An old girlfriend just called.....

[Frank]

Dodger and sun (rain) shade up.
Wet n windy day here!
Looks like late next week for a window.
All good tho... I’m “floating “ and happy

[CapnK]

She be lookin' good, matey! Yar!!!  ;D 8) ::)

[Frank]

Left Manatee Pocket Thursday
Staged at Lake Worth, Left at 5am on Friday to cross.
Made the West End at 4:30
Awesome lad at customs was so patient and helpful!
Made Great Sale Saturday
Made Green Turtle Sunday... just in time for sunset
Feel great to be back in these waters!

[Tim]

Well done sir! Thanks for the photos

[Frank]

For years I’d dreamt of a boat with shallow enough draft to anchor out of the way in town harbour here at Green Turtle.
Only about 3ft at low tide, déjà vu’s 2ft 7in board up draft allows it.
Always have liked shallow draft boats.

[CapnK]

Loving this pic, the perspective, seen so may times but never enough. First on the horizon, a glow. A few hours later resolves to individual lights, and even later, the shapes of buildings and land. It's past time for me to see that again...

Thanks for the reminder. Keep living the dream and more importantly, reminding/sharing it with others! :)

[Frank]

Pics from last night....
“Why I love the Abacos”

[Bob J (ex-misfits)]

Nice!

[Jim_ME]

I've reread this entire thread to review how much you have done to get to this point. Quite a sustained effort, from reminding the former owners that you would be interested in having the boat back when they were done with her, to the improvements, to preparing for the trip... It is inspiring, as others have already written.

In what has been an uncertain time, there is something comforting and return-to-normalizing about knowing that you are back in the Bahamas. Congratulations on achieving this, and wish you an happy winter there. :)

[Frank]

Thanks Jim
It’s been a journey... frustrating at times and far more hours than expected but I’m here!
As I sit below sipping coffee and pecking this out, I think I kinda understand a little bit of what women mean when they say they forget about the months of discomfort and pain of delivery when they see the baby. Those hours and frustrations working on her and getting her down here make this relaxing moment all the sweeter.
I’ll be sailing up to MANJACK after breakfast. It will be a slow sail today and I’ll be savouring it.

[Frank]

Love being right in town.
Shallow draft rules! 😄

[Jim_ME]

You have a real talent for working through the frustrations so that you can look back at them from the other side... Seems like a pretty good outcome when you can eventually send Frustration a postcard from a tropical paradise... ;) I'm sure that you've had lots of practice developing persistence with your building projects, and the importance of keeping momentum going...

I was looking for Manjack on the chart and couldn't find it. Then learned that it is also called Nunjack Cay, which leaves me pondering how "man" relates to "nun"... ???  Maybe I should just be content to think of this as another one of life's mysteries...?

For anyone who hasn't already found it and is interested, here's a chart...
https://www.charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/11013.pdf

Great photos! (throughout the thread.)

[Frank]

Thanks
It goes by;
Nunjack
Munjack
Manjack
Go figure?
First time ever spending the night in the creek here. Need less than 3ft draft to get in at high tide. Tons of turtles and a shark went by.
Yep...laundry day 😄

[Norman]

Great pictures, Frank, wish I were there too. :)

Swimming any as the sharks go by?  Turtles, that would be OK for me, and even grab a shell and trail for a while.  ;D

Saw an about 9 footer in less than 5 feet of water just north of Hatteras.  Flew perpendicular to him, measured his size from percentage of my wing span.  My two boys were very impressed, as they had been swimming in water about that deep, and distance from shore.  :o

[Frank]

 Norman, the shark was about 4-1/2 ft long. These aren’t aggressive.
I was snorkeling well away from where I sighted him.
Truly enjoying shallow draft here!
In the Florida Keys or Bahamas, shallow draft rules!
Good day today... beach walks and an easy sail back to Green Turtle

[Norman]

I caught a Lemon shark that size in the Keys, my fishing buddy refused to consider eating it, so I released it.

Long fight to get it up to the boat, 12 pound line.  fishing from an aluminum 12 foot semi V from Sears.  The shark was tired enough that I succeeded in removing the hook from it's mouth, saving my plug.  9 inch long steel hook remover was needed.

Pretty sunset this evening here, but very chilly.  :D

[CharlieJ]

darn-I'd love to spend another winter in the Bahamas- Probably not gonna ever happen- enjoy amigo

[Frank]

Thx CJ
I am.
Really missed it last year

[Frank]

Currently under way to Hopetown. Was thinking what a wonderful little boat this is and how simple you can actually cruise. We did the intercoastal waterway into West Palm Beach, the crossing to the west end, from there to Green turtle and now on to Hopetown, all on my cell phone. No need for thousands in electronics at all. A lightweight boat with shallow draft and the Florida Keys and Bahamas are yours.

[Frank]

Hopetown lighthouse looking very festive