Exumas Part 4: Compass Cay and Cambridge Cay

the conwaysailors snorkeling at Compass Cay on Mother's Day

the conwaysailors snorkeling at Compass Cay on Mother’s Day

May 11-12th, Compass Cay

Reese on foredeck, weighing anchor.

Reese on foredeck, weighing anchor.

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.

bac driveReese 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.

Anything Goes follows Bryson's lead

Anything Goes follows Bryson’s lead

yeah, I guess it's kinda pretty here.

yeah, I guess it’s kinda pretty here.

 

Some of the kids take a break from hauling driftwood on Pipe Cay

Some of the kids take a break from hauling driftwood on Pipe Cay

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.

One of my favorite moments from the Bahamas

One of my favorite moments from the Bahamas.  (Craig is using an iPad app Starwalk to identify the stars and constellations for the kids.)

I love my cards and gifts, but man oh man I want that tan back!

I love my cards and gifts, but man oh man I want that tan back!

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!

Me and my sweet children

Me and my sweet children

 

yellow fishesWe 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

Chris snorkeling with his dive knife for safety

Chris snorkeling with his dive knife for safety

Lion fish.  Can you see him?

Lion fish. Can you see him?

 

seafan

Chris freediving

Chris freediving

Chris' favorite fish.  A little blue guy with spots.

Chris’ favorite fish. A little blue guy with spots.

Angel fish

Angel fish

 

looks fake, doesn't it?

looks fake, doesn’t it?

 

Screenwriter, producer, and director, Maggie

Screenwriter, producer, and director, Maggie

 

Crescent Beach

Crescent Beach

Reese playing in the sand

Reese playing in the sand

mom pac beach

after the running scenes

after the running scenes

 

Even our dinghies love each other

Even our dinghies love each other

May 12-13th, 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.

Porter makes cupcakes for dessert

Porter makes cupcakes for dessert

cutie pie

cutie pie

 

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.

It's a little tricky transporting hot food to another boat via dinghy, but we've done it many, many times!

It’s a little tricky transporting hot food to another boat via dinghy, but we’ve done it many, many times!

Chef Craig has his pick of aprons aboard the well-provisioned AG

Chef Craig has his pick of aprons aboard the well-provisioned AG

 

Reese and Bryson operate the dinghy to bring things back and forth.

Reese and Bryson operate the dinghy to bring things back and forth.  Looks like I forgot my Coca-Colas…

Mother's Day dinner

Mother’s Day dinner

The kids love eating on the bow together.

The kids love eating on the bow together.

happy children

happy children

bryson

Kate and Reese.  Beauties.

Kate and Reese. Beauties.

 

Mothers who are Loved

Mothers who are Loved

A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

 

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.

the kids have a running race around the whole island

the kids have a running race around the whole island

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.

walking out along the spit

walking out along the spit

We're still standing!

We’re still standing!

We find a giant starfish.  So pretty.  Don't worry, we sent him back to his home within minutes.

We find a giant starfish. So pretty. Don’t worry, we sent him back to his home within minutes.

Really big.

Really big.

 

Isn't this unbelievable?

Better view of the little island with the spit of sand.  Isn’t this unbelievable?

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

 

EXUMAS part 3: Staniel Cay

 

Chris explores Thunderball Grotto!

Chris explores Thunderball Grotto!

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007 in 1965s Thunderball

007 in 1965s Thunderball

May 9-11, Staniel Cay

M: I’ve assigned you to Station “C” Canada.

James Bond: Sir, I’d respectfully request that you change my assignment to Nassau.

M: Is there any other reason, besides your enthusiasm for water sports?

Staniel Cay was amazing.  From the Thunderball Grotto, famous for the scene in the James Bond movie Thunderball, to Pig Beach at Big Majors Spot, we spent most of our time there UNDER the water.  We are VERY enthusiastic about water sports as well, James Bond.  (Not that we don’t also enjoy Canada…)

Over the years, the water eats away at the island, leaving these cool overhangs.

