Tuesday, October 1 through Saturday, October 5 – Tuesday, we were in Ormond Beach with Rick’s mother, brother and sister who had just returned from their quick trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. On Wednesday night, we were in Palmetto with JP, Kellie, Vanessa and Emma (who is now one month old and weighs 4 pounds and 10 ounces).
We enjoyed the al fresco dining at the Riverside Café that evening with our friends the Baker’s. Thursday morning I dropped Rick off at the Social Security Office to try to straighten out the problem that he thought he had straightened out in July and I went to the doctor where he declared that I had bronchitis for which he gave me three prescriptions and a shot! Dad called and said that he received his passport so, as soon as we finished that business, we were on the road to the Ocala Forrest where we spent the night. On Friday, the three of us drove to Ft. Lauderdale to spend the night, so that we could be at the new Watermaker Air office in Hangar #19 at 6:00 am for our 7:00 departure. Saturday morning’s check in went smoothly. The flight was terrific. We were able to get an allowance to be in the country for 90 days when we went through customs/immigration at San Andros Airport on Andros Island. Tucker came and picked us up in his boat and we made our way over nice, calm water back home to Compass Cay. Dad and I spent the afternoon watching football. Undefeated FSU shutout (previously undefeated) Maryland.
Bahamas Day 639 – (BD639) Sunday, October 6, 2013 through BD 643 (Wednesday October 10, 2013) –
On Sunday, Dad was enjoying watching the visitors and their interactions with the sharks. It sprinkled rain off and on all afternoon which turned into a steady rain in the evening. It rained again early Monday morning, but only for a short while before the sun came out and the day was beautiful. Rick took Dad for a short walk up to see the generator building. Loan returned to the island late in the afternoon. On Tuesday, Tucker left the island in the morning to go to a doctor’s appointment in Florida. One of the boats in the marina, Claudia, had a problem, so Rick and Dad took a boat to Staniel in the afternoon to pick up a mechanic who had flown in from Long Island. On the way to pick him up, they swung by the beach on Big Majors Spot to see the swimming pigs. What a shame it is that they didn’t take a camera with them. Upon their approach to the beach, Dad asked Rick if that was a horse on the beach – no that was a pig! But, much to their surprise, along with the regular pigs there were three little brown spotted piglets. Lots of other people have seen piglets on this beach, but this was a first for us. While at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, Dad bought a case of 24 bottles of Budweiser for $65. This is about half of the price he would pay buying a bottle at a time. On Wednesday morning, I got off of the boat with a big glass of orange juice (a gift from Loan) and enjoyed the morning with Loan, Rick and Dad for a while. There were no boats in the marina, except for us and Faith. Faith has been tied up to the dock next to the marina office for I don’t know how long. We met the owners, Vince and his wife, once. They said that they came for the weekend to clean the boat up to sell it. But, Vince got sick; little got done, and they went back home to Nassau. When we got back on Saturday, we found out that they had, in deed, sold the boat. The new owner is Harry. Harry works on large water makers all throughout the islands. He was here for a couple of days before flying out to some other island to work. Faith looks like she has had some life restored into her, for which we are all glad. In the afternoon, Rick and Dad took a guest to Staniel to catch her flight home. While they were there, they picked up some bread and fresh fruit and veggies. Dad says he is getting a good suntan from riding in the boat going back and forth.
