Monday 23 April 2018

Spring 2017 Arrives, so does Corinne!

 

We’re posting this entry on Bahamian time…2017…a year late…

Our daughter Corinne flew in to Georgetown for a visit in late March, just in time for a one-week long weather cold front. The sun was shining, it was warm, and the winds blew and blew. We had a good visit even though we didn’t go very far. 

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Front coming through Red Shanks beach

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 Waves breaking on Stocking Island beach

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Enjoying a warm walk on the beach

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Corinne helming a leisurely sail inside Elizabeth Harbour 

After Corinne’s departure the winds let up enough for us to sail to Long Island.  Along the way Kim hooked a beautiful Cero painted mackerel.  It seemed a shame to carve up his iridescent skin, but he fed us for a few meals with his delicious firm white meat.  

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Hooked him with a skirted ballyhoo rig 

We enjoyed a reunion of the flotilla of friends (minus Tim and Diane on Acadia) on Long Island and spent a day touring on land.  Our first stop was for a little spelunking at Hamilton cave. These caves were once completely under water as you can see from the smooth,rounded erosion on the limestone. 

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The black lines in these limestone caves are actually colonies of termites

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Leonard, our tour guide grew up playing in this extensive cave system. 

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Stalactites in the cave 

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We can just imagine Leonard playing hide an seek in the caves as a kid 

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Back in the recessed areas bat colonies are hanging from the rock overhead… they were very polite during our visit.

A visit to this island would not be complete without a visit to Dean’s Blue Hole. Not everyone has the courage to jump from the 30 foot cliff though. It came down to ‘straws’ for who jumped first. 

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The Hole and the cliff. The raft in the water is used by competitive free divers to guide them down hundreds of feet into the depths. 

The ‘Disclaimer’ 

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Killing time while getting up the courage to jump.

 

Kim pulled the shortest straw so was first off the cliff!

Long Island has beautiful ‘long’ beaches for walking, this one was deserted except for some four legged locals  and a feisty crab.

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For such a little guy he did not give up his ground

From Long island our gang split. One boat headed south to the Ragged Islands, the other to Puerto Rico. We headed back to Georgetown.  Along the way Kim picked up a 20lb common jack. Sadly they are not good eating fish but we are sure it was a tasty meal for the sharks. 

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Nothing goes to waste in the ocean. Somebody else will have this one for dinner.

More big winds and seas kept us in Georgetown for another week which is never a problem. While wandering we came across a Man O’ War jellyfish. 

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Not wonderful sailing conditions. Best to stay on the beach. 

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Man-o-war jelly fish. We tried to get ahold of the top of the ‘sail’ (not the tentacles of course) but it is impossibly slippery, an odd consistency that only nature can come up with.

At a two day stop at Kim’s favourite spearing location (not to be identified!) we were rewarded with a large lobster or crayfish as the species is known as down here. 

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Got ‘em! 

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Out of respect for the advanced age of this lobster we felt the need to name it, so ‘Lawrence’ fed us for two dinners and a lunch.

One last photo to end the season from yet another classic Exuma beach…Jack’s Bay.

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