Over the years, the water eats away at the island, leaving these cool overhangs.

It was only ten miles from Blackrock Settlement to Staniel Cay.  We had to motor around to find a spot that we liked and ended up anchoring just off Thunderball Cave, which was featured in the James Bond movie, Thunderball.  How exciting!  We were in the water and headed to the cave as soon as we could get our dinghies untied!  We snorkeled and explored the cave and were amazed at the brightly colored fish and coral.thunderball sign

Chris' LIFEPROOF case for his iphone takes the most amazing underwater pictures.

Chris’ LIFEPROOF case for his iphone takes the most amazing underwater pictures.

puffers tooo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stingray.  Grace on Earth.

Stingray. Grace on Earth.

Next we dinghied to Big Majors Spot to check out Pig Beach.  I’ll just go ahead and let the pictures tell the story here.

Wild pigs on the beach.  Pretty self-explanatory.  They love when cruisers come to feed them.

Wild pigs on the beach.  They love when cruisers come to feed them.

here they come...

here they come…

bryson pointing

Reese gets a new hairdo at Salon AG.

Reese gets a new hairdo at Salon AG.

Chris then took a swing into town to rummage up a steak for me, since I was going to fall on my face if I didn’t get some iron in my system.  STAT.  Red meat and fresh greens are hard to get in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, and Iron-enriched cereal is out because we can’t get milk and I won’t wrap my head around UHT milk (Parmalat).  Luckily, he was able to find one steak, but had to pay an arm and a leg for it.  It did the trick though.  I felt better by the next morning…

dive shop

…which was HOT!  And there were flies EVERYWHERE.  We had a busy morning with schoolwork, cleaning, taking the garbage to the dump, and making/eating scones for breakfast.  We heard that the mailboat had just arrived, which brings food and supplies from Nassau.  Chris and I dinghied to the “store” to buy anything we could get our hands on.  It was slim pickings, but we realized we were lucky.  The regular patrons in the store seemed very excited.  Apparently, the pickings are usually slimmer. 

 

My non-collusion clause.

My non-collusion clause.

One thing they had plenty of was fly paper.  Chris snuck them in the basket and we ended up in a big philosophical discussion about it while waiting to pay. Somewhere along the line, you may have missed that I am a Buddhist who is trying very, very hard to adhere to the precept of Ahimsa.  (Ahimsa means non-harm.  I am dedicated to not killing anything as well as trying very hard, and sometimes succeeding, to not to harm anyone or anything in any other way.)  I lost the tete a tete, and Chris hung fly strips to catch the flies (I don’t know why, he captured the fly…He swallowed the fly, to catch the …..)  Unfortunately, it also caught Reese’s hair every time she leaned over the saloon cushions to put something in the sink.  She wasn’t a fan of the fly strips either.

Reese and Bryson standing in the water near the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.  With sharks and stingrays.  No biggie.  These sharks don't bite.

Reese and Bryson standing in the water near the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. With sharks and stingrays. No biggie. These sharks don’t bite.

cannonball jellyfishAfter lunch, we snorkeled around an airplane that had crashed in shallow water years ago.  The kids enjoyed it, but I was a little worried about these tiny little jelly fish that were everywhere.  I had never seen anything like them.  They were only about an inch in diameter.  They looked like this picture of a cannonball jellyfish.  In some places, there were a few here and there, and in other spots, there were hundreds of them.  I didn’t know if they stung, and I didn’t really want to find out.

We needed to check out Thunderball Cave again, so back we went.  It was just as amazing the second time.  We saw a giant lobster, took fun pictures, and dared each other to free dive down deep in order to get out of the cave via an underwater opening.

A giant lobster, hiding under a rock.

A giant lobster, hiding under a rock.

HUGE Puffer fish, unpuffed.

HUGE Puffer fish, unpuffed.

