Andros Lighthouse Club and Marina
Andros Town, aka Fresh Creek
Latitude:24.72452 Longitude:-77.78549
Please click the link below to see our new position.
http://fms.ws/81j2t/24.72452N/77.78549W
If the above link does not work, try this link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.72452,-77.78549&ll=24.72452,-77.78549&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Bahamas Day 142 (BD142 – 5/27/12 Sunday) – We moved to the fuel dock at Albany Marina about 9:30 am., topped off the tanks with 160 gallons of fuel and set out for Fresh Creek Lighthouse Marina on Andros Island. It was a little rough coming out of the basin, but we only had 19 miles to go. The generator started but would not keep running. We probably have more gunk in the lines. Rick will continue working on it in Andros. We arrived at Fresh Creek just about 11:45, along with a rain storm. We decided to stay offshore until the wind died down and successfully docked about 12:15 back in the slip we were in before. We visited with Tillie and Jimmy for a short while; ate some lunch; cleaned a little bit; worked on the computer and watched the Indianapolis 500 on TV.
Since this is a “working stop”, I will change the format to weekly entries.
This week, we enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday on Monday. Rick worked on the dinghy lift. I received loads of birthday wishes from friends and family on June 1 and appreciated them all. This would also have been my parent’s 61st wedding anniversary and it is my friend, Ruth’s, birthday. We talked to our son, JP, as well as Rick’s Mom and brother, Edward, and Ken & Jackie via SKYPE. We had a nice visit on the boat docked next to us, Susan Too.
BD149 (6/03/12 – Sunday) – I started “weeding out” the clothes that are now too big for me so I can donate them the next time we are in Florida. We are very proud that our son had one of his photographs selected as “Photo Of The Day” for June 3, 2012 on todaysphoto.org. It is a butterfly from photographer Japers McJapperson. It has been eight weeks since the doctor put the boot on my broken foot. So, the boot has come off and I’m walking with no pain. I planted nine different kinds of herbs in 5 containers. We went to Hank’s for dinner with the two couples from Nashville on the Susan Too, out of Vero Beach. We talked to Ken and Jackie via SKYPE. Ken is trying to help Rick locate some of the things he needs for the boat. Rick installed a new security latch on the inside of the sliding door and did some more work on the dinghy lift. There is a big festival this weekend here on Andros and the ferry boats have been making at least two runs a day in preparation and will make many more over the weekend.
BD154 (6/08/12 – Friday) – Friends of Tillie & Jimmy, Kelly & Steve (she’s the high school principal and he works at AUTEC) picked up the four of us and we all went to the park to attend the opening ceremonies of the 15th Annual All Andros Crab Fest. There were opening remarks from a number of dignitaries including some from the new government minister in charge of all festivals in the Bahamas. He promised that next year’s Crab Fest will be even better. There was a DJ playing before the opening ceremonies and at least a half-dozen bands were scheduled to play into the night and wee hours of the morning. There were a lot of vendors surrounding the park selling crafts, food and drink. Shortly after the opening ceremony, they announced the “crab run”. They released 40 dozen land crabs for people in the crowd to catch. The “MC” asked the natives to please let the visitors catch the crabs. You should have seen the pandemonium! Apparently, the accepted way of catching the crabs (at the festival) is to first put your foot on it to hold it still and then, carefully, pick it up from behind. Tillie told me to be sure to tell everyone reading the blog that both “Rick and Jimmy caught the crabs tonight!” I think, since both of them were bit by the crabs, that it might better be said that the crabs caught them. These land crabs have one pincher larger than the other, although it is hard to tell in the picture.
In the opening remarks, we learned that many Androsians (although we know that they catch the crabs on other Bahamian islands as well – we saw them in Eleuthera) earn a living off of the crabs. The season is from June through October. We were just about the leave when I saw a fellow walk by with feathered scepter in his hand. I asked if I could have a picture with him. He said yes and then told us not to leave because there would be a Junkanoo parade in just a few minutes that we should not miss. Turns out, the man I spoke to was the leader of the parade.
Wikipedia says,
“It is believed that this festival began during the 16th and 17th centuries. The slaves in the Bahamas were given a special holiday around Christmas time, when they would be able to leave the plantations to be with their family and celebrate the holidays with African dance, music and costumes. After emancipation, this tradition continued and, today, Junkanoo has evolved from its simple origins to a formal, more organized parade with sophisticated, intricate costumes, themed music and incentive prizes.”
