(ed note: due to the current weather conditions and the "fair" signal strength for internet - no photos can be uploaded at this time. I promise a FULL photo gallery when the system is fully functional.)
A lot of activity since my last post so let’s get
started…snorkeling on Friday (1/20/17) was fabulous! The water was clear, cool (72°) and
smooth. I haven’t seen the brilliant,
flashy fish colors I’ve seen in movies but that could have something to do with
the incoming “dicey” weather front we keep hearing about.
Saturday, we were fortunate to share a ride into “town” with
Ric & Prudi (Rascal’s Retreat), Rick & Monica (Moni Jean). Remember, we are in the Bahamas…steering
wheel on the left side of van (American) but driving on the left side of the
road…”keep yo’ left shoulder on de left shoulder, Mon. It will be no
problem.” Other words of wisdom from the
car rental man, “don’t worry about de lights on de dash…it’s all good.” And yes, the dash looked like a Christmas
tree…multi colored lights just blinking everywhere. And “no problem, Mon” we were gone all day!
If you remember in early October, 2016 a storm named
Hurricane Matthew paid a visit to Grand Bahama Island. They are still in the recovery process and it
shows. Everything related to tourism and
retail seems to be “functional”. We chose a marina w/o power on the docks or
laundry facilities yet but it is the tourism dollars that help with the cost of
repairs.
As we left the resort property it was immediately apparent
where the recovery money stopped. We
drove through West End, through Freeport and to Port Lucaya. I didn’t take pictures of the sad,
destruction because it was too reminiscent of our Mississippi Gulf Coast
several years ago…recovery takes time…and “island time” is a unique mindset.
Saturday evening & Sunday was spent preparing for the
approaching weather front. Securing the
boat was simple…put out every line we had then zip, snap & fasten all the Isinglass,
anything on the bow was either moved to the aft deck or otherwise secured. It felt like hurricane preparation but when
you’re on a boat…35-50 mph winds can get a little intimidating…not to mention
the 3:00 AM thunderstorms! However, the
good Lord had his hand on us as always.
We were up several times checking our lines but once the rain started we
turned on the generator (read: A/C) dehumidified the boat and slept like babies
until 7:00.
As I write this the winds are still howling with a sustained
speed of 37 mph (for the last 12-14 hours) and gusts of 50+ according to our
dock neighbor on Traveling Soul with a very nice weather station on his upper
helm.
We are in protected waters and have lots of company and feel
very secure. We also recognized that
many of our family and friends are weather weary as well. We are thankful for the safe check ins we saw
on Facebook and we continue to pray for your safety. Remember, dicey weather makes us appreciate
the clear sunny days.
Stay safe and God Bless!!!
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