Part II of our time in the Bahamas. We visit Eleuthera, Spanish Wells, and spend over a week at a tucked away resort on Grand Bahama waiting out weather. Then it’s time to come out of our trance and face the return, realizing that our time in the islands had given us a bit of a philosophical shift.
From Bimini, we change our plans to accommodate the weather and go south to the Exumas, an island chain popular for its beaches, clear turquoise waters, and the Land and Sea National Park. We snorkel, do some hiking to natural wonders and funky man-made sites, and see very small town Bahama life. Along the way we find ourselves coming under the spell of the slower pace, simple living, and natural beauty.
After a lot of planning and prep, we head from Florida to the Bahamas. After ‘the crossing’ our first stop is Bimini, gateway to the Bahamas. But that turns into a longer stay than expected.
We turn our thoughts to heading further south in Florida and prepping to head over to the Bahamas. Along the way, we solve a three-year-old electrical mystery.
Cruising with canine crew has its own set of skills and requirements. This is the saga of a dog, a boat, and achieving harmony in bladder function.
We continue south through South Carolina, Georgia, and on to our destination of St. Augustine. FL. We look for new things in the very familiar stops on our fifth trip on the ICW, and get lots of help from the holiday season.
Heading south along the ICW, we take time to explore some new stops in North Carolina with a healthy mix of breezing through familiar ones. We take side trip to New Bern and Wilmington, finding them both great visits loaded with history and culture.
We take a break from the boat for some other travel. First is a quick road trip back to Minnesota. Then we fly to Australia to visit Danica and Fab near Melbourne as they eagerly approach parenthood.
We depart Baltimore heading back south along the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake. It’s only a matter of a hours before we realize we have an engine problem. Then the problems keep coming as we continue south, ultimately proving the most challenging three weeks we’ve had since starting this cruising adventure as the Ladies Luck and Doom engage in combat. Despite it all we still see some great towns and enjoy new stops in the Chesapeake Bay.