We left the Crab Fest after seeing the Junkanoo parade and arrived back at the marina about 11 p.m. just as a fast ferry was unloading hundreds of passengers and vehicles.
(BD155 -6/09/12) – Boom Box type music started in the marina about 10 am. There are a lot more boats here now, than when we went to bed last night. As I look out the pilot house window, I see four “fast ferry” boats docked – 2 on each side of the creek.
It is close enough to walk to the park from here, but there are usually two or more busses parked in the parking lot waiting for passengers when each ferry arrives. We plan to hang out on the dock tonight and people watch. Literally thousands of people have come to this festival.
Tillie brought two packages for us last night – one contained a new fresh water pump – ordered from the Defender Company. Rick installed the new pump today. We went over to Frank’s boat, Haywood, with a whole group of Tillie and Jimmy’s friends (all we have met/socialized with before) to watch the “goings on” and enjoy cocktails and snacks about 5 pm. Everyone left at dusk. I stayed up until the last ferry left at 2 a.m.
BD156 (6/10/12 – Sunday) – Most of the boats that had been tied up in the marina left on Sunday with the others clearing out on Monday. A website we use, www.windfinder.com says that the wind here is blowing 13 – 14 knots from east to west and will increase both Monday and Tuesday.
We received word that Gilbert E. ‘Baby’ Mora Jr., 70, of Cortez, died June 9. He was born Dec. 2, 1941, in Cortez and grew up in Cortez and Bradenton Beach, providing for his family as a bait shrimper in the bay and area waters. He was also known as ‘Happy Pappy’. We extend our condolences to Blake, his son, with whom Rick worked.
Rick finished the repairs on the dinghy lift. He dove under the boat and discovered a trim tab had come loose under the swim platform. (Parts have been ordered.) The 14th was Flag Day. I gave Rick a new flag for the back of the boat as an early Father’s Day gift. The one we had was really faded. We are getting regular afternoon/evening rains. We had a short conversation with Edward, Mom, Eileen and Bill via SKYPE from Utah. Eileen said it was hot and windy in Utah, 86 degrees.
BD163 (6/17/12 – Sunday) – Happy Father’s Day to all. Rick got a cute e-card from JP today. He watched the NASCAR races on TV in the afternoon and the US Open Golf Tournament in the evening. The wind is blowing out of the east right up the Creek and is predicted to get higher over the next two days. Our air conditioning relay switch went out. Parts have been ordered to fix it. Rick has bypassed it temporarily. My seedlings are starting to come up, so I’m looking forward to tending and harvesting the herbs that I will use in cooking. We received the pick-up tubes needed to install for the permanent fuel polishing system from Ken. Rick and I also talked about fixing or replacing our washer/dryer, which has not worked since February.
We went to the airport to renew our cruising permit. It was issued to us in Bimini on January 7, 2012. Rick was given to understand that it was good for 6 months, but could easily be renewed for another 6 months at no additional charge. We paid for a $20 cab ride (round-trip) to the airport, only to be told that it is good for one year – not 6 months. (She said it was on old form.) I guess we should have called first!
Tillie and Jimmy rode their bikes over for a short visit. We “picked” their brains about places to go and things to see in the Exumas. We talked about our washer/dryer and it looks like we will just have to wait to repair/replace it. I’m thinking, maybe, while we’re in the Dominican Republic.
Patients are then compelled to live in browse around to find out more levitra properien fear of which the future holds.
BD169 (6/24/12 – Sunday) – We are watching the weather on the west coast of Florida to see what tropical storm Debby decides to do. Right now, it looks like she is just causing a lot of rain and high tides. The weather here remains overcast, but not much wind. We heard from Joy and Steve. They are back at home in Palmetto and looking forward to a big family visit just prior to the 4th of July. Congratulations to both the incoming and outgoing board at the Bradenton Yacht Club. The “Change of Watch” event was the night of the 23rd and it was the first one that we have missed in many years. Jimmy finished the 4 brackets Rick needed for the fuel polishing system. Rick began to permanently install the fuel polishing system and ran into another “hiccup”. When he cut the return line to the fuel tank, he discovered that the line had an inner sleeve, thus making the connection for the pickup lines that Ken engineered for us not workable. He got on-line and ordered the smaller fittings that he will need, but this will delay us at least another 8 – 10 days for shipping. Rick has found a temporary fix for the fuel polishing for one tank. JP says there was some damage to the house from Tropical Storm Debby but it was minimal and can be addressed the next time we come home. Thanks to Curt for helping him with several home projects lately. Rick worked on reinstalling the air conditioner relay, but, of course, didn’t have the right size screws. He finished recovering the chart area of the pilot house dashboard using some dark green canvass that he already had. The color goes great with the rest of the green upholstery in this area of the boat. Bob is getting us the right size screws for the air conditioner relay box. We sent Happy 82nd birthday wishes to my dad, Tom Cambre on June 30. Jimmy lent his “hookah” for the air tank to Rick and Bob to use for diving under the boats. Rick replaced our broken trim tab and Bob removed his prop and cleaned it.