We even got Porter to snorkel, as long as he got to hold my hand.

We even got Porter to snorkel, as long as he got to hold my hand.

DSC_0391

Some of these shots are from Wendy’s camera. We regularly exchanged photos so that we could use them on both of our websites. This one is really amazing!

bac feed pigs

Firebolt, chillaxing in the shallows while we floated in the water with s/v Rachael.

Firebolt, chillaxing in the shallows while we floated in the water with s/v Rachael.

 

Porter finishes the second grade math program (he's only in first grade).

Porter finishes the second grade math program (he’s only in first grade).

After dinner, a little catchup on schoolwork, and playing “nail salon”, Chris and I went over to AG to talk about our itinerary after the Exumas. 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back, I saw a bug.  It was a weevil.  In our pasta.  When I tell you that I almost moved off the boat that night, I am not even remotely kidding.  There are few blunders as big as getting involved in a land war in Asia (please tell me at least one of you gets that reference). One of them is getting bugs on a boat.  It must be avoided at all costs.

Seriously?  Not interested.

Seriously? Not interested.

Once bugs are reproducing in the warm, damp, dark recesses of the bilge, it is nearly impossible to politely invite them to leave.  Frankly, crap like this just takes this whole Ahimsa thing to a whole new level of determination and dedication.  So I stayed up almost the whole night, paper towels in hand, taking every food item out of every last cabinet and searching for more weevils.  They are very tiny; about 1/4 the size of a grain of rice.  Once found, I had to try to “capture” them without killing them.  Then I would carry them outside and set them free.  I really hope they can swim, because I wasn’t about to dinghy them ashore!

Flat Mema and Flat Bestefar join us in Staniel Cay. (For all you Flat Stanley fans out there)

Flat Mema and Flat Bestefar join us in Staniel Cay. (For all you Flat Stanley fans out there)

The next morning brought more of the same: emptying food cabinets, bleaching them, washing them down with vinegar, putting all food into ziplocs and Lock n Lock containers, and throwing out flour and any food that was getting old.  I cleaned the floors and cushions since I had everything torn apart anyway.  Porter read to us while we cleaned, which helped pass the time.

(Update: We did finally get rid of the weevils.  They returned once more before the end of our voyage.  I’ll try to gloss over that part of the story when we get to it so you don’t have to relive this horror again.  Eventually, my resolve weakened and I did kill some of the weevils.  I feel really badly about it.  And I still inspect my flour and pasta like a scientist before I cook with them.  I can’t stop, even though we’ve been on land for over two months.)

bikeSo even though our time in Staniel Cay ended in a slight panic, we had an amazing time there.  It was one of those places where, outside of a few dollars for groceries, which weren’t even necessary, we had two straight days of mind-blowing, unique, nature-filled fun without spending money.  And it’s only going to get better as we move through the Exumas!  Next up: Compass Cay and Cambridge Cay!

“One must live the way one thinks, or end up thinking the way one lives.” – Paul Bourget

EXUMAS: Rat Cay, Lee Stocking Island, Blackrock Settlement

 A dream is real while it lasts.  Can we say more of life?  -Havelock Ellisbasket

May 6, Georgetown, Bahamas

On May 6th, we woke up in Georgetown to a typical routine.  The kids did their schoolwork, I helped them and did our morning clean up, and Chris changed the oil in the generator.  At 1030, Chris and Reese dinghied to town to buy Porter’s birthday present.  We were going to be on tiny islands for the next few weeks, so when we found a chandlery that sold fishing rods, we knew it was a perfect opportunity to get Porter’s gift.  We just had to figure out how to buy it, get it back to the boat, and hide it on our 47’ boat without him seeing it!  Chris and Reese also picked up the laundry and made yet another trip to the supermarket.  We were so nervous that this would be the last decent place to get food for a while, so we stocked up.

