Our stay in the Promise Land would be a day shorter than planned. I was still glad to have been there. Months later, I’d be telling someone about my trip journey here. Folks’ eyes would light up whenever I mentioned that I had sailed to the Exumas, as if that legitimized my cruise to the Bahamas. Unfortunately, I also have to tell them I never saw the swimming pigs of the Exumas. If I feel comfortable with them, I tell them I also don’t care about those pigs. Otherwise, I prefer to leave folks with their pre-packaged dreams, filled with

I woke up to the sound of Rob’s dinghy outboard, like a golf cart pulling up to you just outside your bungalow door, in some dreamy vacation. In this dream, around us were palm trees and white sand. I awoke to this other wonderful reality and rubbed my eyes. I was still anchored in Hatchet Bay, with the sun’s fresh rays coming through my portholes. Given the surroundings, Sonora might as well have been a bungalow. Except we were on the water, and not in the sand. Better! Rob is such a kind soul. He had come by the boat

1/27 to 1/31Eleuthera – Spanish Wells to Hatchet Bay I was writing this entry while I was down on a southwesterly course, on a broad reach. Winds are gusty but a very nice average of eighteen knots. Full sails out. My hands go to the mainsheet cam cleats often and I am constantly pulling on the outhaul. I am flying along at hull speed, often exceeding seven knots. Seas are relatively flat at about two feet. I am racing Rob as we head towards the Exumas. I wanted to catch up to Rob and impress him. Rob has a faster

Eleuthera! What a beautiful name. Did I perish at sea, and find my afterlife-self on some mythical paradise? The name is derived from the Greek word eleutheros, which means free. All around me was calm seas, dotted with friendly islands with beautiful foliage. The same brilliant Bahamian sun and sky looked a bit different, a different tint if you will, as I was in a vintage photograph. I didn’t know how action packed the day was going to be, but it was really good to have a friend who has the same energy level as me. We’d get a lot

The day after I went solo spearfishing, I spent some time walking around this very small community of artists. Right next to Pete’s Pub, which is an awesome looking but expensive beachside bar and restaurant, is a foundry where the metal sculptures were made. I viewed some of the work at the gallery. I found them to be quite moving. They were beautiful and conveyed some layer of expression I could not immediately grasp. Unfortunately, the foundry itself was closed, due to COVID-19 concerns, so I went for a walk around the foundry. I took another coconut on my walk,

I was halfway through my trip at this point! There were moments of boredom on this cruise. I imagine there always will be some of these moments when you cruise for more than a few weeks. I found myself missing home, my cat, my friends, and the regularity of every day life. I have a confession to make. I am a huge aviation nerd. I play this ultra-nerdy flight simulator game on my PC back home. I really missed this and I was watching a lot of naval aviation content on YouTube when I had down time. In other words,