BD177 (7/1/12 – Sunday) – We saw Jimmy and Tillie several times this week. Rick cleaned the bottom of the dinghy. Dr. Gaines, a dentist from Daytona, pulled in to the marina. He is Tillie’s dentist and he told Rick that he was also his father and grandfather’s dentist. We have had the pilot house air conditioning off since it went out and the temperature has been in the 90’s. With the relay box working again, the pilot house is down to about 77. This is the first time I can ever remember being out of the USA on the 4th of July. We went to the beach, as I’m sure many of our friends did. The base is having special activities on Saturday. On Friday, we went out to eat at Katrina’s. While there, we talked with a very interesting gentleman named Angelo. He is a member of the All Bahamas Policemen’s Band and has travelled all over the world performing with them playing the saxophone. He also told us that he has three children in college. His daughter goes to college in Trinidad and is studying to become a dentist, but right now she is concentrating on becoming the next “Miss Bahamas”. Her name is Deandra. We went to the base on Saturday to enjoy their belated Fourth of July celebration. We went to the patriotic golf cart and bicycle parade followed by a cookout of grilled chicken and pork. There is a tradition to throw water baloons at the participants in the parade. Of course, they throw water baloons back at you. Also there was a fire truck stationed at the end of the parade spraying water on all of the participants (and anyone else who got too close by.) We received souvenir American Flags (made in China). We enjoyed our dinner, wine and the conversation with others and then enjoyed some live music before coming back to the boat about 9:00.
BD184 (7/8/12 – Sunday) – This week the Bahamas celebrated 39 years as an independent nation. They won their independence from Great Britain on July 10, 1973. This year’s theme is – The Bahamas: United in Love & Service. On Sunday, the churches had special remembrances related to Independence Day. On Monday, there was a concert at the “circle” and on Tuesday, July 10, there were activities at Queen’s Park, including fireworks. The “circle” in Andros Town is not a circle at all, but they call it the round-about. Three roads come together at this point, just north of the one-way bridge over Fresh Creek. It looks more like a triangle to me. There is a small park in the middle with a covered table and a very large statue, if you will, of a land crab. Well, if you’ve read the rest of the blog, you know that Andros is known for its Crab Festival. I guess I should also explain the one-way bridge over Fresh Creek. It really is a one-lane bridge – not a one-way bridge. If you are driving across, you just have to look at the other end to see if someone is coming. If not, you go – if so, you wait until they cross and then you go. Jimmy & Tillie have gone to the States for a short trip. She is Dr. Gaines’ first dental appointment after returning from his boat trip to the Bahamas. The weather has been rainy, but work on the boat is almost done.
BD191 (7/15/12 – Sunday) – The weather was pretty nice this week. There were some showers, but lots of sunshine as well. Friday and Saturday, Seabreeze High School’s class of 1967 had their class reunion in Daytona Beach. “Uncle Jimmy Parker” (married to Tillie Hoffmeister Parker) & Tillie’s sister, “Aunt Mary” and her husband Scott Owen, along with Rick were all members of this class. There was a cocktail party/meet-and-greet on Friday evening and a dinner/dance on Saturday evening. Some of the activities they had planned for the daytime on Saturday included:
- Sitting around the pool and enjoying conversation – all day.
- Golf at 9 am at River Bend Golf Club
- Tennis at 10 am at the Daytona Beach Shores Racquet Club.
- AM beach walk beginning at 9 am by the steps to the beach.
- Surfing beginning at 8 am in front of the Hotel.
- Paddle boarding, etc. beginning at 8 am in front of the Hotel.
