Saturday April 28^th   “Welcome to the BAHAMAS! Every little 'ting is going to be all right!” 

Hi there! This is Courtney. Mom decided to let me guest blog while Scott and I are in the BahamasJ  We arrived in Treasure Cay today after a flight on a rather small aircraft. The Treasure Cay International Airport was by far the smallest airport I have ever been to! We could see Mom and Daddy waiting on us from the airplane and we were ready to get off the plane and get this vacay started! John and Carolyn had joined them to be apart of the welcoming committee at the airport and to see Treasure Cay. Within a few moments of landing, we were whisked away to Co-Co’s Beach Bar for my first Goom Bay Smash. It was very tasty and much appreciated after a long day of travel. We then went for a short walk on the beach. The weather is overcast and will continue to be cloudy the next few days. But like some say, a rainy day at the beach is better than a good day at work! We then joined the rest of the Georgia Sailing Crew at Curly Tails for a delicious dinner. Scott and I were “honorary old people” because we went to bed around 8:30 PMJ



Finally in the Bahamas!



Tiny airport

Hey Daddy! Hugs all around at the airport!

We ran to the beach as soon as we got there!

Co-Co's Beach Bar! (My nickname)

Curlytails for dinner

The Georgia Sailing Crew

 Sunday April 29^h “Pray, Dance, Love”

 We woke up this morning and went to church at New Visions Ministries. The church van picked us up and took us to a wonderful church service. They served coffee before the service so I was immediately a big fan of this church! The pastor preached a great sermon about the importance of being humble and that in order to be truly happy, one must not be prideful. Such a wonderful congregation, pastor, and sermon. One of my favorite aspects of traveling to a foreign country is to experience the culture of the area. The Bahamian people are very relaxed, joyful, and friendly.

   After church we decided to take the ferry to Great Guana Cay for the Pig Roast at Nipper’s. We would have sailed there but the weather is still questionable. We arrived to a beautiful setting of colorful umbrellas, gorgeous beaches, and a lot of happy people with beverages in hand. Caroline was our waitress and she has very happy to see Daddy, Greg, and Jack. She has waited on them every time they have been to the Bahamas over the past five years. You would have thought we were local celebrities the way she greeted us all. I had a lobster salad and I wish I could eat that everyday. After lunch I called Jill and Bob from the phone they have there that allows free calls to the States. Then mom convinced me that we should dance…..and boy did we. At first the dance floor was crowded but after a while I noticed that most of the dance floor had cleared for us and everyone was watching us dance. Mom is quite the entertainer on the dance floor. Later the whole gang joined us on the dance floor but its safe to say that mom was a crowd favorite! We came back to Marsh Harbor and ate at Mangoes to cap off a GREAT day!

Church 

Nipper's

Cuban Cigar Room at Nippers

Dancing at Nipper's

Sailing foul weather gear comes in handy

Daddy and me walking to Grabber's

Ring Game at Grabbers

April 30^th Today was a laid back day. We woke up, enjoyed some of Freida’s famous cooking (biscuit, eggs, grits, etc..), and took a walk to shop and buy groceries. On the dock, mom met some of her adoring fans from yesterday who complimented her dancing. We ate seafood trio with the whole gang on the dock then went to SV Indulgence for dessert.  Later we played cards on the boats and made some good memories. The sun never really came out but this was a much needed relaxing day!

May 1 “Hope Town and Down”

   We woke up rather early and took the ferry to Hope Town. We walked to the top of the light house and shopped for most of the morning (my favorite kind of morning). Most importantly we found NEEM! You know how in My Big Fat Greek Wedding the Dad uses Windex to cure everything? Well that’s how my family is with Neem. It’s an insect repellant, lotion, nail growth enhancer, moisturizer, and who knows what else. We proceeded to wipe out the store of all things Neem. We then went to the Abaco Inn to eat lunch. I had the Grouper and of course it was delicious. After lunch we walked on the beach to look for Sea Glass. The sun finally came out and the beach was breathtaking. We went back to Hope Town and I bought an obnoxiously large hat because who doesn’t need a spare oversized sun hat? Thought I would go ahead and buy one incase I got an invite to a royal wedding….We also bought a fresh baked key lime pie for dinner (which was delicious!!!). We rode the ferry back, grilled steak on the docks, and enjoyed some great company at dinner. Tomorrow we are sailing to Man-of-War. I hope I can remember what I learned from my sailing lessons…..

Hope Town Lighthouse

View from the top

I love the colors they use on the houses





lunch at Abaco Inn

Looking for Sea Glass

Skipping shells. Scott was really good!

