O'boy, where do I start

So, the last time I put something on the blog it was Bimini.  And that happened to be the last time we had connection to a computer connection.  The sat phone connection is still buggered up so to stay in contact with everyone we had to stay at Highborne Marina tonight.  Money. 

So many things have happened over the last few days that I will give you a Readers Digest version and then let's just see how it goes. 

We left Bimini with our buddy boat Meandering and anchored on the 'banks' which is in the middle of nowhere.  Miles and miles from any shore but off the beaten path enough that ships would not run over us.  A flotilla of sail boats were right behind us and they seemed to be a bit unsure where they were going to anchor for the night so I gave them our lat /long and they ended up staying in our area.  Even if we are in the middle of nowhere if there are others in the area I sleep like a baby.

So, then on to Nassau or as Chris and Linda call it Nass sewer.  I didn't leave the dock. 

Next day off to Normans Cay.  Our buddy boat decided to do some provisioning so we went it alone.  The direct route is over the Yellow Bank.  I hate the Yellow Bank.  Coral heads everywhere.  A minefield of the damn things.  When you navigate thru these things the sun should be behind you so you can see them but we did it with the sun on our nose.  I hate the Yellow Bank.  Coral heads everywhere.  But, I needed to confront my fears...  nah, that wasn't it, what a bunch of crap, I wanted to get to Normans as fast as we could. 

So then, Normans.  I picked an anchoring area near where we had been before and could not get a hold.  Weeds.  The next spot we got a nice hold but the current and rollers from a storm coming in from the tongue rolled us around like a twig in a stream.  We stayed a night and moved to a new spot as a stronger storm from a different direction was coming and in my eye would have put us too close to shore.  I chose poorly again.   Again.  Wind, current, the storm and a small ship nearby kept me awake all night.  The Belle's anchor set and reset as we rotated through the night.  Thank goodness for a good book to keep me company as we traveled in our anchor route.  We then stayed another 3 nights in the same place.  Why we didn't move to a different place, I don't know,  perhaps with a great hook up like this I thought the ship should not be a concern. We then traveled 8 miles around and around plus up and down according to the GPS.  Picture below is the GPS view from our path. PATHS. 

Normans.  Normans has not had anything going for it since the 60 to 80's's or earlier.  Last time we where there there were a lot of ruins especially from the drug days.  But there was a bar  / cafe that had great burgers and drinks but no beer as the owners / bartenders had the taste.  Anyway,  this year we showed up and the island was a beehive of activity.   Here's the deal.  Some billionaires bought a big chunk of the island and are putting their money where their mouth is.  Extending the runway,  widening the runway for JETS,  turning the lake into a deep draft marina,  hotel and restaurant on the east side, bla, bla, bla.  I don't know...

OK,  so we went to the bar / restaurant (the one that didn't have beer a couple of years ago)  and it was closed.  Still no beer.  It was being renovated but a guy showed up at the screen door and answered our 21 questions on what was going on.  He was an exec chef for one of the principals and was shanghaied from Miami to clean up the existing saloon.  Great guy.  Luke.  Still no beer.

Anyway the next day we heard over the radio that the very closed McDuffs on Normans would open for cruisers one night only.  Somebody talked Luke into firing up the grill and do you know what.  Luke had burgers and, and beer.  Life is good. 

So today Chris spent most of the day getting the sat phone / e mail thingie working here on the very expensive Highborne Cay.

Yesterday, snorkeling for Linda and Chris, looking for sand dollars on an east beach for the bunch of us, sunblock, #1 battery took a dump,  115 V battery charger taking a dump,  #3  battery crabby. And I suspect the new refrigerator is giving up the ghost.  God I love it here.

Pictures.  You cannot put the Bahamas on pictures that would do it justice.  People maybe but the colors, seeing 40 feet down, the fish, nope,  you gotta spend the money to get you butt down here.

No pictures from Kerm.