Thursday, July 27 – Monday, July 31
JP, Kellie, Vanessa, Emma and I were in his car and on the road by 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, 7/27/23. We arrived at the Makers Air hangar Makers Air Flights to The Bahamas at The Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport an hour before our 12:45 flight to Staniel Cay. After landing, we walked over to the Isles General (Yellow) Store to pick up some groceries and waited for someone from Compass Cay to pick us up. There was a storm brewing, and we weren’t able to raise Compass on the radio from the store, so I walked back over to the Makers Air office to see if they could raise Compass on the radio. When I went into the office, I recognized the owner, David, and asked if we could use their radio. He asked one of his staff to take us to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to contact Compass from there. Shawn and his family picked us up there and took us on his boat the final six miles to Compass Cay. Rick and I had met Sean several times both at Compass Cay and in Stuart, Florida. It was very nice to start our special weekend with someone who knew and liked Rick. When we arrived at Compass Cay Marina, we were greeted by Trevon, Jermal and Loan Rolle – all friends of many years.
On Friday morning, 7/28, Emma and I started our day early.
We headed down one of the many marked trails toward Crescent Beach.
We were going there first to check to see if the sign she made two years ago was still hanging in the main beach hut; and it was.
We stayed here for a couple of hours while she had fun on the swings at the hut as well as jumping the waves on the beach.
Later that day, all five of us returned to Crescent Beach and then JP, Emma and I walked down the beach
to Hester’s house to sit on a bench for a few minutes overlooking the sea where JP, and I along with Rick’s brother, Edward, scattered some of Rick’s ashes on July 28, 2018 – one year after he passed away. Unfortunately, Hester’s Ruins have suffered a lot from weather events in the past few years and there is not much left of it.
We spent a good part of the day Saturday, 7/29, sitting and swimming at the marina. I was very excited to get to see more friends and acquaintances from the three years that we spent here. Captain Andrew of www.comfortventuretours.com was there along with his 12-year-old son who was serving as his mate.
The picture above is Rick with Andrew in 2012. Andrew use to say that they were “brothers – Rick was during the day and he was born at night.” I remember one time, Andrew and I had a bet on the outcome of the annual University of Miami vs Florida State University (my alma mater) annual football game, but we didn’t say what the winner would get. After my team won, Andrew showed up with a huge box of fresh vegetables grown by some of his relatives on Great Exuma Cay. It was such a thoughtful gift and they were delicious! The picture below is me with Andrew in 2023.
Smiley, his former mate, who now captains his own tour boat was also there. And, I had an opportunity to visit with the fella who spent quite a bit of time on the island working on the wi-fi for the Cay. He not only remembered Rick, but also exactly where the boat had been tied to the dock. I also took the opportunity to update our sign which is hanging in the boater’s grill.
We all took it easy on Sunday, 7/30, spending time at the marina again. I was surprised at the number of yachts that were there because most insurance companies won’t cover large boats in this area during the hurricane season. The picture below was taken from the porch of our rental villa.
Note: You can click on any picture to enlarge it.
On Monday, 7/31, we said goodbye to Compass Cay and Tucker Rolle for this year. Thanks again for welcoming us home.