A curlytail lizard!

I couldn't agree more with these signs!

Sunset

May 2^nd “Dingy Docks”

 Today we sailed to Man of War Cay. We left early because we had to leave at high tide. It was a very relaxing sail over. Mom even cooked breakfast while we were underway.  When we got to the marina, we decided to tie up to a Mooring ball. This can be very tricky to maneuver but Mom, Daddy, and Scott executed it with perfection. I was the supervisor;) We took our dingy to the dingy dock and began our day on the island.

  Man of War is a very charming and is a religious cay. They do not serve or sell alcohol on the island. We went to Lola’s bakery for some of her famous cinnamon rolls. Lola and her husband were extremely nice! We ate the rolls on the beach then took a stroll. We stopped by the Albury boat factory. Man of War is famous for making boats. They make fiberglass boats and wooden boats. Mr. Albury even gave Daddy a tour of his shop. Daddy was like a kid in a candy store. We then went back to the boat and ate lunch. After lunch, Mom and I decided to head back to the beach and have some girl time. We even brought a bottle of wine! Once we got there, we unpacked our beach bags, got out the wine glasses, and Mom just looked at me. We had forgotten the cork screw! (this happens alot) So Mom proceeds to dig into the cork with a part of her back pack trying to get into the wine but to no avail. When she finally gave up we decided that we surely didn’t need the wine to enjoy this beautiful scenery! It was gorgeous!!!

  We sailed back to Marsh Harbor with Greg, Jack, Linda, and Charlotte. I am still amazed at how beautiful and clear the water is down here! We ate at the Jib Room for dinner. Wednesday night is rib night and I usually do not eat ribs but I did eat these. They were VERY good! After we ate, we went to the back patio area where a few Bahamian men were “raking and scraping”(Making music with a hand saw). Then one pulled out a Limbo stick. Everyone calls him Limbo Man. He went under the limbo a few times then he told me to come up there with him. He then picked me up and took me under the limbo stick with him…..TWICE! It was a lot of fun. He then lit the limbo stick on fire and put it about 1 foot off the ground. Not only did he clear it but he also lit his cigarette while going under the limbo stick! We all had a lot of fun at the Jib Room. After the festivities, we went to our Dingys and rode back to the Marina. Dingy rides are half the fun of sailing!

Celebration at Man of War

Lola's sign and campaign poster for her son.

Sweet rolls on the beach!

Albury Boats

Mr. Albury giving us a tour of his shop. 

Lunch on the boat

My new hat!

Freida was determined!

The wine that wasn't...

Picking us up from the Dingy Dock

Best seat in the house

A Cuban a day keeps the doctor away

I love sitting on the bow. It's my favorite place to be

Captain George

Jib Room

John and Carolyn

Greg and Charlotte

Jib Room Dingy Dock

Linda and Jack being Jack :)

Raking and Scraping

I was not on board with this

But it turned out to be fun

Limbo lower now...

May 3^rd  “Pete’s Pub”

  Daddy wanted us to experience Pete’s Pub. Its smack dab in the middle of nowhere.  They have been there by boat before however it is situated near really “skinny water” (shallow water). We had Susan pick us up and take us there. We stopped by the Neem factory on the way. Mom and I bought up another batch of Neem products and learned about how wonderful Neem is for you. I was expecting the woman to say that it cures cancer because it basically cures everything else. We then took a 30 min cab ride in the heart of Marsh Harbor to Little Harbor where Pete’s Place is located. This is hands down the coolest bar/restaurant I have ever been to. It has a sand floor with a total dive feel to the place. T-shirts hang from the ceiling and bumper stickers from all over stick to the wall. Of course they have the ring game as does every other establishment in the Bahamas. But Pete’s ring game had a twist. You had to wrap the ring around an adjacent pole, let it unravel, then swing around twice before landing the ring on the hook on the wall. And guess what? After about my third try, I MADE IT!!! Everyone there cheered. If ESPN was there, I totally would have made SportsCenter top 10! We then went walking on the beach and found a little Sea Glass. After that beach, Susan took us to a place that would be considered a “honey hole” for Sea Glass. We all found tons of Sea Glass (we are kinda obsessed with Sea Glass if you can’t tell). I took a snooze in the cab ride back. We decided to go to Curlytails to watch the sunset and I tried a Tail Curler. It was Ah- Maaaaz-ing!! It was Mango based and came with an umbrella. What’s not to love? Of course our waitress was Gurdie who also waited on Daddy, Greg, and Jack on previous trips. Just another great day in paradise!

