Heading Home Already?

Sun Daze at marina in Nassau

Time has flown by quickly and we are getting ready to start the journey home.  We usually stop in Nassau before crossing the tongue of the ocean.  That leg of the journey is about 36 hours for us, since Sun Daze's top cruising speed is about 6.5 knots.  Not very fast at all.  So we like to stop here in Nassau to obtain fuel, some fresh vegetables, and get our last taste of the true Bahamian food.  

Nassau is not where we hang out.  Too touristy and not laid back enough for us.  But it is a good stopping point for entering or leaving the Exumas.  A few days here to stock up and ready ourselves for coming back to the real world.  We enjoy hanging out in Potter's Cay while in Nassau. 

 

Bridge to Paradise Island

Potter's Cay is located under the bridge heading to Paradise Island.  Now I know a lot of you would love to venture across the bridge, but we tend to hang out with the locals under the bridge.  Here you will find many "shacks" that are run by the local Bahamians, and the locals come here to have lunch and chill on their down time.

Lunch of fried fresh hog snapper

Nothing fancy here, though.  As a matter of fact, the first time I was introduced to Potter's Cay,  I was a bit hesitant of eating anything offered here.  None of these little shacks would ever pass US health inspections, but when in the Bahamas, do as the Bahamians do, right?  And we have eaten here many times and never had any issues.  Plus, you cannot get fish any fresher.  The hog snapper above was just caught and cleaned and we were able to choose which fish we wanted to eat.  It was fabulous!

 

Our favorite guy for conch salad

We typically stay at the marina for a couple of days waiting for a weather window to cross over the tongue of the ocean and head over the gulf stream back to Florida.  So we will eat at the shacks as much as we can.  And this is the place for fresh conch salad!

Conch salad ingredients

The conch is caught fresh daily, extracted from the shell, then pounded to tenderize.  It is then chopped, along with onions, tomatoes, and peppers.  Some like to add cucumber or fruit, like mango or pineapple.  We usually stick with the basic salad.  

 

Conch salad...almost done!

The Bahamians like their conch salad spicy!  Most add ghost peppers, and although we like it spicy, we can't eat it as hot as they do.   So we ask to have it "lightly spiced".  Otherwise, we would not be able to handle it.   With a finish of fresh lime and sour orange juice on top...it is ready.  So good!!!

 

One of our favorite shacks...Mr. Bones Seafood - the best hog snapper!

Our bellies full of what will be our last real Bahamian food for a while...we make sure the boat is ready to go.  Now all we have to do is wait for a good weather opportunity to head out of the harbor.  It is with mixed feelings as we are getting close to leaving this beautiful country.  Excited to get back home, but sad to leave the lovely people, the exquisite views and our days of leisure.  

After looking at the weather forecast, it appears the winds will be in our favor for the next couple of days.  So there it is...we are ready to head home.   

Until next time...Bahamas...we love you!

Enjoy!

Laundry Day in the Exumas

View from the laundry mat

Once again, we are in the small community of Black Point.  One of the many reasons we frequent this lovely place is the fact they have the best laundry facilities around.  No rusty water here and the machines are well taken care of.  Plus, look at the view... nice to look at this while folding up freshly cleaned laundry!

 

Sun Daze waiting for us to get back with clean laundry

Laundry day is something we have to plan to do while staying here.  No washer or dryer on the boat, so we need to be at a place where there are facilities.  Not many in the Exumas, so when we are in this area, we like to do our laundry here in Black Point.   We gather our laundry, place in a bag or two, that can be easily carried from the boat, to the dinghy and then to the the laundry mat.   Then once there, climb out of the dinghy, with the laundry, onto the dock, walk to the facility, which is not far in this case.  Laundry mats here take tokens, not quarters.  If you don't already have tokens, you must seek out the person that has the tokens.  Ida is usually close by, but we have had to walk to several different locations to obtain tokens.  She may be off the island and left tokens to someone else.  Of course, you don't know this ahead of time, so you must seek to find who may have them.  But then...we are on island time...a bit of walking here and there is no problem. 

 

dock at the laundry mat

Walking around the community

We have several loads to do while here, so it takes most of the morning or afternoon.  Most of the time, we try to get to the laundry mat early, to beat the other boaters.  That way we don't have to wait for machines.  So we relax while the laundry is doing its thing.  Sometimes sitting in the shade with ice cream if we can find any at the local store.  

View from Sunset Bar

After ice cream, we will walk to the other side of the island, which is the ocean side.  Then back to the sound side for a stop at Sunset Bar for a chat with Poppy.

ocean side

View from Sunset Bar

What are these?  See them here, but don't know what they are called

Once our laundry is cleaned, dried and folded...we carefully place it in our bags and return back to the boat, via the dinghy...

...have to climbed off the dock, back into the dinghy and slowly motor back to boat without getting cleaned laundry wet or salty.  Then put it all away and head back to town for more fun!

We try to get on land as much as we can to interact with the locals and to get much needed exercise.  Then back to the boat for dinner, if not done in town, and watch another beautiful sunset.   A little reading, then off to bed in nice, clean sheets!!!

Until next time...

Enjoy!

 

Farmer's Cay Exumas

Farmer's Cay, in the Exumas, is one of our favorite places to visit.  I can say the feel of this place has changed somewhat since my first visit, but it is still at the top of my list.  The people are the best.  We have grown to love them and they call us 'family'.  It is always good to see our friends here. 

 

Lunch is usually at Brenda's. Brenda has a small cafe right off the docks and serves lunch and dinner.  Cracked conch is our favorite, but her conch fritters are good too.   Ali used to run Ali's Bar, but is now retired and occasionally helps his wife.  Both are dear to us and we enjoy spending time with both of them.  Ali still loves to fish, and we usually join him for a day or two of fishing while we are here.  We were able to snag a few keepers this go round, and gave them to the locals.  

Our dear friends, Brenda and Altimus

Ty's Bar and Grill is on the bank side of the cay with a sandy beach that offers  the most beautiful sunsets around.   During the day, excursions from Nassau brings in tourists for a quick stop for lunch and beach volleyball.

The dock comes alive when the mail arrives, bringing in supplies from Nassau.  It's always fun to watch the activity.

 

The conch shack located on the dock offers fresh conch salad, and you can watch the green sea turtles while enjoying your salad.

 

As you can see, it does attract tourist boats. 

 

 

Farmer's Cay makes us feel welcomed and the beauty is beyond words.  We always love coming here to visit.

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Quick Trip Home!

While this is a slice of heaven here on earth, I do get homesick for NC.  So I opted to fly home the later part of February for a quick visit, while the captain attended to some boat maintenance chores.   

During my visit home, I was able to check on our house sitters, (happy to report all is well there), and spend a few days with my mom and dad.  Also, was able to hang out with my son and spend some time with my daughter and son-in-law and my sweet, sweet grand daughters.  I think they get more and more angelic each time I see them.  

The days flew by and before I knew it, it was time to head back south and jump back onto Sun Daze.  

 

We have been fishing, snorkeling, and wandering around the middle of the Exumas.  I think this is my favorite part of the Bahamas.  Nice anchorages, beautiful waters, and great people.  

Others are enjoying as well, got a pic of this couple as they were being lifted up on the para sail.  Looks like a lot of fun!

 

We are enjoying lazy days of warm sunshine, and calm anchorages.  The weather has been really nice this season.  Calm and smooth...the way I love it to be.  No rocking and rolling, just gorgeous boat weather.  

Won't be long and it will be time to head back home for the end of this season.  My how the time flies.  

Until next time...

Enjoy!