Return to the Bahamas

After a years hiatus, we returned to the Abacos early December to share our time with members of the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club. It was good to reunite with everyone and have time to catch up.

Carolyn was able to spend time with our friends at Royal Potcake Rescue from Atlanta who visited the area. They were able to do some work with local rescue groups and in the end took ten dogs back to Atlanta to place for adoption. At last report, most had been adopted.

Robert continued working on his watercolor painting with the help of several local artists, the most notable being the Minnis family from Nassau. The entire family represents some of the best artwork in the Bahamas, and the time that they afforded to critique and advise was most appreciated.

It has been a sad time as well. In January we lost our 4yr. old Coco to a tragic accident. She fell while climbing off the boat apparently causing internal injuries and succumbed on board during the night. Our appreciation goes out to the staff at Abaco Beach Resort for their care and understanding. Coco was buried on the property in a befitting location overlooking the Sea of Abaco and her favorite running area.

Time goes by so fast, however it has been a wonderful season. The weather has been fantastic and we have seen so many of those we have met over the years during our stay and hopefully things will warm up by the time we get back to Georgia.

An Artsy Time

Following our arrival in Stuart, we have been busy pups. There was the maintenance which needed completing on Sea Island Girl and Carolyn's recovery from her ankle injury,h but once that was all done we settled in for some fun and relaxation.

The Martin County area is an artsy kind of place, with exhibits and art festivals most every weekend. We were already in the mood but used our time here to become immersed in all there was to offer.

Robert continued with his watercolors, and visited with some of the premier watercolorists in the area to get some expert advice. Thanks should be given to Kim Rody, Robin Makowski and a few others we met at the Stuart Art Festival. It is refreshing to have the positive critiques, encouragement and suggestions from the more advanced artists,  rather than everyone being so competitive and hush hush about what they are doing. Everyone seems to be on the road to achieving perfection, and are willing to drag everyone that is interested along with them.

Carolyn completed her first pine-straw basket with the help of our long-time cruising friends, Peggy O'Neil and Judy Law. Those two are experts in a lot of art endeavors, and Carolyn appreciated the encouragement and has already started her second basket.

The cruisers held an art show at Loggerhead Marina where we have been staying, which gave everyone a chance to show off their art. It was a fun afternoon, and the marina staff went overboard presenting wines, cheese and fruit for those attending. What a nice surprise that was!

Coming as a big surprise we have bumped into some of our former Lakeside friends from Lake Lanier who are now living in this area. It was especially nice to see and visit with Jean Bayman, Bill and Ugne Wennerstein, and Lynn and Lois Peck. We share wonderful memories with each of them, and getting back together after so many years seems to make the heart grown fonder.

But all good things must end. We have cleaned up, packed up and will be leaving Stuart Mar. 7th, heading onto other stops along the way. Included in that will be a quick visit to Vero Beach, and  a months stay at Cocoa Village Marina in Cocoa where more good friends await our arrival.

We will update you from there.

Resting Up In Stuart

We knew this would be a different cruising season for us, afterall we have spent winters in the islands the past eleven years.

Things started out well when we visited our friends John and Dixie Reese in Cocoa and they helped us move our car to Stuart. Their daughter Katie was visiting from Los Angeles over the holidays which was an unexpected opportunity for Carolyn to spend time with her. Katie was one of the first students at Dunwoody Prep, over twenty five years ago. Just look at her now.

Carolyn and a mature Katie



She has done very well for herself and is working with ABC coordinating programming between the Network and its affiliate stations. She enjoys being involved with ABC and has met lots of "stars", but has yet to find Mr. Right.

After visiting with the Reese family our time has been spent getting familiar with the Treasure Coast.

We have the two dogs aboard - Coco(4) and Robert (1) which has changed our daily routine. There is a nice dog park in Stuart, and we have visited several times. In fact, one time too many.

Mid-December we took the dogs to the park and shortly after arriving, a pack of large and overly energetic dogs slammed into Carolyn from behind knocking her completely off her feet. We knew immediately that she would need to go to a hospital ER to be examined.

After going to four hospitals and three Urgent Care centers we were able to see a doctor. As it turned out it was a severe sprain - nothing was broken - but on a boat things were more difficult to manage. It has taken a month of therapy for her to get back on her feet and for her it seemed like considerably longer. As you can see, she was a good sport about it.

Now that she has recuperated we hope to get her back to the beach for some serious shelling and relaxation.

Keep in touch and if you are in the area be sure and look us up.

Another Adventure

Well we are back on the water once again, and the weatherman has been good to us thus far. This season will be a little different from previous years as we plan to spend most of our time in Florida.

We managed to get away from Brunswick before the cold weather had settled in, and once again are looking forward to spending the winter in shorts and t-shirts.

Just before leaving we had some exciting news. Our grandson, Patrick, accepted an offer to play football at Navy beginning in the Fall. He is scheduled to graduate from Deerfield-Windsor Academy in Albany, GA, where he currently serves as student body President and maintains a 3.9 academic record. We are extremely proud of him, and are looking forward to many exciting years ahead.

We have kept the veterinarians busy recently. Coco apparently had developed an allergy to a change in her diet, and Robert had a growth (benign) on his leg. Following four or five visits to four vets in three cities, they seem to be doing well.

Stuart, FL will be our winter home for the present. We are staying at the Loggerhead Marina and are making the most of their beautiful facilities, and warm hospitality. Several friends from RMHYC are here as well, which makes it even better. Apparently there is a lot to do in the area and we hope to make the most of our stay here.

