Cruising in the Bahamas

Lisa loved her diving and snorkeling, in the clear waters of the Bahamas, there were lots of treasures to look at, and then put back.

Climbing up the hill on Boo Boo Hill in Warderwick Wells, it is the tradition to leave a piece of driftwood with your names on.  Here are Lisa and Dane adding their piece of wood to the pile.

 We climbed up the hill at Monastry Bay in Georgetown and the view from the top was spectacular.

Lovely couple!

We cruised from Florida, across to the Bahamas and made our way slowly south, enjoying the chain of islands.  Great snorkeling in the clear water, lots of fish to see and the occasional crayfish to catch.

Leaving the States and heading south.

Getting ready to leave Port Canaveral. 

 Lisa and Dane arrived on the 2nd November and we still had workers on board.  So we were pretty keen to be off and start cruising, but it was over a month later that we were finally ready to go.  We had been in the port for exactly six months, a little too long in one place.

So, it was with a sigh of relief that we cast off the lines on Dec 13th.

The kids looking rather pasty here on their arrival, but we can change all that.
Great to see my lovely girl again and have time to leisurely chat and get to know her better and find out all about her jobs and what she has been up to in the last year.

A trip to Universal Studios was great fun, but a lot of the rides were a bit scary for Lisa and I and we  felt a little nauseous   after a couple of them.  We decided to refresh ourselves with a coffee, whilst Dane queued for the more extreme rides.

Lisa and I are hanging on to our new dingy and waiting for the boys to mount the outboard.  It is an AB rib and is 13ft long.  The tubes are 18" wide and so we hope that it will be a lot drier than the Avon.  And with a 25hp Yamaha on the back, it should go pretty well too!

Hurricane Sandy left damage in many of the places we visit, this is taken in Hopetown in the Bahamas.

Lisa and Dane are looking a little healthier now after a few weeks in the sun.

Lisa and I climbed up Monument Hill in Georgetown and were rewarded by this fabulous panoramic view of the anchorage .

Leaving the States and heading south.

Getting ready to leave Port Canaveral. 

 Lisa and Dane arrived on the 2nd November and we still had workers on board.  So we were pretty keen to be off and start cruising, but it was over a month later that we were finally ready to go.  We had been in the port for exactly six months, a little too long in one place.

So, it was with a sigh of relief that we cast off the lines on Dec 13th.

The kids looking rather pasty here on their arrival, but we can change all that.
Great to see my lovely girl again and have time to leisurely chat and get to know her better and find out all about her jobs and what she has been up to in the last year.

A trip to Universal Studios was great fun, but a lot of the rides were a bit scary for Lisa and I and we  felt a little nauseous   after a couple of them.  We decided to refresh ourselves with a coffee, whilst Dane queued for the more extreme rides.

Lisa and I are hanging on to our new dingy and waiting for the boys to mount the outboard.  It is an AB rib and is 13ft long.  The tubes are 18" wide and so we hope that it will be a lot drier than the Avon.  And with a 25hp Yamaha on the back, it should go pretty well too!

Hurricane Sandy left damage in many of the places we visit, this is taken in Hopetown in the Bahamas.

Lisa and Dane are looking a little healthier now after a few weeks in the sun.

Lisa and I climbed up Monument Hill in Georgetown and were rewarded by this fabulous panoramic view of the anchorage .

Only in America

(Better late than never!  Struggling to get internet in the islands is my excuse, but laziness is the real problem!)

Finally ready to leave the States. On returning to the boat in October we found that we had had some sort of lighting strike. As usual it took longer to repair than thought, but good old Pantaenius paid out and we left Cape Canaveral with a couple of new radios and the fried relay boards back in working order.

It was the 13th of December, about a month later than we thought and exactly 6 months after we arrived.  Definitely too long in one port, but one the plus side, have met some great new friends too. 

Lisa and Dane arrived on the 2nd of November and unfortunately had to hang around for us to be ship shape again.  Very stressful for all, and good to be moving again.

Below are just of the things that amused me whilst here.

Seen outside Vinnie's Cafe. Don't know what Vinnie was thinking?

Only in the States do you see abandoned boats anchored out in the bays. It is said that the owners can't afford to run them anymore and just leave them.  

Mr Travis's store is probably the most well stocked hardware store we've ever seen. 

Too many boats for the marina, so they are stacked in huge sheds which take up less space.

Halloween is a big deal here and pumpkin sellers do very well at this time of year.

Fuel economy, whats that?

Seen in Orlando.

This company specializes in removing dog poo.

Malta for Mum's 90th Birthday

MUM'S 90TH BIRTHDAY PARTY NIGHT
and here  are the ladies tarting themselves up for the event ahead, I couldn't get near the mirror!  

Celebrating Mum's Birthday, Jane organized a great party for Mum and Daryl and I helped celebrate with her.  She had a great time and enjoyed several glasses of wine and lots of laughter with us all.  A really good evening.

Mum getting a hand to stand and cut the cake, it looks as though we were all singing 'Happy Birthday' looking at our mouths!

A family lunch in the St Thomas Bay.
From left to right, myself, Ashley (my niece), my sister, Jane, Gary (my nephew), Mum, and the Barbara, who is her sister.

Whilst we were in Malta at the Excelsior Hotel, we noticed an unusual amount of security around the hotel.  Ten heads of State from the countries around the Mediterranean had come to the 5+5 Dialogue conference, and staying at the same hotel as us!

In the underground car park of the hotel in, we found this old relic!  No doubt sometime soon someone will realize it is an antique and tow it away.

Mallorca in September

Celebrating Daryl's birthday with Liz and her daughter Maeva in Santa Maria.

Ma Jose, Pepe and little Teresa, who had got it into her head that I should make her a swing, and here is the finished 'columpio'!

No stay in Mallorca would be complete without a paella.  Teresa makes the best ones we have ever tasted, always cooked on the b'que outside, while we chat over a glass of wine.  It was a glorious day and it felt like the old days again.  We chatted away all afternoon, looking at photos and exchanging news and views.  By the evening I was quite hoarse, but felt my Spanish hadn't suffered too much from lack of use.

From Palma, we took the train north to the town of Soller and then on the tram down to the Port for lunch.  A great way to see some of the countryside, with a good lunch at the end of the line!

A very old olive tree in the center of Palma in Plaza Cort.

Stocking up on the local Menorcan shoes 'abarcas'.  There is a massive selection now and I went away with three pairs!  It is a good job they do not weigh too much, I'm always mindful of the fact we have to fly back to the boat at some stage.

We love to look around the village markets, the selection of fruit and vegetables is huge and mouth-watering!
Binisalem and Santa Maria are our favourites.

A great get together at Restaurant C'an Pedro in Genova.  The neighbours from Alaro and also Val, Simon and Jessica,  on the last day of their holiday.  A wonderful welcome to the island.

England in August

Daryl and his son, Ben in Lymington.
To celebrate gold medal winners in the Olympics, Royal Mail Post  Boxes were painted gold in the town of the champions.  Ben Ainslie lives in Lymington, but his box was painted in Cornwall, where he grew up.  One local decided to paint a box for Ainslie just across the high street from where he actually lives.  Good One!

A night out with good friends, Trevor and Lesley, whom we met in Turkey.

Daryl and I took his dad out for a day to visit 'The Victory', in Portsmouth.  It was launched in 1765.  Best known for being Lord Nelson's ship in 1805 at the battle of Trafalgar.

Went down to Lymington Yacht Basin to see some of the boats and could not resist a photo of the Morris dancers on the quay, dancing around with great enthusiasm!