Rod joins us … Wed 23rd May – Friday 25th
May 2018
Gloria’s brother Rod flew in to Marsh Harbor on Wednesday
afternoon. He is clearly a gluten for punishment. Having spent a couple of
weeks on the boat sailing down from Norfolk to Tortola he is now back to help
us make the passage back from the Bahamas to the USA. It’s wonderful to have
him aboard, not just for the extra help on the passage, but because he’s a
great guy!
We spent Wednesday evening eating (pork filet with lemon and
capers followed by home made damson plum pies), drinking and catching up on
news. On Thursday we pulled up a very muddy anchor and headed out of Marsh
Harbor to Fowl Cay about five miles away. We anchored on a sandy patch west of
this small island and took the dinghy round to snorkel on the reefs off the
eastern shore. This area is part of the Bahamas National Park and we had been
here a couple of times in 2013. We were happy to see the reefs were still in
good condition (unlike many we have seen on this trip) and very beautiful. We
saw all sorts of corals, lots of fish and one small turtle (always lovely to
see). As usual it was probably me that got chilly first, despite having
“shorty” wet suit. Rod just had a t-shirt but he seemed fine. We headed back to
Cotinga, showered off fresh water and had some lunch. In the afternoon we
sailed up to Green Turtle Cay, which involved a short section off-shore to
negotiate the Whale passage. This section has a fierce reputation, but it
couldn’t have been more benign. We had made reservations at the Green Turtle
club marina, located within White Sound, as a secure place to hang out whilst
the tropical low forming in the Gulf of Mexico threatened. The entrance to
White sound is only 6ft deep but we went in at high tide so didn’t see anything
less than 9ft, but still nerve wracking. We ended up backing Cotinga into the
slip but (for once) that went really well and actually drew unsolicited praise
from neighboring boaters! For dinner we ate chili basil chicken with rice
noodles and we forced a couple of “painkillers” down Rod’s neck (rum, orange
juice, pineapple juice, coconut cream and grated nutmeg).
The marina seems lovely and I think we’ll enjoy our time
here. On Friday we hiked over the island to the main “town” of New Plymouth. It
was a hot and humid day and it turned out to be about 3 miles each way. I
thought it was great to stretch our legs but Gloria and Rod both ended up with
blistered / sore feet. The town itself is quaint and colorful and we stopped
for lunch in a local café. It was actually the only place in town that was open
but the jerk grouper wraps were excellent. In the evening we ate pasta alla
amatriciano and salad, with a glass of cab sauvignon! I hope you are getting
the picture … we’re not exactly roughing it on this boat!
Mike
Sunset Green Turtle Club Marina - Cotinga tied up in the slip
Abstract - corner of a cafe New Plymouth, green Turtle Cay
Pink windows - New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay
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