We’ve had 12 wonderful days with great friends, Mark and Beth Atherton and now it’s time for us to head to new places.
Tim and I have valued the time spent with friends- old and new- more than we ever imagined we would. We find that we do more, experience more and enjoy more when we have company. Not that we don’t enjoy each other’s company, I think we try harder to make the most of the limited time we have with friends while they are with us. We want to be sure that all of the “Gotta dos” get done and all the extra stuff gets fit in as best we can. We certainly did that with Mark and Beth. Continue reading 5/30/2017. Friends are Gone, Time to Move On.
Finally the winds have begun to subside. Here that means movement as everyone starts pulling anchor or untying from the dock. We have had such high winds for so long that many cruisers have delayed heading back to Florida or changed their cruising plans. Now there is a stream of boaters heading west over the Whale to get ready to cross the Gulf Stream. Our friends Rob and Kim, All is Good, have already crossed back with Long and Day, on Lucy. Today a couple of DeFevers will begin their trip back. Slow Flight and Izzy R plan to anchor tonight somewhere past Great Sail Cay on the banks and then run up to Ft. Pierce.
Us? We’re spending the day chillin at Leeward on Green Turtle. This area has become a favorite for us. The marina is friendly and small enough to be quiet. Yet we are close to town so its easy to find noise and fun times when we want it. Gilliam Beach is just a short dinghy ride and walk away. The water there is some of the prettiest Ive seen. At low tide you can walk in white sand and knee high water way out to a sand bar where you can sit and be amazed at the beauty surrounding you. It’s great for shelling and finding sand dollars.Doesn’t get much prettier than this.
Yesterday we took a snorkel trip with Brendal’s out of White Harbor. We’ve realized that we aren’t going to be able to get our big boat close enough to reefs so we decided to book a trip. So glad we did. The dive boat took us on the oceanside of Manjack snaking through the coral reef to anchor in crystal clear water. Tim and I were joined by a few other snorkelers. The trip also had some scuba divers along. The reef was pretty shallow, maybe about 20 feet at the deepest with many coral heads barely a foot below the surface. This shallow reef meant that snorkeling gave us as good a view as the divers got. Our big mistake was not bringing the GoPro with us. A Hawksbill Turtle stopped munching on sea grass to swim up to me allowing me to rub its shell and neck. It seemed to have no fear of us as long as we moved slowly. He was happy to swim with us several minutes. After a short break, the boat was moved to another side of the reef. Following us were 3 reef sharks. Evidently this is pretty common and since they didn’t seem to bother the dive masters, I wasn’t going to let them bother me either. Tim unfortunately skinned an ankle on coral during the last swim and decided to sit out the afternoon swim. It is a strange feeling snorkeling along watching sharks swim a few feet below you. Too cool.
http://www.mvsubjecttochange.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/img_5609.movWe also took advantage of the calmer weather to enjoy more time at Hopetown. We took a mooring ball at the foot of the lighthouse for a few days. From here we were able to dinghy south to Tahiti Beach and over to Cracker P’s on Lubbers Quarters Cay. We got an interesting history lesson at The Wyannie Malone Museum. In the 1800’s life being hard on Elbow Cay with farming impractical due to the poor soil and little means of support, many inhabitants found salvaging shipwrecks as a way to provide for themselves and family. So when the government decided to build a lighthouse to help guide ships through the shallow waters and to minimize wrecks, the locals were not happy. Many protested and sabotaged the building of the lighthouse. Despite their efforts, the lighthouse was completed and there were fewer shipwrecks. Rough life.
I promised some more photos that I wasn’t able to post last time. So here are some from when Jess and Mackenzie were with usGoombay Smash time on Green Turtle.The pigs at No Name Cay.