Patronus under way

Patronus under way

By 1215, we were entering our final preparations for departure.  It was hot out.  We secured anything down below that might fly off the shelves once we started heeling.  We took the outboard engine off the dinghy and raised it up so we could hang it on the aft railing.  We attached the special painter to the dinghy that allows us to tow it safely behind us.  I took all the towels and bathing suits off the railings and stowed them down below.  The kids put away all their schoolwork, made their beds, and put on their life jackets.  We had this little routine down to a science, as did Anything Goes.

The girls hanging out of the bow of AG

The girls hanging out of the bow of AG

By 1300, both boats were ready to depart, so we raised our anchors and headed for Rat Cay.  Like so many times before, I thought about how different our year-long experience would have been had we not decided to “Buddy Boat” with Anything Goes.  At this point, they feel like a part of our family.  Kids and adults move from one boat to the other without pretense or formality.  Our sailing experience this year was now defined by our relationship with these five people.  I believe that things happen for a reason.  Each of our families assumed we would be sailing alone.  But our expectations changed as our hearts opened to each other and as we discovered how deeply we could experience each moment when given the chance to share it with amazing people.  We set off to see new places and meet new people.  We were given an unexpected gift and I was so grateful.

Fishing, fishing, and more fishing.

Fishing, fishing, and more fishing.

Our two boats moved slowly through the cut and I felt excited about exploring the long line of islands that lay before us.  The Exumas.  It feels exotic just to say it.  We were headed towards the places that are “too hard to get to” for tourists traveling by plane.  Most islands didn’t have cars, much less an airport.  Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.  This is my kind of solitude!

following the birds (that's where the fish are)

following the birds (that’s where the fish are)

1600, Rat Cay

We motored for three hours to get to Rat Cay and anchored on the west side of this small island.  There were two cute beaches with rugged, short brush beyond the sand.  I jumped in the water to check that the anchor was secure.  The water was so beautiful and it was such a hot day that I swam to the beach to check it out.  When I swam back, I hung out in the water and scrubbed some of the growth off of the bottom of the dinghy.  (Note that the 9 other people I was with did not remind me that it was after 1500 hours, which is when the sharks start to feed.)  Luckily, I made it out alive, but I freaked out when I remembered the time!

AG at Rat Cay

AG at Rat Cay

Chris, Bryson, and Reese went out exploring in the dinghy with some of Anything Goes.  They did some fishing but came out empty-handed.  Leftovers it is!  We had an early night so that we could leave first thing in the morning.

dinghy fishing

dinghy fishing

IMG_7264May 7, Lee Stocking Island

The next morning, we motored 50 minutes to Lee Stocking Island in order to check out the Marine Institute.  Rule followers that we are, we radioed the Institute for permission to tie up to their moorings, but got no answer.  We tied up temporarily and Wendy and I dinghied in to check out the scene before we loaded everyone onto land.  We tied up, walked up the dock, and didn’t see anyone.  It was only 0910, so maybe they weren’t open yet.  We walked around the small outpost of five buildings.  We got the feeling that the place had been open and then everyone left all at once in the middle of the day at some point.  Log books were filled out, doors were left open, white boards were full of To Do lists and scheduling charts, coffee cups sat on desks, and a towel hung on a railing.  And yet, it was clear that the place had been abandoned for some time.  We played CSI Bahamas for a while, poking around and putting the clues together.  We decided that someone got a call from the mainland headquarters one day, telling them that their funding had been cut, so they all just dropped everything and went off to drink.

where'd everybody go?

where’d everybody go?

We had heard great things about the Institute and we had planned on a full day of learning about the environmental projects they were spearheading in the area.  We knew the kids would be excited about it and the educational bent gave us an excuse to skip science that day! But as Wendy and I realized that the Universe had put the kibosh on our plan, I noticed that I wasn’t really that disappointed… “That’s weird,” I thought.  ‘Cause I used to be pretty tightly committed to plans.  Perhaps this whole sailing thing was having some fun little side effects.

