Pictures will be posted later - haven't had time to get them loaded on this computer. Sorry.....having too much fun!!! Current position, Mellie is N 23 degrees 30 minutes 14 seconds W 075 degrees 46 minutes 3 seconds.

January is over!!! Well we rested a day in Chub Cay Harbor and it was a beautiful day. We met a Polish man at the dock when Darrell was coming back from Customs - name was Kaz (probably shortened for his US friends). Turns out he owned the boat we saw that morning after it got light that was against the rocks on shore. Two days earlier, they had a front blow through there and he broke anchor in the 50 knot winds. Being a smart seaman, he started the engine to motor into the wind to keep his boat safe. But his anchor line fouled his prop and he ended up in the rocky shore. He told us the entire port side of his hull was a gaping hole and he was staying in the motel on the island and going to the boat once a day at low tide to salvage what he could from the boat. Darrell thought he was having a yard sale when he walked by his room on the way back from Customs (how they met). The day of the storm on Chub is the same day we tried to leave Key Largo and turned around because the waves were just too big for us - so glad we turned around!!!

We crossed the Northwest Providence Channel on Sunday to New Providence Island and entered Nassau Harbor. We docked at Nassau Yacht Haven for a night. Just about five miles before we got to the harbor entrance, Darrell caught a Mahi-Mahi (dolfin fish). Wooooo Hoooo fresh fish for dinner!! If we needed any supplies, this would be a good place to get them but we are still pretty well stocked up. We did a load of laundry (especially the bloody towels from the fish) and took showers before heading out again for the Exuma Islands. Mellie, the numbers at Yacht Haven are N25 4 49’ W077 19 2’. Nice place but not exactly what the name implies.

Roxy now has her sea legs back - that first day or two she was a lap dog. Whoever was not at the helm of the boat, she was in their lap. She got to go swimming at Chub Cay and passed up another chance the evening before we left. She is loving life now, complete with fresh fish and all that. As a matter of fact, we all are!!

We entered the Exuma Island chain at Highborne Cay and spent one night there before returning to one of my favorites, Norman Cay. There is a restaurant/bar there that reminds me of Key Largo. Anyway, we had to have a beer there before journeying farther south. We sailed south to Exuma Land And Sea Park on Warderick Wells for a night before leaving for Big Farmers Cay. We were trying to reach Farmers before Friday for the festival. It is called the 5F: Farmers Cay First Friday in February Festival. Smart business man, Terry Bain, owner of Ocean Cabin there. Get all these US people who want to watch the Super Bowl and party started early. Darrell said “I’ll bet these local folks are saying give away a bottle of rum and these white folks will do about anything”. We witnessed the best legs and best buns contest with about 6 to 10 men about our age in the contests - wow, I could have missed that! We were told it got even racier than that. We saw our first island sloop regatta. Boy was that something. They can really maneuver those boats - I had to pull our dinghy in closer to the boat because I was scared they were going to hit it. Here are a few pictures of one of the races.

We slowly worked our way farther and farther south over the next few days until we arrived here at Georgetown. Our friend Stephen called this Chicken Island because many cruisers get here and get afraid to go any farther south. I’m just the opposite - this gives me the wanderlust for places more distant. It is a beautiful harbor with tons of sailboats at anchor. We are stopping here for a few days to replenish fuel, water and some groceries. We also plan to do some laundry while we are here for a few days waiting on a front to pass through. Yesterday after we got settled, we went to town to explore. I took my phone to check out wi-fi spots. I felt like an internet junkie when I was able to make a connection = the first one since Farmers. I couldn’t type fast enough!! LOL Anyway, we found a café with free wi-fi so I type this on the laptop to take in and upload to the blog. After the next front passes, we hope to venture down to the Jumentos and Ragged Islands next or we might go farther east. So much to see!! Dick and Nelda (former owners of Alibi), we sure appreciate all the notes you took when you were here! And Jack, you were right, Elizabeth Harbor is beautiful! We are eating like royalty and getting darker tans but enjoying every minute! Oh and I have put more varnish on some of the teak with plans to do more in the next few days, Jenn and Mike!! Thank you, Jessica Scott, for checking our mail for us! And perhaps we will have a visitor in March - Jim Fagan has expressed interest in coming down. Any other wannabe sailors????