March 18 - 29, 2018 Philips retirement

retirement party for Philip

at AYS 

Philip on the left started to work at Abaco Yacht Services when

he was 14 years old  and now 45 years later he is

retiring and moving to Florida to be with his family

the travel lift  of AYS on Green Turtle Cay

the party was held in the cottage that is rented out to cruisers, when they are

getting their boat ready to  launch or haul .. we usually stay on the boat for those few days

our friends on Wingspread use this facility each year

it looks like another hot sunny day in the Abacoes

Joe catching up with Old Sam

since Joe has been in Black Sound, he has varnished all the wood work

in and outside the boat … plus put 2 coats of wax on the hull, added some teak

trim to the companionway, washed down the inside of the boat with vinegar,

entertained cruisers and was entertained by cruisers, walked beaches, 

bought groceries, did laundry (there is a shortage of water on GTC so it is

very hard to find a place that will let you wash laundry),

and more things that Im not aware of  ….

Joe is not a picture taker like me .. lol .. so it is hard to get

any pictures from him

Joe returned home April 19, but he has a lot more work to do

before that with getting Modaki ready for haul out and summer storage

right now March 30 he is sailing up to Powell Cay for a few days, about a 5 hour trip

and he will be joined there with Wingspread, SandysWay, Almost Heaven and many more

boats 

March 1 - 17, 2018 St. Patricks Day and Sundowners

Modaki safe at Mangoes as the next front rolls

thru .. 45 knot clocking winds

Beauty pageant next door at the Blue Hole

right next to our boat …

Nippers on Great Guana Cay .. the extreme high waves

destroyed the lower part of the stairs leading to the beach

St. Patricks Parade in Marsh Harbour

The Shortest St. Patricks Parade in the World

everyone ends up at Snappas

the gang all together

SandysWay, Groovin, and Don Quiote

the next day Joe and a bunch of other boats, crossed the Whale

to the north part of the Abacoes

and a few nights later there was a funds raiser for ECC at

Sundowners Bar

with lots of music and great food

some of the cruiser crowd

Ronel a student of ECC is a great performer

his parents own Sundowners

looks like they are enjoying the warmth and sunshine

in the Abacoes

February 22-28, 2018 painting the floor and tool box

Joe painted some fish and Sea Horses to our floor on Modaki

its oil base paint so it is a bit tricky to step around the paintings until they dry

Joe has always wanted to make a built-in tool box

under our salon table .. some pictures of his work in progress

note the wood on the front of the tool box

hard to find Madeira wood

Just about completed

it looks really good Joe … this will free up some locker space

Joe made a trip to Man of War to purchase a piece

of Madeira (local Mahogany)…  from Mr. Albury (a local boat builder)

Madeira is just about extinct and it is illegal to cut down a tree for the wood…

it was a rare find for us

Joe took one of the ferries to and from MOW..

its a lot quicker  - 20 minutes each way

February 16 - 21, 2018 MOW … Mangoes Marina

we have anchored off MOW and dinghied to town .. working our way thru

the mooring field

this is quite the way of building a skiff  … two pieces ..

it is support to be like this .. 

I'm taking advantage of the warm clean water 

there is a fundraising event happening on Saturday .. all proceeds go the the

school .. its like a large flea market 

Joe is sharing his chicken souce … I don't like it ..

crab race …. I won

Sandy having a closer look at Mr. Hermit Crab

.. we had a great stay at Man of War, but it was soon time to

head back to Marsh Harbour and Mangoes Marina

laundry … it was a good drying day

I organized a pot luck and everyone showed up at Mangoes

our UK friends

Guy and his daughter Sam

finally I got my picture taken at the Blue Hole … love this

furniture

taking my boat orchids on a walk .. to our friends place ..

Rapeepan and Johnny are keeping them for me until next fall

hanging on the side of the chicken coup

Rapeepan

Joe and Johnny Cash in their garden

duck and chicken eggs

they own Abaco Asian Market and sell their eggs and veggies from their garden

celebrating Sandy's birthday and Joe's Birthday

a must for Joe on his birthday .. cherry cheese cake

February 21 .. I boarded a plane to head home, while Joe is

staying with Modaki for another 2 months

.. and will put her away for the summer

In April I'm going to become a grandma … yes Lily pregnant and is having a

baby girl !!!!!!