After all, Wendy and I were having fun wandering about and playing Nancy Drew.  I knew that the kids would have plenty of additional opportunities to learn about ocean environmentalism.  And I trusted that this little change in plan would result in an equally lovely day, doing something wonderful with nine other amazing people.

Calling Anything Goes for an up-to-the-minute fishing report

Calling Anything Goes for an up-to-the-minute fishing report

So off we went, zipping back to the boats, raising the anchors, and departing by 1000 for Black Rock Settlement on Great Guana Island.  In 29.6 miles, we caught a blackfin tuna and two mahi mahi!  (Thanks, Universe!)

Yup.  That's our nine year old filleting a fish on the swim platform while underway. (I think we just got kicked out of Helicopter Parents International)

Yup. That’s our nine-year old filleting a fish on the swim platform while underway. (I think we just got kicked out of Helicopter Parents International.  Yes!!!)

Patronus following the birds

Patronus following the birds

better than science class.  Chris reels in a fish!

better than science class. Chris reels in a fish!

tuna and mahi mahi

tuna and mahi mahi

 

Craig reels in a mahi mahi.  I love this picture!

Craig reels in a mahi mahi. I love this picture!

By 1430, we were anchored in a beautiful snug harbor.  A little town sat to one side.  We even had Internet access!  And lo!  There is s/v Rachael! (Here’s where we see who has been following along way too closely.)  Mark and Julie on s/v Rachael are friends we met in Somes Harbor on Mt. Desert Island in Maine.  We met up with them again in Annapolis, Maryland.  And here they were again, right in front of us!  It was a lovely reunion and we made plans to meet up again further along the Exumas.

Mark and Julie

Mark and Julie

 

While Chris, Reese, and Kate cleaned Patronus’ bottom, I made Bahamian cole slaw from scratch for the first time.  Bryson and Porter kayaked to the beach with Olivia.  I heard Reese yelling so I came up top to see what was going on.  She said she saw a shark, so she and Kate came out of the water.  I scanned the crystal clear water and sure enough, I saw something large swimming between Patronus and Anything Goes.  I scanned the harbor to find Bryson, Porter, and Olivia.  Oh no.  They were far away and the shark was headed toward them.  Olivia was swimming in the water next to the kayak.  I jumped in the dinghy and zoomed off towards them, waving my arms and shouting to the kids.  They finally saw me and I screamed, “GET OLIVIA BACK IN THE KAYAK!”  Have you ever noticed that if you scream at the top of your lungs to close the door, kids won’t hear you, but if you whisper that you have a piece of gum, they come running from three rooms away?  It was like that.  They stared at me like I was crazy and kept playing.  Did I mention that the kayak is inflatable?  They finally realized that I usually don’t drive the dinghy while standing up and jumping around with my arms flying about and got Olivia safely back in the kayak.  The kids paddled back to the boats next to me while I scanned the harbor.  The shark had disappeared, but we noticed that this was a pretty popular spot for some big sharks!

That night, we enjoyed fresh mahi mahi with rice in a lemon butter sauce and my Bahamian cole slaw.  Everyone went over to AG for the evening, but I ended up going to bed early with a headache.

The next morning, the kids did their schoolwork and we enjoyed Wendy’s homemade focaccia bread for breakfast (you never did send me that recipe, Wendy:).  Mark and Julie swung by to say goodbye before heading north.  We got our acts together so we could head to town and see what Blackrock Settlement is all about.

Blackrock Settlement, Great Guana Island

Blackrock Settlement, Great Guana Island

Sailor Porn

Sailor Porn

So Blackrock Settlement is a really, really small town, but you are going to think we spent a long weekend in New York City when you hear about how much we did there in three hours.  We:

  • Went to the post office
  • Visited the school and donated school supplies
  • Visited the Garden of Eden, a collection of driftwood sculptures
  • Did laundry
  • Shopped for food
  • Got Bryson and Porter’s hair cut
    Porter is NOT happy.  He wanted a buzz cut.