Pete's Pub with Susan!

Playing the ring game with the additional hurdle of a pole

They couldn't make it 

So I showed them how it was done

Duna nuh. Duna nuh! (Sportscenter theme song)

The ring that landed perfectly on the hook after it wrapped around an adjacent pole.

Crossing Rocks aka: Sea Glass Honey Hole

Tail Curlers at Curly Tails

Curly Tail Sunset

Me and my Bahama Momma

Kalik Gold:"extra strength" Obviously this was not mine:)

May 4^th “Happy Birthday Daddy!”

 Today is Daddy’s 63^rd birthday! We celebrated by sailing over to Guana Cay. It amazes me how Daddy knows all about the tides and at exactly what time we need to leave and return. He also knows a lot about the weather which is very important when sailing. We had another beautiful day and made it over to Orchid Bay Marina just in time for lunch. We then went to Nipper’s and celebrated with a beverage while overlooking the prettiest water I have ever seen! We met a group of Florida Fans and enjoyed a little good hearted trash talking before we walked on the beach. I think that this beach had the clearest water I had seen so far. Scott and I jumped in and it felt great on such a hot day. We then wandered over to Grabber’s and sat in the hammocks, played the ring game, and bought a cantaloupe from the famous Milo (He has a small fruit stand and is a fixture in on this island). We sailed back and I was at the helm for the majority of the trip. Daddy has a lot of instruments including auto pilot which makes sailing a little easier. Then came time to dock the boat. Everyone always tenses up when it comes time to docking a boat. Someone could be easily entertained by watching boaters dock a boat and the chaos that could go along with it. Fortunately, we were awesome. I felt like we were Swiss Family Robinson there for a second. Mom lassoed a pole with the stern line, Scott tossed the midship line to Jack who was on the dock, and I tossed the bow line to Greg. Daddy maneuvered the boat into the slip with ease. Whew!

  For Daddy’s birthday dinner we cooked lobster, smashed potatoes, salad, and a delicious coconut cake (his favorite). We sang happy birthday and he opened presents. What a wonderful birthday! So glad that Scott and I could enjoy the “celebration”!!! 

The Birthday boy, his boat, and his bride

Birthday Celebration at Nipper's

Nipper's Round 2

Caroline had to give Daddy a birthday hug!

Soaking it all in

They look like honeymooners!

Can water be more beautiful?

Ring Game duel

Flying the Bahamian flag

Lobster Dinner

Happy Birthday Daddy!

May 5th

“Throwing out bowlines and setting sail”

 Today is a day of departures. Scott, Linda, and I are returning to the states. Jack, Carolyn, and John are sailing back to cross the gulf stream. We tossed out the lines to SV Indulgence and SV Martini. Jack will be single handing back to Florida (sailing by himself). Scott and I packed up and we all decided to head over to Curly Tails for one last Tail Curler before heading over to the airport. It was a sad day but I know we will be back soon! 

SV Indulgence sailing way

SV Martini and Captain Jack

One more Curly Tail

A view of Celebration

Not wanting to leave

Til next time Abaco!

  

What I learned on this trip:

1. I love hearing Bahamians say “tink” and “ting” for “think” and “thing”
2. Apparently, everyone we saw thought Scott and I were a couple. We plan on buying each other shirts that say “He’s my brother” and “she’s my sister” for Christmas.
3. Each cay and restaurant had a specialty drink (except man of war of course). Everything from Bilge Burner, Goombay Smash, Frozen Nipper, to Tail Curler. My favorite was the Tail Curler that was made with Mango. Perfection!
4. Bahamian music is pretty awesome. They have the Barefoot Man who is very similar to Jimmy Buffett and various other artists that sound similar to Baha Men.
5. Mom can cook even on a boat! We ate steak, lobster, seafood trio, squash casserole…Freida’s famous cooking is not limited to the mainlandJ
6. Daddy is a master when it comes to docking the boat. It still amazes me that he can pull a 42ft boat into one of those itty bitty dock slips!
7. Cuban Cigars stink
8. We met several representatives from the SEC on this trip. 2 groups of Florida fans, 3 Ole Miss fans, and one Vol. Of course the Ole Miss fans were the nicest.
9. My parents have an amazing group of friends. So glad that they are all enjoying their retirement in such a rewarding way!
10. Life is about taking chances. Mark Twain says it best: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

This will be the last entry for a while since Mom, Dad, Greg, and Charlotte are heading down to the Exumas for a week and will not have internet access. What an adventure!

Thanks for the memories everyone. I’ll cherish them always!

Courtney Elaine