A New Arrival

Sea Island Girl had been the only North Pacific Yacht on the east coast for the longest time, but this year things changed when Jim and Trish Riordan brought hull#14 to the Abacos. It was a fun time to get together with them and compare notes, swap tales and fellowship.

Jim and Trish had traveled some miles before coming to the Bahamas and he had developed an interesting method of keeping track of his fuel usage, which he shared with us. With fuel prices being what they are ($5.11/gal) it has become increasingly important to accurately measure how much is on board. His technique was most helpful and as we continued our travels, it turned out to be most accurate.

We visited them at Harbour View Marina in Marsh Harbour and noticed some slight changes had been made to the boats. It was mentioned that another NP43 will be joining us during the 2008-2009 season, which we both anticipate seeing.

It was soon time for us to be returning to the US. After a series of good-bye get together's and dinners we said good-bye to our newly acquired friends and anticipated a smooth crossing back to Florida. Unfortunately for us, The Whale Passage, which is a very short trip around a reef north of Guana Cay, was somewhat unsettled. We never anticipated the rage conditions and soon found ourselves "testing" our boat and her crew. Eight to ten foot seas had the boat surfing about for about an hour. Despite these conditions, Sea Island Girl managed better than the crew.

It turned out to be another learning opportunity for us and it will help in the future. No real damage done (only Maggie's bowl), but when we arrived in Green Turtle Cay we witnessed first hand the things that can happen.

The balance of our trip was uneventful. We stopped one night on anchor in Great Sale Cay, then had another evening on Grand Bahama Island at Old Bahama
Bay Marina. The following morning conditions were perfect and we made way to Fort Pierce, FL , some 82 miles across the Gulfstream in record time.

We soon sent pictures to Jim and Trish and suggested that they be a little smarter than we were when they begin their return.

It is always fun to see a North Pacific when we are traveling, and we especially enjoyed spending time with the Riordan's during our stay in the Bahamas.

Back In School

Back then (and we won't mention when that was) the gang used to hang out at The Varsity, in downtown Atlanta. The car hops were the best, but none looked as good as Wilma and they certainly didn't wear roller skates.

Our yacht club had a Sock Hop in February and it was a highlight of the cruising season in the Bahamas. We were tired of "island" music and wanted to hear some of those tunes of the 50's and 60's. Ray Vallerie, one of our "youngest at heart," had captured just about any song you can think of on his itunes and he served as our disc jockey.

Everyone got into the act with their costumes. There were poodle skirts, nerds, cool dudes and even a guest appearance or two. The dance floor was full and the decorations help to make it an evening to remember.

Speaking of guest appearances, we should let you in on a little secret....Anna Nichole was not the only celebrity living in the Bahamas.
It was a special performance by Elvis himself. By invitation, the King himself was flown into the Abacos to woo the crowd with a few of his memorable hits.

As it turned out, the autographed, perspiration soaked scarfs were even more popular than the center pieces created for the occasion.

All in all it was another grand evening, and when Good Night Sweetheart boomed over the sound system, just after The Tennessee Waltz, our group of tired seniors paraded back to their respective boats to rest their backs and get some well deserved shut-eye.

It is amazing how these parties come to pass. An idea is created and a host of volunteers pull it all together for the enjoyment of everyone. What a great group of friends they have been.