Home we go!
On Monday, the 20 the of Feb we flew home for Soren’s
Birthday. We had a great time with the
kids and saw a few friends. On Saturday
Brigitte hosted here last sample sale with her many great customers! As of March 1st, Brigitte is
officially retired from Partylite. After
a fantastic, 24-year career, she is hanging up her candles. Our daughter Jillian has also joined
Partylite and will take over where Brigitte left off.
March 2nd at 5:20 AM we flew back from MN to our home
on the boat. We cleared customs by 12:30
and our Bahamian cab driver was waiting for us at the airport. We ran into town and re provisioned with
fresh fruit and produce and back to the boat.
On Thursday AM after taking on fuel we departed the Marina at Emerald
Bay on Grand Exuma Island and ran 90 Miles to Cape Eleuthera Point for a quick
night stay. They had a great pool and
restaurant which we were please to use after a hot and rolly ride.
The next morning, we headed 30 miles North to Governors Harbor
and re connected with our friends on Job Site and Sum Escape. What a great ride
on dead calm seas. We choose this spot
as they had mooring balls in a bay protected from N and NE winds. The predictions where for winds at 26 knots
with higher gust starting on Friday night.
The Balls were at a facility, reported by Active Captain to be a great
place to wait out the weather as it was part of a Marriot Resort. We took a golf cart to the ocean side and
enjoyed a fantastic 3-mile-long beach, with pinkish sand, chairs, umbrellas,
and cold beer. We capped off the day with cocktails and a nap around the pool.
By Saturday morning it was blowing hard. After double checking our lines, we rented a
car with Tom and Julie in Sum Escape and headed North to explore. We stopped for fresh eggs and produce at a
small farm. Everything was cut from the field to order. I ask how fresh the eggs were and he merely replied,
if they were any fresher they would still be in the chicken
The next section is part fun with friends, and incredible
fear!
We left the boats and headed for dinner at 6:30 PM at the
resort. We loaded Tom and Julie in our
dink and Carol and DeVere brought their Daughter and Son in Law with them as
they had arrived late the day before for a week’s stay. We tied the dinks up
and climbed up the 6-foot ladder on the dingy dock and off to the
restaurant. We had fantastic food, a few
cocktails, and lots of laughs. They had
a 3-piece band playing smooth jazz that was delightful. At about 9ish we got back on the dinks in the
dark and 25 Knot winds and headed back to the boats. All was going well until DeVere and Carols
boat was missing from the mooring field.
After a brief search, we realized what had happened and saw his anchor
light bobbing way off in the distance! The mooring ball had come loose and the
boat was floating out to sea. I got Tom and Julie to his boat and DeVere
dropped Carol and his kids on our boat.
There was a brief discussion as to the feasibility of going after Job
Site with the dingy, all agreed way to dangerous. This was the real deal and
everyone was scared shitless! The Coast Card was hailed on the radio and they
connected Tom and DeVere to the Bahamian National Defense. Because of the severe night weather
conditions and since only their dog Molly was on the boat, and no threat to
human life they declined to assist. Tom
called the resort and they contacted 2 locals who launched a center console
twin engine fishing boat and picked up DeVere. Both Tom and I where tracking DeVere’s boat
on radar, and by now the boat was 4
miles out to sea. We are all praying for a good out come!!
DeVere is probably the bravest and most un-shakable men I
have ever met. Somehow, in 6-foot
pitching seas and his boat rolling badly he managed to get on the boat and
start it up and head back to our anchorage. Our prayers and those of yours on face book
where answered THANK YOU LORD.
Our next step was for me to get Tom on to DeVere’ boat with
the dink so he could grab the mooring ball and tied up to the boat. DeVere then shuttled people back and forth to
their respective boats. At approximately 11 PM with the winds still ragging at
25 knots or more, everyone is safe and sound. We learned many lessons tonight.
Job Site had no exterior damage, and only a broken mirror
and the contents of the fridge and many cupboards deposited on the floor. We set our anchor alarm and went to bed. Needless
to say, we checked on the boat many times during the night! God Bless!!!
Today winds picked up again and we had peak gusts to 38 Knots. We spent today cleaning, reflecting, praying
and sleeping. Tomorrow’s winds are predicted to come down a bit and hopefully
by Wed. we can resume our journey. Keep
us in your prayers
Today is Tuesday morning, and as Paul Harvey would say "and now the rest of the story". while having a glass of wine on the fly bridge and watching the sunset, I noticed we where broadside in the wind and our mooring ball lay slack next to us. Our mooring failed. I pulled it on board while Brigitte started the engines. We called the resort and and then proceeded to the Mega Yacht dock and we tied all three boats up for the night. They comped us dinner and drinks and all is well. I am about to negotiate what our 4 night stay here will cost. I believe we are out of here and head to an anchorage 25 miles up the coast. Wind or no wind I trust my anchor!! We should be in Spanish Wells Wed. cheers
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