Pattie gets her sea legs

March 4

Michael's sister Pattie arrives with a north easter right behind her. It is so windy we can't get off the boat without getting soaked. In fact, we don't get off the boat at all today, and are sleeping with banchee howling winds for three nights. The entertainment for the day is watching boats come in and try to anchor, boats dragging anchor, and watching to make sure no one drags or swings into Fishhead (which did happen a few nights before her arrival). Luckily, she is not sea sick from it, and is enjoying warmer weather beach or not. We are wishing she had better weather,  she is just glad to get away from snow.

March 5

The Other Nassau

Yogia Ashram Dock overlooking Nassau

There is a Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on about 5 acres of Paradise Island next to the Atlantis Resort. Pattie and I spent the day there, riding their shuttle from Nassau over and back. We went to a lecture, hung out on their beautiful beach and I took a 2 hour beginning yoga class, where I actually stood on my head without support!  It is a busy place, students bring tents and camp all over the grounds, as well as other more posh accommodations, and the grounds a lush with foot paths winding thru the property, with a spectacular beach, that was too rough to swim in because of all those strong winds. It is right near the cruise boat terminal, and in the middle of the yoga class held outside on the waterfront, a booze and cruise boat drifts by blaring island music so loud the instructor has to stop and let it pass.

March 6-8

Back in paradise. 

getting a tan

Rental Island we checked out

We spent the day (and night) anchored off of Rose Island (a small undeveloped island a little ways from Nassau.), diving off the boat, looking at some pretty ragged coral reefs, and enjoying the warm balmy weather. This is the experience Pattie fantasized about. We ran the dingy out to a little island filled with palm trees and a few small buildings to investigate. It has a big sign on the beach not to land, and to call a phone number for info on renting the island for the day, week or month! There wasn't much to rent but a few tiki huts and some blown out structures.

Happy hour begins sharply at 5

Back to the airport, sea legs well earned.

We have no clocks on the boat except our cell phones that are off, and it has become a joke, Pattie keeps asking "what time is it?". I guess it takes a while to not be time driven. We have definately lost touch with dates, and to some degree, day of the week. I still have the month down though.

March 9

Pattie left this morning with a tan, and some bruises from living in such close quarters on the boat. Lots of climbing twisting and turning to get around, and lots of things to bump into. We are back in Nassua to get her to her plane, and another windy front arrived with us, so it looks like we will be here until Saturday, when the winds will be favorable to sail to the Exhumas. They are much more remote, and unpopulated, so  internet access (along with this blog) will suffer. I'm looking forward to leaving Nassau, a pretty wild busy place, particularly the waterways. Last night a large tug boat pushing a huge barge filled with sand and digging equipment ran aground within 50 ft of our boat. It sat there all night, was there when we woke up, and then all the sudden it was gone. We didn't even here the motor start up.