The happy couple arriving in George Town.

Bill and Lynn arriving at George Town airport.

Our friends, Bill and Lynn from Parry Sound, left Nassau today. We decided that it would be best if they extended their vacation by 5 days (which they agreed to quite readily!). Two weeks was just not enough time to make the stops we had planned for them through the Exumas en route to Nassau.

After leaving George Town (Elizabeth Harbour), the Exuma Sound and swells were not kind to Bill. However once we got through the cut and behind Lee Stocking Island, Bill's tummy settled and things were good. We climbed Perry's Peak, the highest point in the Exumas, all 130+ feet! We were able to see both the Exuma Sound with the deep blue/purple colour and the Exuma Banks with the multiple turquoise colours. We also dinghied right up to and and silently floated over many rays which were in the area, some seeming to span 4 feet in width.

Perry's Peak on Lee Stocking Island (Exuma Sound in the background).

Ray in the water.

Our dinghy with a sunset.

Turtle at Little Farmer's Cay.

We basically made the same stops up the Exumas with Bill and Lynn as we did on the way down, as Jorge and I were familiar with those areas and wanted them to experience the highlights we had experienced the previous year. Our stops included Little Farmer's Cay (Oven Rock and the cave), Black Point, Staniel Cay (the swimming pigs and Thunderball grotto), O'Brien's Cay (the sea aquarium and sunken plane), Norman's Cay (the drug runner Carlos Lehder's hangout, another sunken plane, conch field and one palm beach), Allen's Cay (the iguanas) and finally Nassau. They also experienced wet ass dinghy rides, cockpit showers, fantastic sunsets and numerous happy hours! Some of the major points of a cruiser's life.

Bill, Lynn, Jorge and Kim chillin' after a swim at Little Farmer's Cay.

Shark at Black Point.

Bill and Lynn at Staniel Cay.

Lynn and Kim at Norman's Cay.

We had a few awesome sails between the islands with Bill at the helm at lot of the time. Along with the Gravol and sea bands, being at the helm helped keep him focused so there was not a repeat of the first day out from George Town lol! We also had a few days of motor sailing but all in all Bill and Lynn were happy with the sails and the vacation in general. It was good for us as well, experiencing the Bahamas again through the eyes of first-timers.

Once in Nassau, the four of us rented a car and toured part of the island, enjoying lunch at the Fish Fry and seeing how the rich vacation, there certainly are some mega hotels on the island! We also visited the British Colonial Hilton where Jorge and I stayed many, many years ago on a vacation. It was undergoing renovations at that time. What we paid for the total vacation then probably would only pay for one night now!

We had wonderful weather while Bill and Lynn were here, a few cool and windy days but better than being in Ontario at this time of year. Basically 26C to 28C during the day and 24C at night. We had the odd bit of precipitation but nothing that needed shovelling lol!

Well, its back to the old routine again now that Bill and Lynn have left. Provisioning, changing engine oil, laundry, etc., guess our holiday is over as well! The winds are supposed to be strong for the next couple of days. We are thinking of sailing to the west side of New Providence for shelter before backtracking and making our way east to Spanish Wells on the island of Eleuthra. (Did I say we were heading east? We need our heads examined!)

I have no idea why, but my pictures are now downloading!!!! I am soooo happy.