- Deep Sea fishing.
- Sitting around the pool and enjoying conversation – all day.
I can’t show you what they looked like then, but what follows are pictures of how they look now. (Sorry, I don’t have a recent picture of Scott.)
BD198 – (7/22/12 – Sunday) – By now, if you didn’t already know, you’ve probably figured out that we flew over to the States to attend Rick’s reunion and we had a great time. We also enjoyed our short visits with family and friends. We joined the “surfing group” on Saturday morning. We got there at 11:30. A classmate, Fred, had brought Bloody Mary’s (and styrofoam coffee cups to disguise them – no alcoholic beverages allowed on the beach) to share with classmates that stopped by. Linda (the organizer) and I went out into the water to cool off while she was waiting for more classmates to come and surf (Terry Smith and his wife Valerie, who helped organize the reunion) while Rick was talking to some other classmates. I explained to her that I only wanted to go out knee deep until Rick could join us because of my hip replacements. She and I then compared scars. At the dinner dance Saturday night, she gave out awards to those who surfed with her and she called Rick and I up with the group. Near the end of her presentation, she came over to me and put her arm around me and said that she and I were the “hippies” in the surf group. I explained that she meant we were the “hip replacement girls”.
There were many other awards given out that evening (called “Crabs of Honor”) which were a highlight of the reunion. The Seabreeze mascot is the “mighty sand crab”. Also, a survey was handed out. One of the questions on the survey was “what did you like least?” We answered – anything that started at 8:00 a.m.! They sold tickets for two things at the dinner dance. One was a 50/50 drawing. The prize was $150 in cash with the other $150 to be held as “seed money” for the 50th reunion. The second drawing was a raffle with two hand-made quilts and a lovely photograph, donated by classmates, as the prizes. The money made on this raffle will help to fund the Class of 1967 Scholarships that are awarded to two students every year. These scholarships of $500 each have been awarded every year for the past 15 years and this class is the only Seabreeze High School class that awards a scholarship.
We finished up our reunion activities on Sunday morning by visiting with Dudley Baker and his wife of 2 years, Kim. They invited us to their home on the beach (one-half mile south of the hotel where the reunion was held) for Bloody Mary’s. Both Dudley and his wife were very interesting people and their chateau/castle was beautiful.
BD198 (7/22/12 – Sunday) While attending the reunion, we stayed with Rick’s mother and brother in their home in Ormond Beach. We also had a chance to see my Dad, who lives in the Ocala Forrest, on our drive back to our hometown of Palmetto, Florida. During our stay in Palmetto, we had a chance to visit with the Sosville’s and Mahoney’s who are planning to fly over to visit us while we are on Staniel Cay in the Exumas. On Wednesday, we drove, with our granddaughter, Vanessa, to Ft. Lauderdale and flew Sun Airlines out of the “Jetscape” terminal at the International Airport back to Andros Island in the Bahamas. This was our 13-year-old granddaughter’s first plane ride and she did great. She was a little bit scared on the take-off, but she listened to her Ipod and took a small blanket out of her carry-on bag and put it to her nose. She said it smelled like home. Back on Andros, we went to the beach every afternoon. Visited with Tillie and Jimmy several times and attended a going away party for Bob and Staci, in the sailboat next to us. They both submitted their resignations to AUTEC and will be sailing back to Washington, DC to assume new positions. They have been terrific neighbors. Both times we have been here, they have watched over our boat while we flew back to the States. We are sure they will be missed here on Andros, and wish them the very best of luck in the next phase of their lives.
They hosted the going-away dock party on Saturday night. It was attended by one of the sailboaters in the marina, Joe, who left the next morning, Sunday; us, leaving Monday morning, and them and their friends. They are set to sail on Saturday, August 6. Staci asked Vanessa to take their dog, Mizzen to the beach Saturday afternoon to “wear him out” before the party, so he wouldn’t get too excited around the crowd.
BD205 (7/29/12 – Sunday) – Hallelujah, the generator is running! Jimmy came over this morning in his dinghy and helped Rick bleed air out of the lines. He also took Rick across Fresh Creek to the gas station to fill the dinghy gas tank. Tomorrow, we plan to cruise back to Highborne Cay in the Exumas.
Departed Fresh Creek, Andros at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 30, 2012.
Our journey has been inspired by Joy and Steve Fredrick. You can see more of their story at