Georgetown to Nassau

Monday, March 23, 2009.

Nassau, Bahamas.

It's getting colder. There is no question about it. Pants and long sleeves at night and while sailing. Ugh!

We've spent the past week sailing up the Exumas with Allaire, an old friend of Kristen's from VT. We enjoyed the solitude and beauty of a few islands before finally ending up in busy Nassau, elbowing our way through throngs of sunburned tourists.

From here we'll sail to the Berry Islands, then it's goodbye clear water and hello muddy ICW.




Kristen and Allaire keep watch.


Stone formations in the Exumas.

Mmmmmmm.... waffles for breakfast with cream and strawberry jam. That's life on Whisper!

Allaire labors over Mahi Wontons while Hans provides the entertainment.

Kristen puts on her own Bahamas Sand and Salt facial treatment at Shroud Cay, Exumas.

Allaire watches Hans jump off a cliff (if you look carefully you can see him) at Shroud Cay, Exumas.



Kristen shows off her guns!


Kristen and Allaire jump for joy.

The three pirates.


Kristen embarks on a fish jerky experiment... yummy!



Secluded beach off Halls Pond Cay.


This is what the Bahamas are really like.

Sushi anyone? No, Kit Kat, not you!


Hanging out with the Gohlkes on their boat s/v Liberty. Dave is an attorney for Skadden, Kristen's old employer in DC. He's currently lawyering from his mobile office!

Luperon to Georgetown photos

Here are some pictures from the last two weeks including:
Luperon
Luperon to Samana Cay (250 miles)
Samana Cay, Bahamas
Samana Cay to Georgetown (130 miles)




Street scenes from Luperon.



Laisa's Pica Pollo in Luperon; our favorite creole style lunch place: stewed chicken, pork or beef, rice beans salad, cold water.






laundry hanging to dry in Luperon.


Wildflowers on the outskirts of Luperon with the mountains in the background.


a Dominican tomato.

One of the produce markets in Luperon.

Hans reefs the mainsail at sunset. We've been taking two reefs in the main at sunset every night...it doesn't slow us down too much and ensures that we won't have to do any deckwork at night


See no evil, hear no evil...are we there yet?

Self-portrait at sunrise. Halfway between Mayaguana and Samana Cay.

Fresh produce from the DR meets lobster from Samana Cay to make a fabulous salad.

A wild orchid on Samana Cay (we think!).

We attempted to follow a trail across the island, got hopelessly lost and had to bushwhack (Rod Miller style) back to the beach; our legs got totally scratched and bloody.

One of the many gorgeous white sand beaches of Samana Cay, Bahamas


Whisper at anchor at Samana Cay.



the beach at Samana Cay.


Hans holds up the mahi we hooked just north of Long Island yesterday morning.



Sailing along the north coast of the DR from Samana to Luperon.

Back in the blue Bahamas

Sunday, March 15, 2009

We're back in the Bahamas! We sailed from Luperon to Samana Cay (a small, uninhabited island about halfway between the Turks and Caicos and Georgetown. We spent a couple days enjoying the solitude and beauty of Samana Cay: snorkeling, beach walks and beachcombing and hiking around the island. We set sail for Georgetown yesterday afternoon and sailed the 130+ nautical miles in a little less than 24 hours. Way to go Whisper!

Georgetown is the same sleepy quiet town on a Sunday; the harbor is packed with cruising boats and the water is bluer than we remember.

pictures to come.

Leaving Luperon

Saturday, March 7, 2009

It's been raining in Luperon. Raining and pouring every day since we've been here. The town is the same as it was when we were here for 5 months in 2007, but instead of wearing shorts and t-shirts and sweating all the time, we're both wearing jeans, long-sleeve shirts and foul weather jackets. In Luperon!

Some things are different: new restaurants, closed restaurants, bigger kids, new babies, new comandante (rumored to be less corrupt), different growing season so there is different fruits and veggies; and some things are the same: same loud stinky motoconchos, same produce stands, same rotisserie chicken shack, same dirty harbor water, karaoke at Puerto Blanco Marina, familiar faces in the harbor and in town, and same slow to non-existent internet service.

It's great to be back here; the town is poor, shockingly so after being away for over a year, but the mood is relaxed, "tranquilo", everyone is so friendly, kids playing baseball in the streets, stray dogs and cats, roaming cows and goats, in general a great, easy-going small town feel.

*No pictures b/c the connection is so slow.*
We leave tomorrow for the Bahamas, well-stocked with the rotisserie chicken, fresh juice, and lots of produce.