Once out of the cut and headed South it was a comfortable ride with a following sea nudging us along. Before long we were passing by The entrance to the commercial terminals and to Freeport harbor.
A turn to the Southeast just past Freeport and we were heading to the Bell Channel entrance into Port Lucaya. As we got closer activity on the water picked up with a Para sail boat almost pulling their victim right over Kasey's Choice.
The marker for the Bell Channel entrance became visible in the distance and a look towards shore showed one of the hotels along the beach.
Once through Bell Channel our destination was just around the corner. Port Lucaya Marina. Before docking I decided to top off the fuel tanks with diesel. $5.56 per gallon. OUCH! Actually not that much more than what it was selling for in West Palm at some of the marinas. Anyway we fueled and went to our slip for the next few weeks.
Tuesday 3/27/12 Work day. Well almost. First make coffee then check the internet connection. After plotting the days activities I got busy washing the boat while Pam checked on our credit card account. In checking she found that we had an additional pending charge of $200.00 at Old Bahama Bay. This was after she had read an e-mail from them thanking us for staying there! Not to worry. Bloodhound will get that straightened out.
Meanwhile Donnie was having trouble getting on his computer and came over to see if his reception was better on our boat.
Once done with our chores we cleaned up and walked over to the marketplace and had lunch. The day continued later with docktails followed by lobster for dinner.
After dinner we retired to the sofa to watch what else? White Christmas!
Wednesday 3/28/12 through Saturday 3/31/12 Getting settled in to life here in Port Lucaya. Activity around the marina is either dead or bustling depending on whether or not a cruise ship is in port. Several of the snorkel/dive boats dock just a few yards away from us so we get to see all the white skinned tourists pass by on the way out only to return sunburned and tired.
Pam decided to use our washing machine on the boat rather than make the long trek to the laundry facility in an adjacent hotel. The down side of this is that our machine doesn't dry so we resort to the old fashioned way. A clothesline.
The other day when we were approaching Bell Channel I noticed a floating platform anchored in front of the Radisson with parasailers taking off from it. The next afternoon a couple of the tow boats pulled it in and tied it off to the bank behind Tourist. They then dropped a 4'x8' sheet of plywood down to use as a ramp and began sliding what looked like sections of drainage tile stacked together in wooden frames. This continued for about an hour and then they started nailing them together. Hmmm? Once the construction was done they started dropping wads into them with a string on them. Fireworks? This continued well past sundown until around 9 p.m. when they towed the platform back out to sea. No lights on anything except for an occasional flashlight. Sure enough about an hour later we had a nice fireworks display.
The days seem to run together and with my feeble mind I can't remember which day it was that we dropped the dinghy in the water and went for a ride through the nearby canal. What we found was the Grand Bahama Yacht Club Marina which was recently shut down. (where we were supposed to be staying)
We also went past the Ghost. Supposedly used in movies at one time.
For the most part the canals are a development that didn't happen. A few homes along the shores. Some occupied. Some not. Most of the shoreline is grown over in scrub brush and small pines.
After snooping in the canals we went out through Bell Channel and just past Taino Beach we pulled in to shore. But not before getting sideways in the surf and taking on a little water. Nothing was damaged fortunately. We spent a couple of hours there soaking up the sun and walking the beach.
The end of March is also the end of lobster season in the Bahamas and the boats loaded with empty traps started coming in.
One evening at docktails we celebrated Chloe's birthday. (Any excuse to drink!)
I was in need of a haircut by the time we left Ft. Myers but was a little skiddish about getting one after my last experience. The time came however, that I needed one and so I was excited when we found a salon just a short walk from Tourist.
I'm not getting my haircut again until I get home to Cindy at the Ritz. I hope she can fix this mess. On the positive side, it is rather cool in this tropical climate.
Well I'm going for a sexy Forest Gump. Hope you didn't have to pay too much for that haircut!
ReplyDeleteDeb
The good new is that you won't need to get it cut again for quite some time!!
ReplyDeleteNice doo! You look like Strawberry's little brother. Must be the Bahamian version of the mullet. You should be using those rod holders to make a clothesline, didn't we teach you anything.
ReplyDelete