Lucky Stars

 

My favorite picture this year......so far...

 

 

 

So....sometimes I just feel like I have to thank my lucky stars....well, really....thank God for the blessings in my life. We are in Georgetown, Exumas..Bahamas. It's awesome. It's sort of the big city for cruisers in this area. As of today there are 265 boats here. Lots to do! You would think with that many boats it would be too crowded but it's not. There are several anchorages & if you want to be alone here you can find a spot. But...there is also awesome grocery, laundry, hardware stores, etc.

Scott, Dan, & Dana at the cruisers potluck...

 

All our buddies

It's been a journey getting here. I'm not gonna lie....some days are harder than others. It's not all bliss sailing away..... I've written about this before. Living on 38 feet 24/7 with your partner can be very challenging sometimes. But then....just when your really mad, you realize...who else could I possibly do this with?!

My favorite person

Anyway, the other day we went to see some turtles. There is a bay right around here that our friends on S/V Corsair showed us that is a little turtle sanctuary. It was really awesome to play & feed turtles. Jib was sooooo intrigued!

Me & Jib feeding turtles

Scott fed them too...

 

This is our buddy Matt on s/v KoKoi....see Malaika in the background....we are the boat with maroon sail covers....we met Matt way back in our first year if cruising....great reunion

 

Good times. God has blessed us for sure!!

Xxxooo

 

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New Neighbors

 

Jib's on shark watch

We're still enjoying our time in Staniel Cay, Exumas. 2 days ago Scott speared several "Strawberry Grouper" . They were delicious.

We even traded some today for a lobster tail. Lobster have evaded us for the most part this year but our friend found a good spot today & Scott's going there in the morning. We had planned on moving south tomorrow but after the diving/hunting hole tip, we're staying another day.

So, we have a pretty handy fish cleaning station on Malaika now & when Scott got to work cleaning the groupers....we got some visitors.

The cleaning table swivels so Scott can just dump the fish guts...which attracts another group of fishies....

 

He's as long as our dinghy...which is 10 feet long

 

Fish news travels fast...pretty quickly there were 4 sharks swimming around Malaika

 

Staniel Cay also has some wild beach pigs.

 

 

 

Our little hang out in the jungle

 

Our view...

 

Watching some football....looks like Greenbay & ????

We won't be able to watch the 2nd game because it's a long dinghy ride back to Malaika & there is no moon tonight so we Ike to get home before dark.

Fifty Shades of blue....everyday

 

Malaika is one of the masts back there

 

Love,

Michelle, Scott & Jib

P.S. Check out my homemade pretzels with basil from our herb garden. Soooo yummy!

 

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Hopscotch

Hey Everybody! Internet has been hit or miss lately. We've just been playing Island Hopscotch for awhile. Zig-zagging our way down the Exumas. (A chain of islands in Bahamas). It's so beautiful here.

 

We're here!

We are currently in Staniel Cay, Exumas. Slowly making our way to Georgetown.

Scott goes diving as much as possible. It's become an obsession. The weather has not cooperated lately but today's a good day so maybe we'll get some fresh dinner. We haven't seen much lobster this year. We dove a couple caves the other day. It was too rough to take pictures but they were really cool.

I need to keep this short because we're heading to town early before the weather shifts yet again. The grocery boat came in yesterday so I want to hit the grocery store before all the fresh veggies are gone.

Best grocery store in town!

I'll just share some pics. Things have been running well on the boat (knock on some wood please). We absolutely love our new dinghy motor. It's FAST.

 

Osprey nest

 

One beautiful sunset after another

 

We met a couple the other day who had the prettiest boat I've ever seen. (On the inside). On the outside it looks like a giant tug boat....only painted & cared for with meticulous effort. Not a smudge on it. The inside is amazing. What makes it really special is that Laura, the 1st mate, did ALL the design & woodwork herself....from scratch. When they bought the boat it was completely gutted.

The bathroom

 

Staircase to master suite. Again...all the wood work done by Laura....

 

 

WHAAAATTTT??!

 

The amazing engine room. There are 3 grown men sitting very comfortably in there. Includes washer & dryer too!

 

 

She even has a bathtub!!

Ahhhh...the luxury of a bathtub....feel blessed if you have one!

Exuma coastline facing the Atlantic.

Hope. All is well. Miss & love everybody.

Michelle, Scott & Jib.

Xxxooo

Noah

P.S. I want to take a moment to remember my companion of 16 yrs. When our sailing life was becoming a reality, I knew I would have to find a home for Noah. Scott & Noah never got along anyway & I knew Noah would never adapt to the boat at that age. Luckily, my good friend Julie Olson adopted Noah. She always looked after him when I traveled over the years & they always got along. Which is saying something cuz' Noah only liked a select few people. :) Noah passed away on Monday. He would have been 20 years old in March. Thank You Olson family for loving him & giving him such a great home for his last few years. I will never forget that act of kindness. And Thank you Noah. For being my good buddy for so many years.

R.I.P. Noah Bear. I've loved you for 1/2 my life. And I will forever. See you someday buddy.

 

 

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Wherever The Wind Takes Us...

So we're walking down the beach & turn around to see a HUGE squall moved in.....rut roh...gonna get wet

It's been an interesting 2 weeks. We've been in Rock Sound waiting on our new dinghy motor, which arrived today! Woo hoo! It's like getting a new car!

Scott coming home with our new outboard motor...

 

Scott coming home with our new outboard....15hp 2 stroke Yamaha....SWEET!!

So far...we like it. However, we have to do all these "trial runs" getting the engine used to being used. The engines are so picky....everything has to be "just right". The oil to gas ratio, opening her to full speed...only after cajoling her for several days...it's all spelled out in the manual. It's a 2 stroke. Not even allowed or made in the USA but is VERY popular in every other country. And all our friends/everyone in the sailing community say it is superior to anything in the USA. Hope so.

My spoon

So, I love doing dishes on the new platform but sometimes I drop stuff & have to go get it...

Made some yummy pretzel bread...

Onions & peppers...

Basil, oregano, & mint...

Scott & Jib jerry juggin' some free water in Rock Sound.

Home Sweet Home.

We are heading out tomorrow for a new Island chain...the Exumas. Can't wait. They are really beautiful.

Yum.

 

Geez.....amazing!

 

Love & miss you all. Internet may be sketchy for a little while....will post pics on Facebook when I can't blog.

Xxxooo Michelle, Scott & Jib

 

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