BD644 (Thursday, October 11, 2013) through BD 649 (Wednesday October 16, 2013) – On Thursday afternoon, the 100+ foot boat Muchas Mas, came in to the marina. But the mosquitoes and no-see-ums were so bad that they decided to anchor out (away from the bugs) instead. We had thundershowers with lightning on both Thursday and Friday nights. Marino (a carpenter from Canada) arrived Friday with a friend. He comes down a couple times a year to do carpentry work for Tucker. On Saturday, we had a good rain shower before noon. We watched college football from noon until bedtime. On Sunday, the weather was unsettled, so Rick and I decided we would put off going out for our 41st wedding anniversary. We will go to Fowl Cay for supper one night after their kitchen re-opens. We had a large boat in the marina for a short while. Rick said that the owner of the New Orleans Saints football team was aboard and when he found out he wouldn’t be able to watch the game on the boat’s satellite TV, they went to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to watch it on their TV. We had more rain than sun on both Monday and Tuesday, but on Wednesday the weather was beautiful. Loan, Rick, Dad and I set off in Loan’s boat about 11:30. Loan had contacted the caretaker of Leaf Cay which is very close to Staniel Cay, to see if they might have some wire that he needed for work he is doing on the docks. Leaf Cay has been the subject of at least one television show. I have been told that it was featured on both HGTV and on the Wealth Channel. According to a real estate website, Leaf Cay is a 25-acre privately owned island which has total of 18 buildings including a 3,000 sq. ft. 2-story main residence and a two-story guest/staff quarters. We went around the Cay to the west side to dock in front of a large white home. From the dock, we walked along concrete walkways to the south point of the cay where there was a two-story blue wooden building. This is where the caretaker lives. He greeted Loan and Rick and took them around the corner where there were a number of warehouse-type buildings. While they were looking for the right kind of wire, Dad and I sat at a picnic table in the shade enjoying the tropical breeze. We noticed a number of coconut palm trees, lots of spider lily plants and other vegetation unknown to us. On our walk back to the boat, we passed a large bush/small tree with yellow seed pods. Some of the seed pods had opened and had smaller red seed pods within it. When they were open, it looked like a flower with yellow surrounding a red center. I wish I had brought the camera with me because it was quite pretty. Loan told me that the plant was a lignum vitae. Since I didn’t have the camera, I have done some research on-line and am putting a couple of pictures that I got from an agricultural extension site below. The first picture shows the seedpod as we saw it on Leaf Cay. The second picture shows the actual flower which is not at all what I expected.
I told Loan that I was currently reading a book about the history of Great Exuma and it mentioned that lignum vitae used to be prevalent on that island, but now is virtually non-existent. Loan said that only the least inhabited islands of the Bahamas still have this plant. Wikipedia says that Lignum Vitae is the national tree of the Bahamas and the Jamaican national flower. “Lignum vitae” is Latin for “tree of life”, and derives its name from its medicinal uses; lignum vitae resin has been used to treat a variety of medical conditions from coughs to arthritis, and chips of the wood can also be used to brew a tea. Lignum vitae is also one of the numerous hard, dense woods loosely referred to as ironwood. When we finished at Leaf Cay, we went over Staniel Cay stopping first at the Isles General Store, but it was around 1:00 and they are closed for lunch until 1:30. So, we went around to the Yacht Club and had lunch. Then Loan and Rick went back to the Isles – but it still wasn’t open. They also found out that the supply boat did not come in today, as expected. So, it looks like we’ll be making another trip to Staniel Cay in a couple of days to buy groceries. Such is life in the Bahamas Out Islands – and we don’t mind it a bit!
BD 650 (Thursday October 17, 2013) through BD656 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013) – When we talked to JP, via SKYPE, on Thursday, he told us that the scale I bought for Emma had arrived on their doorstep yesterday and that she now weighs 6 pounds and 1 ounce. Tomorrow, was her due date, so she is now full-term (and on Saturday will be 7 weeks old.) Friday was a lazy day. Rick took Dad on a ride around the island on the 4-wheel utility vehicle they have on the island. He got to see Hester’s Ruins and all of the cottages that are for rent, including the “honeymoon” cottage that is under construction. On Saturday, we took Loan’s boat down to Staniel Cay to buy groceries. When we left Compass, a couple of visitors asked if they could follow us because they got stuck and lost trying to get to Staniel from Compass yesterday. They are staying at one of the resorts called Serenity. They told Rick that they would like to see the iguanas, but didn’t know the way. So, we actually went past Staniel to Guana Cay where the iguanas are and then came back to Staniel. When we passed Staniel, we saw that the supply boat was at the government dock still unloading. We got gas in the boat and had a drink at the yacht club before getting back in the boat and going to the Isles General Store to do our shopping. On our way back from Staniel Cay, we took the boat by Big Majors Spot to see the new little piglets. Dad said that he counted 11, but I couldn’t get them all in one picture. The piglets were not swimming yet, but we made sure to throw some of our goodies their way. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you might see the white “runt” of the litter at the left.
