We had a total of twelve in our salon for movie night. The movie was Captain Ron. What a hoot!

Hard to see, but there are six tenders (family cars) tied to September Song.

Jay, showing us the proper way to eat one of Stephanie's Fireball jello shots at the after movie party on the fly bridge. 

Godiva, playing with her new little friends.

He is so cute. Mom, Dad, and the two boys are cruisers for three months on their sailboat, the Southern Cross. They are working on making it a full time thing. Good luck!

Queen Nancy of the Islands.

Life's a beach. Cassie and Godiva, loving the Islands with Mom.

Horse shoes on the beach.

A little Captain Nancy?

Our September Song burgee that we hung here at the Yacht Club four years ago.

One of the first things we do, when we get to Staniel Cay, is to go to the yacht club, and order cracked conch. It is soooo good!

Empty plate. Happy cruisers!

Our group, at the bar, at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. 

When you need bread, you don't go to a grocery store, like in the States, you go to the bread lady's house for fresh, home made.

Rhonda, AKA the bread lady.

Vary little to choose from in the grocery store. If you don't get there soon after the supply boat comes in, you don't get it.

Stephanie's great find, made by one of the locals.

The view as we head up Pipe Creek to Rachel's Bubble Bath.

Rachel's Bubble Bath is one of those special places we love to go to. The waves from the Atlantic break through a cut in the rocks, spill over into a huge pool, making it a  giant bubble bath.

 

Me and Stephanie, in the pool.

BooBoo Hill

Every year we come back to BooBoo Hill to find our September Song sign that we put another year on, and put it back up on the hill, overlooking the beautiful Islands and blue waters, where it waits with all the other cruisers' signs, for us to return the next year. We were hoping it would still be there, because Hurricane Irene hit here last summer, and we thought it may have blown away. Everyone was helping us look for it, because it wasn't in the place where we left it. We were just about ready to give up, when Pam spotted it. YIPPEE! Thanks Pam! We carried it back to September Song, where Stephanie will put another year on it, (our fourth year) and it will return to BooBoo Hill to watch and wait to see us on the horizon, and welcome us back next year.
This year, Stephanie did something special. We were anchored out in Hurricane Irene, the same hurricane that hit the Exumas last summer. After the storm, Stephanie spotted a piece of driftwood floating by September Song. She retrieved it, put our names, September Song, hurricane flags, and the dates it hit the Islands and us in the US. We took it up to BooBoo Hill, and placed it with all the other cruiser signs.
It's always a special time for us to make the hike up BooBoo Hill, find our sign, add another year, find the signs of some of our cruising friends from past years, and to share a special moment with first timers, Steve and Kim "Maya", when they take their first trip. I'm sure many more are to come, up BooBoo Hill to place their sign with all the others, where it will wait for them to come over the horizon again.

September Song (a special time) out
Bob


Stephanie's hurricane sign, ready to take its place on BooBoo Hill.

Our group, in the belly of the whale, headed to BooBoo Hill.

Willim, Judy, Jay, and Nancy, on the trail to BooBoo Hill.

 

The view of the ocean from BooBoo Hill.

Looking out over the Islands from BooBoo Hill.

Can't let a beautiful afternoon go by without getting together with friends on the beach.

Our family cars (tenders) anchored off the beach.

Stephanie, placing her Hurricane Irene sign with all the others.

YIPPEE! We found it. Thanks Pam.

Pam and Stephen, with their sign, and another year added.

Everyone looking for cruising friends' signs.

Great picture of Jay and Nancy, with the blue, blue ocean behind them on BooBoo Hill.

William and Judy with their new sign.

Steve, placing their sign with all the others.

We see many signs that cruising friends have left here. This one is special, because it's Lifes2Short's sign. Todd and Brenda were our tour guides our first year here, and have sold their boat, and returned to wo-wo-work. We think of them every year when we return.

We're in the Islands "Mon"!

Happy Easter everyone! We got our first Internet connection in a week, and we are now in the Exumas Land and Sea Park.
This is going to be a long blog to get you caught up.
We left the US coast on March 31st, and had a good crossing to our first stop in the Islands, Bimini Sands, where we checked in with customs and immigration. As we were pulling into the dock, another boat, "Miss Grace", with cruising friends, Bob and Nonnie, had just pulled in ahead of us. After a short ride to the airport to check in, a ride back to the boats, putting up our Bahamas courtesy flags, it was time to celebrate. We took the courtesy  bus to the Beach Club for drinks and dinner. It's good to be back!
The next morning, we left before daylight (05:00) because we had a long day cruise to the Berry Islands and the Berry Island Club. After cruising across the Bahama Banks, we reached the tongue of the ocean, about one and one half hours away from the Berry Island Club.This was our first chance to put the lines in the water, and I wasn't disappointed. ZING, FISH ON, FISH ON! I caught a beautiful bull dolphin.
When we reached the Berry Island Club, we asked if we could have dinner. They said they didn't have any fresh fish, so they couldn't do dinner. "I have a fresh fish". When we arrived at the dock, I cleaned my dolphin, and they grilled it for the six of us, along with Bahamian peas and rice, Bahamian mac and cheese, coleslaw, and lots of rum punch. What a treat, and what a blast.
We left the Berry Island Club at first light for Nassau, where we met up with Jay, Nancy, William, and Judy, who will be cruising with us. During our three day stay in Nassau, we ended up with a total of nine cruising friends boats in our Marina. Can you say PARTY! All nine boats are headed to the Exumas, and our group will meet up with them from time to time while there. From Nassau, our group headed to Normans Cay, our first stop in the Exumas, and one of our favorite beach bars, MacDuff's. After a two day stop, we headed to the Exumas Land and Sea Park in rough seas We got hooked to our mooring ball, put the tender down, then the accident. I went to step off the tender onto the swim platform, and it was wavy. I missed the platform, well almost, hit on  my side, and ended up in the water. It knocked the wind out of me, I broke a couple of ribs, Stephanie was on the upper deck, and I couldn't yell. I hung onto the support for the platform, felt myself passing out, and finally was able to get out HELP! Thank God she could hear me. She came running down, two guys came over to help, and they finally got me on the boat. I'm real sore, but it could have been alot worse.
Well, that catches you up, and today is going to be my first try to get off the boat. The park is having an Easter get together for all the cruisers here, and I hope I can go.

September Song (I lived to tell about it) out
Bob




Sunrise over the Atlantic as we left the US for the Islands.

Our bus ride (you would need to see it) to dinner at the Island Club.

This is our view when traveling at night. ICR (instrument cruise rule)