We have a visitor!

Anchored "South of Goat Cay" in front of Augusta Bay Resort

Georgetown Day 9, our guest arrives (Sat Jan 16):  A girlfriend is coming to visit! A girlfriend is coming to visit! Luckily, spring cleaning on our tiny home only takes 2 hours! One of many chores is replacing our flag that took a hit in the derecho/pre-Hurricane Alex. We brought a spare...  We reposition the 7 miles back up the harbor to "South of Goat Cay anchorage" which is just outside my friend's hotel. We dinghy in to bring her to the boat for a cold Kalik followed by a tour and 20 questions.  We saw a turtle in the beam of our flashlight while taking her back in. No extra charge!

Tidying up the boat--replacing our US flag

Stats:  total time 1:30, avg speed 4.7 kts, total mileage 7.0 nm, motored.

A hike in the Bahamas--lots of limestone rocks & sand

Top of Monument Hill overlooking one of the many anchorages

"And you won't believe what happened next..."

The surprise-wave pic.  Our first good pic together!  Yeah!

Guest day 1 (day 10 Jan 17) :  We warned her. "You're going to get wet, a lot. Did we tell you you are going to get wet?"  We started the day with a 9:00 am pick up at her hotel dock, followed by a dinghy ride across the harbor to Monument Beach for a hike. After scrambling up limestone and sand trails (we are not in Missouri!), we made it to the top then headed down to the beach on the Atlantic side. We stopped to chat with several groups of fellow, friendly cruisers then headed back to the boat for a snorkel. What followed was deemed by The Captain, "the wettest dinghy ride yet" (which I believe was previously held by Titusville, FL). She was a good sport!  "We need swim goggles."  After drying off, we decided to walk to the grocery store for dinner. Cruiser-brain forgot it was Sunday afternoon (store closed!), so we ended up at the bar next door.  After rum punches and homemade sweet potato fries, she began playing "is that a tourist or cruiser?" with the bartender until The Captain arrived to take us home. She picked up a new mantra from the Captain--"let it go."  Veggie stir-fry and rum punches in the cockpit. Early evening anchoring entertainment (2 more boats arrived). Sunset on the trampoline.

She snapped a pic of me at home on our boat--cooking in the galley!  lol

Odin's Bahamian Rum Punch

The upgraded bridle--5/8" 3-strand nylon.  Upgraded from 7500 lbs to 12,200 lbs!

Making Rum Punches like a local

Guest Day 2 (day 11 Jan 18):  It was an overcast, dreary day so we ended up in town.  We spent some time browsing the wide selection at Top II Bottom--"our WalMart" then swung theough the liquor store on the way to the market. MONTHS ago, our friends from Diva Di had shared a recipe:  "If you like Pina Coladas, you can remove the fat by just using a good coconut rum (we like Cruzan) and a regular rum in any proportion that you enjoy."  (Duane, I'm hoping there is supposed to be juice in there somewhere!)

After some careful "research" at local drinking establishments, we FINALLY purchased some Ole Nassau Coconut Rum.  The juice/mixer of choice on Odin is grapefruit juice, but we've been also been dabbling with pineapple & guava. 

Here's the trick:  A can of Bluebird juice is only 46 oz. A normal juice bottle/carafe is 60 oz. After transferring the canned juice into a carafe, The Captain said, "just pour the other juice in with it."  This is what they do it at local bars. When you order a drink, they pick up a mystery jug and pour, adding your rum of choice to the glass. Hmmmmmm.

Another guest pic of The Boat Life.  Lounging in the cockpit with my iPad & a rum punch, while The Captain scatters tools about...

So arriving back at the boat, we mixed a can of grapefruit juice & a can of coconut-pineapple juice then added coconut rum.  Our guest snatched the first glass and said, "THAT'S IT!"  I neglected to do my signature "skinny" version the first round, but the second round was half club soda, 1/2 fruit juice, shot of coconut rum. "Yep, I like the fizzy."  I don't remember the recipe we used on the third round. 

Summary:  a can of Redbird juice of your choice, a small can of Jumex juice of your choice, (Ole Nassau) coconut rum.

Yep, you can see Odin from her balcony!

Ahhhhh!  The pool is shaped like a boat :-)

Guest 3 (day 12 Jan 19):  It was a cold and windy day, so I spent it hanging out at my friend's hotel.  I used to be her IT person, so we sat on the balcony, telling stories and downloading apps :-)

The Captain "cracking" our first coconut. He keeps forgetting to buy a machete.

Yum!

Our guest digging for coconut meat.

Guest 4 (day 13 Jan 20):  The sun came out so we decide to walk to the north end of Georgetown. ("Bring your backpack"). Our Guest has taken the quest for our first coconut seriously, and stops to shake all the fallen ones--tucking potential keepers in the bushes for the walk back. We find the pharmacy but continue on to the elusive "meat market" to discover a wonderful little store, staffed by expats with fresh limes, gf pasta, and yes, wonderful-looking MEAT! (We were bordering on being vegetarians. Close one!). A quick stop at the pharmacy on the way back yields more juice and some Stugeron (seasickness medication you can't buy in the States), but the Captain buys a different brand of coconut rum (Don't you read the blog?!). We collect our coconuts and retire to the boat for grilled burgers with bean salad and rum punch.  With a full belly, The Captain decides he wanted to re-anchor closer in, "so we might as well take a sail down the harbor."  A quick scramble has me at the helm and our Guest is sent up to the bow to learn more about anchoring than I know ("This is the same button as the head."  Lol. She was taking video and he didn't know!). We had a leisurely 1:20 sail down the harbor including a tour of Stocking Island anchorages and the game of "we were anchored next to them in....."  OK, that was probably boring for her, but it's like playing Memory for us.  Keeps us sharp ;-)

  Cruiser:  "Grab your backpack.  Let's run errands."  To our guest:  "Want to walk to town?"  lol

Guest departs (day 14 Jan 21):  The winds are forecast to kick up this afternoon, so The Captain ran into town to pick up a much anticipated package (Coast Guard registration renewal, sailcloth tote bags, tankini, sunblock) and to get water.  On the way out of Lake Victoria, The Captain took a wave "that was over my head" and swamped the dinghy!  He arrives back at the boat looking like a wet dog.  The anchorage is getting rough.  Our guest is leaving today, so after much deliberation we decide to do a dry run to the vet (Mama needs a valium to take the kitty in the dinghy in this!).  After confirming the location and our appointment (they kindly give me her prescription to take with me without paying), we head back to the hotel to have lunch with our guest.  She takes some flat-rate mail for our friends and we say goodbye ("that's your cab driver having a beer at the bar").  We dinghy back out and retrieve Amelia the Cat.  The ride in won't be too bad, but I strap her across my body and bring a trash bag for the return trip. Dr. Dean and his assistant turn out to be excellent. He was calm and gentle with our baby girl, exploring a scab, offering to cut her "old lady nails" and discussing the anti-inflammatory shot we requested.  They couldn't believe she was 18!  The ride home in the dinghy was uneventful (even the vet asked if we had a trash bag to cover her carrier), and after a shot of rum, Amelia and I crashed on the couch for a nap. Let it rain, let it rain!