Time has gotten a little slippery out here…days come and go with seemingly no defining edges. We awake with the sun, (or a little before for the best weather reports), we ready ourselves for the day ahead, then execute with never a rise in blood pressure or angst. It’s a pretty great way to run a life…maybe a little worse for communicating.
So, we left you with Tony’s brief mention of his TUNA! Let me backtrack, it was incredible! The damn thing was way too big too eat for the two of us, so we’re especially grateful to our pals on Painkiller and Messenger. Their potluck additions rounded out a table fit for a king, and they seemed to enjoy partaking of the bounty as much as we enjoyed having them. The day leading up to “the Fish” was idyllic, but the bloodbath that ensued after the Hemingway-esque battle was dramatic to say the least. We’re still finding splotches of blood in little corners of the cockpit! It was something. As soon as the bedlam was mostly over, I took a stugeron – first in a while…guts and sailing didn’t fair so well for my tender stomach!
Endurance spent an extra day at Highbourne Cay, planning to snorkel Octopus’ Garden again and dilly-dally on shore. However, Tony had a day of work to catch up with, and the wind kicked up enough to keep Tess in the cockpit with a book. That’s all that got done that day. After a rolly night, we ditched the notion of snorkeling and lifted anchor to head south into the Exuma Park.
We traveled 16 miles and hooked a mooring in Hawksbill Cay. Tawny, pinkish sandy beaches, rock outhangs undercut by the constant ebb and flow of the ocean, mangrove, scrub bush, palm trees covering the hills, and a large cairn overlooking it all. We tucked in at 1:30ish, spent two hours diagnosing and fixing an electrical problem with our stove [actually the circuit breaker was kaput, swapped out with a spare from the AC side of the panel – then had to put the bad one in the AC spot to complete its circuit the next morning – not being an electrician, I just hope we get hot food until I can find a new breaker] (what a capable Captain!), and headed ashore for a little hike to the top of the cairn and some swimming/snorkeling. We ended up being the ONLY boat at this cay – Gilligan’s Island with just the Professor and Ginger! We played a bit on the beach, explored a bit in the dinghy, and feasted on homemade pizza and chicken fingers to the rising of a beautiful full moon. (We’d had a few full moons earlier in the day, but at dinner it was strictly astrological).
Today, Wednesday, we hauled anchor to explore more of the Park. We’ve just grabbed another mooring in Cambridge Cay, also referred to as Little Bell Island. We’re told there’s a pod of eagle rays who gather just behind our boat; sharks run in and out of the cut with the tides; ospreys nest of the nearby cay with great hiking trails to more beautiful beaches, and all around are great snorkel grounds. First, a simple swim to cool off; then a plan………
Before I sign off, please remember how much we love you all. Jeanne, I missed your birthday and I’ll call as soon as I have a reliable signal! Alison, Happy Birthday tomorrow – may it be as wonderful for you as it was for us the day we first met you ‘on the outside’! Drop us a line, call on the house phone, leave a comment on the blog. We miss you. I know we have to do this island thing to save you the bother, and I don’t mind really, but we do miss our family, our friends, our friends who are our family. And, if you’re a complete stranger reading this, we’d probably like you well enough to share the next tuna with, too!
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