    Porter is NOT happy. He wanted a buzz cut.

    We find an almond tree on the way back and discover first hand why almonds are so expensive!

    We find an almond tree on the way back and discover first hand why almonds are so expensive!

    After minutes of smashing it with a rock, Bryson finally gets one nut out of the shell.

    After minutes of smashing it with a rock, Bryson finally gets one nut out of the shell.

     

     

 

 

 

 

 

(the last three things were done in the same “laundromat/bakery/grocery/salon/tackle shop”, which was run by a very enterprising young woman who has her finger on the pulse of the needs of the modern cruiser.  We were seriously impressed by her and hope she continues to do well.)

kate reese basket

 

Driftwood sculpture

Driftwood sculpture

 

The kids were starting to hit the wall, but on the way back to the dinghies, we saw a woman plaiting straw under a tree in her front yard.  The scene was just too romantic and ripe with opportunity to pass by.  I wanted so badly to get to know her, hear her story, crawl into her life for a few minutes.  Kate and Reese started talking to her about making baskets, so she sat them down and let them give it a try.  Her name is Alma and she was fascinating.  She invited us into her home.  I can’t remember why.  I think Wendy asked her a question about making rice and beans, but the next thing we knew, we were in her immaculate kitchen, listening to her tell us all about browning spice.

How beautiful is this?

How beautiful is this?

trophiesWe noticed that her living room was full of sailing trophies.  Like, big ones.  A lot of them.  Some were three feet tall.  Alma told us all about her husband, who loves to sail and has participated in races all over the Bahamas for years.  We could have stayed there with her all day.  She was so nice.  She seemed so content and at peace with her life.  I wish you could all meet her.  I wish everyone could do their work while sitting in the shade of a giant tree in their front yard, saying hello to all the people who walk by.

Alma

Alma

Having sucked the marrow out of Blackrock Settlement, we returned to the boats and went swimming.  We had tuna tacos for dinner and I tried making cassava casserole.  It  was pretty bad, which was annoying, because it was really time-intensive.  I think one of the kids liked it.  I think it was Kate.  I love Kate.

Maggie climbs the mast for her birthday and Reese climbs ours to wave hi!

Maggie and Reese climb the masts!

reese top

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both girls climbing the masts.  These masts are about 60 feet high!

Both girls climbing the masts. These masts are about 60 feet high!

reese mast

Maggie reaches the top

Maggie reaches the top

For fun, we programmed AG’s MMSI number into the DSL on our VHF.  Bonus points if you have any clue what I just said.

Driftwood Sculpture

Driftwood Sculpture

After that, we played cards, but the night ended early when Bryson and Porter got grumpy over some spilled water.  If you have kids, you know the kind of night we were having.  It happens…

The next morning, we made banana pancakes, while listening to Banana Pancakes (by Jack Johnson).  I literally could not have been more pleased with life.  It reminded me of the time I read Treasure Island, on Treasure Island (Norman Island, BVI).driftwood twist

A wall of boat cards from previous visitors to Blackrock Settlement.

A wall of boat cards from previous visitors to Blackrock Settlement.

Bryson had a chance to exercise his independence and I was so excited for him.  He had proved many times over that he was an excellent dinghy driver.  He also enjoyed running errands for the family.  Se we let him take the dinghy into town by himself and pick up the cinnamon bread that we ordered the day before.  He brought it back successfully before a squall blew through.  I was so proud of him and he was all smiles the rest of the day.

Sunset at Blackrock Settlement

Sunset at Blackrock Settlement

It was time to leave Blackrock Settlement, and I was filled with gratitude for this small, lovely place in the Exumas.  It ended up on my list of places I would really love to go back to someday.  Next up, we explore the site of James Bond’s fourth mission….blackrock