Tuesday, 29 March 2016

March 23-25, 2016


Mangoe's Pot Luck






Ray the Manager, what a great guy


this 6 year old lives full time on a sailboat …
he loves helicopters


here he is talking to two ex helicopter pilots from the war


one of the boats in our anchorage


the captain cleaning the back of Modaki
and waxing it


at anchor close to Mermaid Reef, where the water is so clear


anchor well hooked


a small sea star
more pictures to follow, need to get back to the boat a thunderstorm is coming



March 19-22, 2016


the beginning of Hope Town organic vegetable and bread market


the lighthouse from land


Joe starting to clean the green moss from the bottom of the boat


Joe in his work clothes
he's getting that farmers tan


chicken parmesan and rice noodles, cooked in my OMNI oven


Sour Orange Pie that we took to Sea Star for supper


home made coleslaw also taken … I'm having fun making different vinegar and oil dressing


Bill and Lauren, Sea Star, from Meaford, Ontario, folding laundry at Mangoe's Marina


on Sea Star, where we met up again with Whisper, (we met  them in Exumas on a beach)


Modaki in the background and I relaxing ..ha ha


Don Wood's home and studio


some of his bronze work




Manatee




Don


sea turtles, I bought one or two or ??


explaining to us how he makes the turtles


an Conch Pearl .. not regular Oyster Pearl


gold sea horses


octopus with Conch Pearl


Bahamian $150.00  coin




dragon stair rail






Don's apprentice  showing us what he is studying to make

March 16-18, 2016

We left Mangoes Marina to anchor out, the weather is so settled, thank God, the boat is clean and we are clean, …..  
I remember last year how packed the anchoring area was, this year only about 1/2 full for St. Patricks Day
We had a great get together with our friends on, Paper Bird, Escape Velocity, Te Amor, Sea Star, Unicorn and many more .. I can't remember if I mentioned we met again with Brad Krampian and his wife from Owen Sound  

This years parade is about 300 plus steps, the Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the World .. and we have the T-shirts to prove it …  In those few steps we first stop at SANDS liquor store and they give us a can of  Sands beer, then off to WALLY's for a huge Jello Shooter, then across the road to Snappas for a Rum Punch … all free … plus they give out free green beads to wear and keep … we did this last year and I think it will be a tradition for us in the years to come .. since I'm 100 % Irish .. lol

Then everyone stays at Snappas for music and lots of laughs … we stayed for about one hour then headed back to the boat because we can hear the music from the boat , and glad that we will not have a head ache in the morning.
 Barefoot Man played a few songs, his famous song ALICE was sung .. but  I won't say any more … not our music taste .. but the bar loved it  and every one joined in singing ..
Barefoot Man will play a free concert the next day on Guana Cay and then a payed dinner and concert the next … it is very popular, but we did this last year and will only do it again if we have our kids with us or  friends, cause it is a once in a life time to see what goes on …   and Joe and I have seen it .. remember this is March Break for the Florida College Kids … and they are all there 

Friday morning we headed out early for Hope Town, we anchored out side and close to the LightHouse, it was kind of lumpy due to the huge power boats passing too close and throwing a wake …
we have a lot of good memories of this anchorage with Moonlight Maid our Halifax friends.
The next morning we dinghied to town and the small farmers market .. then to Hope Town Marina to see if the previous code for the showers still worked .. and we needed showers ..  the doors where not locked …  so we feel better on that account  .. clean once again

Then we went to the light house, we wanted to buy the solar LUCI lights, but none left.  we will get these back in the US or Canada, a must for boaters … 
We met with Kent from Tomato Paste, they restore the Abaco Dinghys and work restoring the Light House, we met Kent last year at their rental beautiful cottages and she showed us around the grounds, boat building area and how they live off the grid ..
we are excited about this Joe will do volunteer work with the dinghies or light house and Kent is setting me up with volunteering at the local school
it is a win win situation for all of us … 

Some info of the lighthouse …
The 1864 light station at Hope Town was erected. The lens and turning equipment was made in the early 1900's by Chance Brothers of
Birmingham, England is still in place today and working.
The entire lens with its brass work, bull's-eye lens and additional prisms weights about three or four tons and floats in a circular tub containing about 1200 pounds of mercury or quick silver.  Weights on long cables, when wound up to the top of the tower by a hand winch, are able to, through a series of bronze gears, rotate the heavy apparatus, once every 15 seconds.  The keeper on duty has to wind up the weights every two hours.
There is two keepers doing this every night, 7 days a week.

March 19-22, 2016

We sailed back to Mangoe's Marina in Marsh Harbour, high winds gusting to 40 knots are expected in the next few days.  The marina filled up very fast, so we are happy we got in one day before the winds hit us.
We needed to do some shore things and didn't want to be pinned on the boat for these few days.
Two things had to be completed now
We made our commitment to be hauled out at Abaco Yacht Services, AYS,
on April 25 at 9am and our flight on Bahama Air the next day at 10:05 am for a flight to Florida to pick up our car and drive home.

yes MODAKI is saying in the Bahamas this summer

We got accepted into this hurricane approved boat yard and we will give it a try.  This will eliminate the long crossings to and from Florida each year.
This season it took us 7 weeks from leaving Owen Sound, getting the boat ready and crossing to Abaco, Bahamas.
Now we will fly from Toronto to Nassau, then to Marsh Harbour, land taxi, water taxi to Black Sound, Green Turtle Cay area.
A few days to wax the boat, may be do the bottom and launch. The rest of the work can be done in the water.  Maybe 3 days at the most, not 7 weeks.

We visited a local artist Don Wood, his work is fantastic .. I wish I could buy some of his larger works … we did buy small items that are individually made, one stroke at a time … he works in bronze, gold and wood …   Don is passing on his knowledge to a young apprentice, Bahaman youth … see pictures 


March 15-18, 2016 New dinghy arrived and St. Patrick's Day Parade


our new to us dinghy is arriving in tow, back to Modaki,
this saved us a trip lugging the motor by land



this young Bahamian was very nice .. Joe tipped him for delivering it to us .. they use the motor as a seat, when driving


out with the old and


in with the new


celebrating , lobster for me


pork chops for Joe


the next day we took the dinghy back because of another leak, so we had to wait Bahamian
style for hours and hours … so next best thing is to visit Curly Tails on the upper deck for drinks, Modaki is now at anchor, that small boat just at the stern of the cat in the right


St. Paddys Day and Paper Bird and Unicorn drop in for a visit
on their way to the parade


the grand marshal of the parade, the one and only Barefoot Man … on left


the parade has started, see Joe at the bottom


the dark clouds did not stop the fun




Ray our favourite Marina Manager at Mangoes


the first stop is free beer at Sands








next was Jello Shooters at Wally's Restaurant


then in to Snappas, for rum punch .. all free
here we met Janis and Cam , Te Amor, from Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia


lots of free music


even the Bare Foot Man played a few songs, and invited everyone over to Guana Cay the next day
for a free concert on Friday and paid on Saturday




our friends in Escape Velocity, Finola and Harry .. we seem to be traveling some what together this
year, we met in the Exumas, Spanish Wells, Abaco's… good friends from last year also




we decided to escape the wind parties and moved to outside
Hope Town for the night


Elbow Cay Lighthouse to our bow


still lots of maintenance on the boat, the BBQ was falling apart and Joe bought new brackets, see
back of picture .. all fixed up again


this picture got missed …
it is Bill and Lauren, on Sea Star, they are from Meaford, Ontario, their Neice and Nephew flew in
for a visit …