Guana and The wooden Grouper

This is Buck a Book

This is the trail leading to Buck a Book

This is the return cooler for the books or DVD's

Tuesday April 23^rd

Plans are to go to Guana Cay tomorrow. So that means another trip to the grocery store.  On our way back from Maxwell’s, we noticed that our friend Don was in his shop.  We stopped and he recognized us when we said you took us the Easter Sunday in the back of your pick up last year.  We asked how his house was coming and he told us it was finished.  He had some other customers so we went into his shop.  We noticed he had carved some of the little wooden groupers that he is famous for.  They are his trade mark.  After the other customers left he invited us out in his yard.  We sat under a titki hut made from an old satellite dish and palm branches.  It was an outdoor work shop for him.  He had a table with tools on it and a few finished and unfinished groupers.  I ask if he would curve one and think about me and call it Freida.  He said he would.  He told us about his “pole” house and invited us to see it.  He said one day when he was going home during the week he would take us to see it

We talked some about his personal life in the states.   He then told us the story of the groupers again, we heard it last year but without so much details.  He was anchored out in Marsh Harbour and would make these little wooden groupers and the take them to the Jib Room and drink all night on the money he made.  Wake up the next day and do it again.  He realized that he was just drinking his money away. He moved his boat Pipe Creekin the Exumas.  He woke up one morning and realized he didn’t have but 35 dollars, no food, and very little fuel.  He looked out and could not see any boats.  He found two pieces of wood and started whittling some groupers.  Later that day a big fishing boat pulled up beside him, and asked to see the groupers.  The man and lady bought several little groupers. They loved them! He said his net worth just tripled in a few minutes.  The couple said they own the Compass Cay.  They had a dock if he wanted to dock his boat there.  They also had a generator if he wanted to use it.  The lady said her husband has to go in for treatment every weekend. I am not sure where he had to go.  Don said you could tell he was not in good health. One day he was in his boat the man came up and asked, in his very feeble voice, “would like to go fishing”. Don said he would love to go.  The man told Don the care taker is getting the boat ready now.  When the two were sitting in the boat, the owner of the island asked if he would like a cold one. Don responded, “yes, I believe I would”!  Don said at that moment he realized, “ Here the rich man who own a big fishing boat and owned the island but had all these health problems was not the rich man … he was.”  I am not sure if this was the pivotal moment in Don’s life but he is now a respected artist in the Abacos.  He has not had a drink in over twenty years, has built a home and obviously attends church. I told him he should write a book.  He replied, ‘oh that is also kind of in the making”. We told him we had to go but we would be back next week to pick up the grouper.  As we left I couldn’t help but believe that there is so much more to that man than we will ever know.  

That night we went to Mangoes for dinner sat with Enny, the lady that blows the conch shell so well and a few other people we did not know.  We enjoyed getting to know the group.

Wednesday April 24th 2013

We decided not to go to Guana until Thursday.  High tide was at 7:00 and we would have to leave at 6:30.  Rey brought us some mahi mahi !  It was a lot.  It will go great in the paella we plan to cook when Jack and Linda get here next week. 

Thursday April 25^th 2013

We left the docks before anyone was up.  That meant we had to undock by ourselves.  We did great!  Then we decided to get some fuel.  So we had to dock by ourselves.  We are getting pretty good at this.

 We then sailed over to Guana Cay. On the way to Guana we were surprised by a big fishing boat passing us on our starbough side.  He was on plane and was only a few hundred feet from our boat!  Needless to say we were hit with the wake of his boat before we could react!! All things in the cabinet were on the floor.  I almost lost my kuerig.  This could have meant WAR.  To make this worst the name of the boat was Georgia Girl!  So if any of you ever see Georgia Girl ask if they were in the Bahamas on April 25^th near Guana Cay……And if they were, just give them our REGARDS!