After returning to the boat we watched college football and we had a cookout on the dock because Marino and his friend will be leaving to go back to Canada on Monday. Sunday was a “red-letter” day in that the M/V Faith left the marina. Faith has been tied to the dock, next to the marina office, since before we arrived at Compass Cay. I have no idea how long – but it seems like it must have been a number of years.
Sunday night, we enjoyed watching the FSU vs Clemson game — even though we already knew the outcome – #5 FSU – 51 and #3 Clemson – 14! On Monday, we left the boat in the dinghy and went up to the north end of the island to Rachael’s Bubble Bath. This was the first time that Dad had seen the north end of the island. The tide was very high, but we beached the dinghy by the pavilion in the cove and then walked through ankle deep water almost all the way to get to the Bubble Bath.
The water temperature was just right and we enjoyed the view and the calm water in the Bubble Bath for about an hour before returning back to the boat.
When got back to the marina there had been some new arrivals. Another boat named Faith was tied up to the dock. This Faith has been in the marina several times since we have been here. Rick said the owner/captain is Fred and he is in his 80’s. Rick also told me that both of the Faith’s had been previously owned by the same man. He had bought this Faith to replace the other Faith. And, Harry, the current owner of the Faith that just left, had delivered both of the boats. Sometimes, the cruising world can be a very small place.
In addition to the new boat, there was some heavy equipment (a “claw” and a grader) on the north side of the boater’s grille. Tucker has contracted with “Bushman” – a white Bahamian, who lives on Staniel Cay, with a bushy head of very curly blond hair – to dredge out an area for a new dock on the north side of the marina.
They cannot do the work at high tide because they drive the equipment right into the water to dredge up the sand and spread it out. Below is a picture taken at the start of the project.
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The crew returned to the marina on Tuesday afternoon to continue working. Rick tells me that they will build a road – of sorts – with the fill that they dredge up. After a while, they’ll be able to use the road for their equipment so that they will be able to work during higher tides. They will also be dredging on the other side of the road that they build in order for boats to be tied up on both sides of the new dock. Tucker told Rick that they will eventually move all of the dredge material, used for the temporary road, just up the creek to form a beach. I can’t wait to see how this all turns out. The picture below shows the “claw”, the grader up on the beach, and the boater’s grille on the far right, to which the dock will eventually be connected.
On Wednesday afternoon, Rick and I took Loan’s boat up to Staniel Cay to pick up a part delivered on Watermaker Air. The wind was out of the southwest – it is usually out of the east. Tucker had told me that this is the first weather front of the season. Because of the wind direction, we took an inside route and avoided most of the rough seas. But, when we got to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, it was too rough to tie up the boat. We went down to the community dock which is up the creek, where the water was calm, and across the street from the airport. By the time we got there, all of the passengers, luggage and packages had already been taken to the yacht club. So, we started walking across the island. Tucker had given Rick some money to pay a bill at Batelco, so we set off on the road that passed that office. I told Rick to walk on ahead of me because it was just before 4:00 and I was afraid that the office might close at 4:00. As it happened, he passed a home under construction with a Batelco truck parked near it, so he asked the “Batelco man” how late the office was open. He replied 4:30. Within a few minutes, a golf cart came up behind me and I recognized the driver, “Berkie.” He offered to give me a ride and I accepted. When we passed Rick, he was almost at the Batelco office, so he said for me to just wait for him at the Yacht Club. We stayed at the Club just long enough to drink a couple of “refresh beers” and talked to a couple who had just arrived from Chicago. She told us that was the first time they had been away without their children in 13 years. We picked up a case of beer for Dad and got a ride back to the community dock with an employee of the club who, it turns out, is Mano’s cousin. Mano is the “hired man” who lives on Compass and works around the island. He goes back to Haiti, to see his family, for a couple of months each year. Not five minutes after we arrived back at Compass, it started to rain.
