May 11-12^th, Compass Cay

I know a lot of the people reading this aren’t sailors, but no matter.  Even our sailing friends are not going to believe this.  We left for Compass Cay at 1220, with Reese (age 9) on foredeck, raising the anchor, and Bryson (age 11) at the helm.  Chris and I did ABSOLUTELY nothing.  They were amazing.  There aren’t a lot of people who can handle a 47-foot sailboat, and we were so incredibly proud of our little sailors.  And of course, they were beaming.  Experiences like this make such a lasting impression on them.  Not only was it fun, but it gave them an opportunity to be independent, to prove their competence to themselves, and to work together as a team, building on their strong sibling relationship.

Reese had to open up the anchor locker, set up the controller for the windlass (the machine that pulls up the anchor), take off the bridle (a set of ropes with a hook that attaches to the anchor chain), and raise the anchor while communicating to Bryson. Once the anchor was up, she needed to secure the anchor and stow the bridle and windlass controls.  Bryson had to turn on the engine, check the instruments, watch the wind, communicate with Reese, and keep the boat headed into the wind.  Once the anchor was up, he had to control the throttle and steer the boat on our course, keeping a special eye on the depth.

 

Two hours later, we anchored between the east end of Compass Cay and the north shore of Pipe Cay.  We were enamored by the crystal clear blue water and the gorgeous white sand beaches.  We swam, had lunch, and sat on a beach on Pipe Cay while the kids played “survival”, dragging driftwood around and building structures.  They found tons of conch shells and piled them up.  Then they tried to build a fire.  While Wendy and I chatted on the beach, Chris and Craig went snorkeling and saw a giant barracuda.  After dinner, we all stargazed on the trampoline of Anything Goes.

The next day was Mother’s Day.  When I got up at the crack of 0915, everyone was dressed, beds were made, teeth were brushed, and a hot batch of doughnut muffins were ready for breakfast!

 

We snorkeled in a great spot and took a rough dinghy ride to Crescent Beach.  Maggie had the idea to shoot a scene from Chariots of Fire.  She had it all planned out and directed the rest of us as she shot several different angles.  We never laughed so hard and had so much fun.  She did an amazing and professional job with the final product.  Here is the link to her video.  If you haven’t ACTUALLY lol’d today, watch the outtakes at the end!  http://threekidsandaboat.blogspot.com/2013/06/dinghies-of-fire-by-maggie.html

 

 

 

 

 

May 12-13^th, Cambridge Cay

Midday, we moved the boat a few miles to Cambridge Cay.  The kids made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch on the way.  Porter was really taking to snorkeling after trying it at the Thunderball Grotto, so I took him out a few more times.  I fell in love with the snorkeling at Cambridge Cay and barely got out of the water the whole day.

 

We had an amazing Mother’s Day dinner aboard Anything Goes.  It was a beautiful night and we tried to capture, in pictures AND in our hearts, the feel of togetherness, the joy of living in nature, and the love of family.

 

 

 

The next morning, we dinghied to the Dundas Caves to snorkel and explore.  They were similar to the Thunderball Grotto, but the tide was high and it was difficult to get into the cave.  Once inside, we realized the water was a little bit rough for the younger kids, so we didn’t stay long.

On the way back, we stopped at an adorable little island that had a spit of sand arching out into the bay for a hundred yards.  We walked out as far as we could stand.  It was a hoot.  Chris came and picked us up in the dinghy so we didn’t have to walk all the way back.

 

Our next stop is the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.  Hope you like underwater pictures….