enjoy until we can find more fresh coconut. Many of the islands in the Bahamas have little or no produce so we need to get as much coconut as we can here to enjoy through the islands that have none. I’m actually getting pretty good at husking the coconut and getting out the water for use with a little rum and lime. Coconut is a source of many vitamins and minerals and like avocados is a source of good fat having no cholesterol.

The highlights of the last couple week have been the holiday parties. On Christmas the marina sponsored a pot luck for folks spending the holiday here. Though we weren’t here at Thanksgiving they has less than 10 people for the potluck but for Christmas there were probably 40 people so there were lots of choices of dishes to sample. The marina provided roast ham and turkey and the bar was open. Happy to say we were among the last to leave because we had a wonderful time.

Our champagne New Year's brunch.

New Year’s Eve featured a very nice dinner and party that had probably 70-80 people attending with a DJ. By the time midnight rolled around the number had dwindled to fewer than 20 to share a champagne toast. On Sunday, New Year’s morning, we enjoyed a champagne brunch and then our dinner was stone crab and asparagus. We had planned for lobster rolls but that was too much for the same meal and we saved it for the next day.

The beach by Little Harbor.

As we look forward to the next couple weeks we have some specific chores to complete on the boat and we want to get back to Winedown SipSip again and a couple other places here in the Abacos before moving on. We have plans to meet some friends in Nassau later in the month who we will take to the Exumas for a few days and then after that work our way south to be ready to jump over to Jamaica when the weather works.

So, we’ve enjoyed spending the holidays here in the Abacos while we prepare to move down island working our way to the Caribbean.