BD657 (Thursday, October 24, 2013) through BD664 (Thursday, October 31, 2013) – On Thursday, Faith left the marina headed north and the M/V Island Girl came in with just a couple of passengers. It rained most of the day on Friday, making it a good day to do laundry. Island Girl left before noon on Saturday and the rain held off until after 7 pm. That allowed us to sit on the dock by the marina office and watch the FSU vs. NC State football game on ABC. FSU won handily with a score of 49 to 17. At this point in the season we are unbeaten and next week we face one of our in-state rivals, the University of Miami (also unbeaten) in Tallahassee. It rained on Sunday off and on. I worked on the computer putting together some statistics for Dad regarding his football pool. Then he and Rick went up on the dock to watch NFL football on the marina’s TV. Dredging has continued almost every day between the tides and the rain. I talked to Bushman on Monday and he said that he thought the dredging will take about another two weeks – again, depending on the weather and the tides. Tuesday morning was overcast but not raining, so Rick took me out in the basin in one of the marina’s small boats to get a closer look at Tucker’s goat. I have only seen him a couple of times in the year that we have been here, but recently, he has been coming out to keep an eye on the dredging project. Tucker tells us that he has ordered two female goats to keep him company but they have not yet arrived. The first picture, below, was taken about a year ago and the second picture of him was taken this week. I have also included a map that shows his isolated part of the island with a red X to indicate where we have been seeing him almost every day since the dredging project began. The boats coming in and out of the entrance to the marina get a really good look at him and he doesn’t seem to shy away at all. I say that he is isolated because the island has a creek that runs up from the marina to join the outflow of Rachael’s Bubble bath. During low tide, the area closest to the Bubble Bath is dry or almost dry and that area has a lot of mangroves growing in it, so even though you cannot navigate that area in a small boat, I’m sure a goat could walk across it – and I imagine that they can swim.
When I made the comment above that I guessed goats could swim, it prompted me to do an internet search to find the answer. I found two websites which gave me the answer, yes. Ask.com says that goats really don’t like water and would only swim as a last resort. I found another website http://swampyacresfarm.com which gave a whole list of random goat facts and I have decided to include a few of them here. I hope you find it interesting.
- Goats were the first animals domesticated by man somewhere around 7,000 -10,000 B.C.(Estimated)
- The ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Cephranes was buried with more than 2,000 goats.
- Goats live 8 to 12 years.
- There are over 200 recognized breeds of goat
- Goat size is extremely variable based on breed. Females can range from 22 to 300 pounds with males ranging slightly larger at 27 to 380 pounds. Meat breeds are generally heavier than dairy breeds.
- Both male and female goats can have horns and beards.
- Goats much prefer “browse” (leaves of woody plants) to grass.
- Goats are sometimes kept with racehorses as a companion animal. This is thought to have a calming effect on the horse. The term “Get your goat” (meaning to agitate someone) is rumored to have originated from the practice of stealing the companion goat so the racehorse would do poorly. There is somewhat dubious evidence to support this etymology.
- Goats DO NOT eat tin cans or garbage. It is thought this rumor came about as goats may have been frequently seen eating labels off of cans to get at the tasty glue. They are actually very picky eaters. Goats can survive on land that would starve cattle and sheep, due to their selective browsing habits and the wide range of plants they will eat.
- Goats are good swimmers.
- It is rumored that goats “discovered” coffee. It is thought ancient goat herders noticed that goats became more energetic after eating the beans of the (then unknown) coffee plant. Subsequent investigation into these beans led to modern day coffee as a staple beverage.
On Tuesday afternoon a boat came in to the marina and on Wednesday morning, two more arrived. That is the most boats that have been here since we returned at the beginning of October. On Thursday morning we SKYPED JP and Kellie. They told us that all is well at home. Emma is 2 months old and had a wellness checkup yesterday when she got her first immunizations. She weighed 7 lbs. and 2 ounces and was 18 ½ inches long. She has more than doubled her weight in her 2 months and has grown an astonishing 6 ½ inches in length. They told us that she has outgrown several of her “premie” outfits and is now wearing newborn size. Thursday was Halloween and we decided to go with Loan to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for dinner. Rick ordered the lamb chops and said they were delicious.
Loan, Dad and I all had the fresh catch of the day which was grouper. The club was having a Halloween party and several people wore costumes. We returned to Compass Cay around 9:30 p.m. This was Dad’s first boat ride in the dark since arriving here and he said it was exciting.
Our journey has been inspired by Joy and Steve Fredrick. You can see more of their story at