View from Grabbers 

Beach at Nippers

We wanted to pick up a mooring ball.  We saw all these boats and they were anchored.  We called Troy at dive Guana and he said come on in we have plenty of mooring balls but the are infront of the anchored boats.  We thought we would have a long dingy ride but we were very close the beach at grabbers.  We were going to have dinner at Grabber’s and see the sunset but only the bar was open.  So of course, we then decided to get another cracked lobster on the bun at Nippers.  It was too early to eat dinner so we walked on the beach looking for sea glass and just enjoying the view.   After we walked on the beach we walked back the grabber’s to check on our dingy.  We came in at low tide but it was a full moon so the tides are high high and low low.  We walked back to Nippers for our dinner.  Yes Jack we saw Caroline and told her you were coming.  She was very pleased.  After our dinner we walked back to Grabber’s for a sundowner.  As we were sitting there I saw a dingy go floating away from the beach.  I alerted George and he, being the nice guy he is, got in our dingy and got the run away dingy.  By the way Dingies are not cheap!  A few minutes after that, a guy probably coming from Nippers, past where we were sitting and was obvious looking for his dingy.  I kind of enjoyed watching him worry and then find it tied to a palm tree.  He had just pulled it up on the sand without an anchor.  There were some young people that had anchored their dingy too far out.  We wanted to ask if we could help but decided it would be a better show if we just watched.  The guys stood back as the girls in her swimsuit swam out to get it.

We decided to leave just before sundown to get some pictures of Celebration.

Friday April 26^th 2013

  We got up and slipped the mooring off just before high tide. We were headed to Man O War. We had so much fun with Scott and Courtney last year on the mooring balls.   The entrance to Man O War Cay is very shallow.  The moorings are very much in demand so we called to be sure we could get one.  The marina indicated, “There are plenty”!  Well when we got there we could not see but one.  It was so close to the boat next to it I was afraid I was going to hit it while George grabbed the ball.  We bumped the bottom as we were going to the ball.  When we got the ball tied on I looked and we were in 6 and half feet of water.  Our draft is 6 feet. We were kicking up mud as we were tying on the ball.  Remember this is high tide falling. If we stay here we would be aground in just a few minutes.  So we called and asked again if he could see any ball down the way, he replied “unfortunately, I can’t see any but just get in your dingy and look around”. We think he just wanted to get us there and offer us a slip.  After he lied to us we did not want to give him any money.  We did not want to play his game so we left and came back to Mangoes.  We saw several boats anchored on the outside so next time, if the winds are right we will just anchor out.  We are going back with Jack and Linda anyway.

Celebration at Sunset

View from Grabbers at sunset

Home sweet Home at sunset

Full Moon at Anchor

Saturday April 27^th

We heard that Jimmy was singing again at Mangoes but we wanted to go to Wally’s.  Wally’s is very nice restaurant here in Marsh Harbour but for some reason we have never been. 

We decided we would go on Saturday night.  It is only open two nights a week.  It was beautiful.  It ranked right up there with Abaco Inn in Hope Town.  We sat on the porch and watched the sunset.  They have a beautiful landscaped entrance.  The food was great.  I had Smothered Grouper and George had Mahi Mahi. The service was the best in Abaco.  As you can tell I really liked Wally’s. 

View on the way to Wally's

Wally's Entrance

We sat on the porch at Wally's.

Sunday April 28^th

We walked to the public docks to meet the church bus.  We thought if Ricky does not pick us up we will still have time to walk.  I was thinking about all those people who walked days and even weeks to hear Jesus.  I was thinking, yes I can walk three miles to hear Pastor Derek, but I sure didn’t want to.  George had called earlier that morning and the driver didn’t answer his phone.  We called again and I guess he recognized our number because he answered,” yes, man I am on my way to get you”.  We met a man on the bus that almost told us his life story by the time we got to the church.  We also saw Super, yes that is what people call him.  He remembered us from last year. I think they call him super because he is a super guitar player.  After church we ate on the boat.  I made Mac and Cheese and slaw to go with our hamburger. 

Our freezer is now at 10 degrees!!!!