STANIEL CAY EXUMAS, BAHAMAS
Monday we were at Sampson Cay...boring Sampson Cay. I had a great list of things to do on the boat...outside....and just before I finished breakfast (I usually don't ever get to finish breakfast but this time it was for other reasons) the sky went black. I couldn't get to the fly bridge quick enough. We got all of the seats covered just in time for the rain. I thought, well it only rains for five minutes down here then it will be sunny again. A whole rest of the day later, wind, black, rain, wind, thunder, lightning, Captain Ron, and nothing got done. What a day. To make positive on the situation, the Bahamas needed the rain.
Tuesday we left for Staniel Cay, surprise surprise: Staniel Cay, Sampson Cay, Staniel Cay, Sampson Cay. Even the locals poke fun at Sound Waves for how much we move around. Anyways, not that it is important, considering I was happy to be back in Staniel Cay. Not to mention I got to download all of the pictures from the Danger Reef Dive!
I did some projects and got the boat prepped for our 0700 departure to Georgetown in the morning. Apparently nine locals are coming along with so they can get to the regatta.
If you can't tell I am in a horrible mood right now, and I don't know why. Lets see what happened that was fun today? OH!!! Finnegan, David and Christina's (sp? sorry) dog was hanging around. He is a 6 month old ......yellow lab/golden something? (I'm so bad at this). I taught him step one on how to shake. I think he is going to pick up on it! We also played on the beach for a long time chasing sticks and palm leaves and learning how to dive for rocks. He is a smart lil pup and it was so much fun to play with him and watch him learn. I have always loved dogs and I really enjoyed getting away from the boat for awhile to play with him.
It was weird walking out of the bar tonight. This was really it. My final days, my final goodbye at Staniel Cay. For the last month and then some I have called this place my home. As I sat at the bar I looked around at the people sitting and working and I knew all but a few of their names. Bushman, Gizelle, the owner, his girlfriend, Nuno, David, Tony, Jeff, Harry, Salt, Ruth, Rhonda, Felisha, Suzana, and Joan. I don't think I could name that many people sitting around any bar anywhere (maybe Holland). I walked down the dock knowing the clear water was coming to an end, as Georgetown is a bit murky. I can't believe it is coming to an end. As I look forward to an exciting weekend in Georgetown for the regatta's I know that I am down to a long weekend until I'm back to Chicago. I am super excited for Chicago don't get me wrong, but this place is special.
The constant changing of colors on the water will put anyone in a trance as the the depths change from a dark blue to a light shade of green and in to a white as the bottom goes from coral to grass to sand. Seagulls break the silence of paradise as todays catch is cleaned up on the bench while hungry nurse sharks and rays pace back and forth hoping for a scrap. Dinghies come and go and the smell of fuel teases your nose before being lifted away by the breeze. The hum of the engine is sometimes confused with the next load of tourists and supplies coming in on the small airplanes that buzz around like flies. The hot sun is relentless, the dive flag at the Staniel Cay dive shop tries to stand up in the weak warm winds from the south east but fails to even flutter. Spices fill the air as dinner time nears up at the yacht club. A group of locals huddle around the fish bench every day, waiting, wasting, and watching another day drift past. A trip to the end of the dock reminds me of how tough my feet have become as splinters and nails are pushed away by my tough skin. The water is crystal clear. The only thing that blurs the bottom is the strong ebb tide with the water rushing back out to sea like the raging Mississippi. A few sailboats block my view of the horizon anchored just off of the dock, and mega yachts scatter in the distance making up their own anchorages it seems. I turn and look back towards land as the day fades away. The Batelco tower dominates the skyline with its flashing red lights. Palm trees in front of the yacht club stand motionless and music makes its way to my ears. A tourist asks me isn't this amazing, I don't think this could ever get old. I smile and simply reply you're right I don't think it ever will. Uninterested and engulfed by my surroundings I walk away. Our underwater lights are starting to take over the night as small fish dance around them. A nurse shark rests on the bottom completely uninterested in its surroundings. A large southern sting ray floats by effortlessly. The dinner bell rings and people make their way in to the bar. This is my home. This was my home. Tony, Barry, Ben, Gizelle, Christina, David, David, Susana, Jake, Joelle, Big Daddy, Raymond, Wade, Salt, Food, Rock, Wellington, Janel, Jeff, Harry, Ruth, Rhonda, Felisha, Chavette, Netty, Joan, Carl, Foodie, Graham, Marvin, Marvin, Salomon, Mackenzie, Eddie, Clevland, and that is just the locals and I am sure I am forgetting a lot! Thank you. Thank you for an amazing adventure, thank you for memories that will last a lifetime. And while I still have a few more days left, I feel as if this blog is significant. Georgetown means little to me. Tomorrow I am leaving my home. On to the next step, where I will again shift gears. Sad, yes. Exciting, yes. I will never forget the past six months of my life, but I look forward to the next many years! As my fortune cookies once told me "the best years of your life have not yet been lived." and "a vacation of vacations awaits you." I still have both of them in my wallet today. What's next captain? Well....its still a lifetime away.
Sound Waves Out
(pictures to come of danger reef....just not tonight....not after that blog)
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