Thursday, February 18, 2010 Nassau Harbor, New Providence Island

Wow – last night we really had the winds again. 20-25 knots and I’m sure some gusts to 30. I got up several times to make sure we were secure. The winds started settling down throughout the course of the day and it’s pretty nice now as I write this.

We went into town with Mary & Axel (Azaya) to do some grocery shopping & Axel picked up a GPS and software from Island Marine Electronics. He actually got a good deal – probably better than if he’d bought the stuff in the states. There’s a good grocery store here so I picked up some fruits, veggies and other items. I found some polarized glasses at the pharmacy to replace the ones that went overboard. They’re not as good as the ones I lost, but hopefully they’re better than nothing to see the coral heads in the water. We hung out at Starbucks for a bit then went over to the marina to find Blue Pearl and their guests – the Inmans. They’re the ones that brought a macerator pump to us and it came from the Olympics! I’m going to have to use indelible ink to draw on the macerator – a maple leaf flag to commemorate this historic event – before Wayne installs it.

It was a nice day to walk through the town. It was cool and sunny and periodically the smell of barbeque or conch frying from the street venders would come wafting my way. With the winds settled down you could look down into the turquoise water and see the bottom sand again – very pretty, transparent water. You could see the garbage that others had thrown into the water. Bottles, alternator belts, plastic bags, cans, and clothing makes you want to go swimming aye? The dinghy ride back to the boat today wasn’t as wet as the ride yesterday! I noticed that with the winds down the boats all seem to be drifting closer together. I didn’t realize how much the wind had kept us all lined up.

Mary had mentioned that she can get the Internet on her boat so I brought my computer up top and was able to connect too. It was a slow and faint signal, but I was able to jump on briefly to check email and post a quick note on facebook. Maggie, while no longer traveling with us, is having quite an adventure of her own – I may have to expound on it at a later date but suffice it to say – I think that her and Jonathan (Guinevere) should be keeping a blog! It would be humorous and well written!

Steak and salad and the last of my homemade bread for dinner. Tomorrow we need to gas and water up then check out of the harbor and head for Allen’s Cay. From there the plan is Norman Island and Warderick Wells next.