Here's wishing everyone a peaceful and restful Christmas season.

A New Crewmember

We could make a lot of excuses, and say that we only wanted to be foster-parents for a day or two, but when we first saw the six month old potcake, we fell in love.

There are quite a few ironic things about the situation. Our friend Janie Thompson, who lives in Abaco, actually found the little fellow and his brother. She couldn't resist and took them in, and soon contacted our friend Judy Marshall, who runs the Royal Potcake Rescue organization here in Atlanta. The ladies have collaborated for several years, and eventually the Bahamian dogs and cats are flown to Atlanta to be put up for adoption.

Carolyn and I walked into the PetSmart to visit with Judy. She had the honey colored pup on a leash and said, "this dog has your name written all over him - come meet Robert!" The shy little pup was fluffy, and his white markings gave him a very distinctive look that could not be ignored.

Judy's sister Nancy had been fostering Robert since his arrival from the Bahamas, along with five others. And that's when everything changed. "We can fostering him for a day or two if you would like."

The rest is history. Robert was enrolled in obedience classes, has visited Canine Ranch in Canton, GA in the company of Victoria Stillwell's personal dog, where he learned to swim. He's done extremely well learning his basic commands and will try most anything for his special treats.

In mid-July we took he and Coco down to the boat for several days. Somewhat unexpectedly, he loved it and the two of them have settled in quite nicely together at home and on the boat.

It's akin to having another baby. The hours are long, the potty breaks are often, but the thrills we are experiencing make it all worth while.

Wonderful Winter, Wonderful Ending

It was a wonderful day in late April when we departed Old Bahama Bay, at Settlement Point, Grand Bahama Island, looking forward to our return to the US after another enjoyable winter in the northern Bahamas. The weather was perfect and our six hour ride over to Palm Beach, FL was smooth.

Old Bahama Bay Resort & Marina

Upon our arrival we unexpectedly met our friends aboard Theodore Two, the tiny tugboat we had encountered six months earlier. They were on their way north to Savannah and further north for the Tall Ship Parade in Norfolk. They gave us a little toot as they passed and we went happily to visit all of our friends whom we met in November at the Old Port Cove Marina in North Palm Beach.

Theodore Two, Halifax, NS

We were able to make a mad dash to the grocery store, which was good as we had been down to a little more than PB&J. What a relief! Ice cream, M&M's and veggies! It was an enjoyable two days. Coco knew where the squirrels would be hanging out and seemed to be back  to her old stomping ground once again.

After another two days in Vero Beach our friend Bucko Reese joined the crew in Cocoa. What a treat that was! Although he has spent some time on the water, this was his first extended trip and he was ready, willing and able to provide all of the assistance we needed. It was as though we were on a private charter, with a Captain to handle the boat.

We had great weather as we made our way north along the ICW. We enjoyed Carolyn's cooking, ate well, witnessed beautiful scenery and only ran aground twice (somewhat embarrasingly so, Bucko was NOT at the helm). With the tides being lower and higher than usual we had decided to anchor at Cumberland Island following an evening at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina. A Shrimp Festival was going on at Fernandina which would have been fun, but they were asking $4.per foot (we've never paid that). However when we anchored at Cumberland it was 3PM, and we decided to press on to our home port of Brunswick.

Our timing was perfect as we approached the Jekyll Island Marina an hour before high tide, making it an easy passage through this very shallow area. And before long we were cruising along St. Simons Sound heading to Brunswick Landing.

Sidney Lanier Bridge, Brunswick, GA

The Sidney Lanier bridge was now before us,  once again. The sun was setting as we approached the East River to slide into our slip and tie up..

It feels good to be back. Now all we have to do is clean up, pack up and make our way back to our home in Atlanta. We hope to see you soon.

The End Is Near

It has been an enjoyable cruising season, but all good things must come to an end. The parties are over, many of our friends have already left, and we have begun our trek north and back to the US.

We stopped over in Green Turtle Cay to visit friends at Leeward YC, and to have some minor work performed on Sea Island Girl at Abaco Yacht Services. With a freshly painted bottom, we expect to gain some speed and it was good to have a chance to check all of the systems while the boat was out of the water. AYS did a marvelous job and had us back in the water on the third day.

It was 7am the day we left Black Sound heading north. We made every effort to maintain 9.5 kts, but the tides caught up to us as we neared Great Sale Cay. In total it was a 93 nm trip, and we arrived at Old Bahama Bay Resort at West End, Grand Bahama Island at high tide and before sunset.

Old Bahama Bay is one of our favortie stop-overs. The facilities are the best, and the food is marvelous. Carolyn enjoys daily walks along the beach and finds it to be a treasure trove of sea glass, sea beans and remnants from the old Jack Tar resort that was once a thriving get away.

While she was on the beach I rode down to Freeport to complete my updates for the Bahamas edition of the Waterway Guide. The bus ride was rather predictable- long, hot, and slow - but at least it was cheap. Each evening when I returned to the resort, I emersed myself in water colors, and am particularly pleased with the fifth rendition of Coco, our 3yr. old Border Collie/Chow mix.

The winds have been extremely high, and the seas equally as foreboding this week. Expect it will be a few days before we are able to make the crossing back to the US, but the sun is shining, we have a beautiful beach and lots of company.

We trust you have enjoyed our updates this season, and look forward to hearing from you once we are back home safe and sound.

Until then,