Storms in the Abacos

Our apologies for not getting updates on the blog for the last couple of weeks. We have had difficulty getting our e mail to go out by sattelite phone and there have been few available wifi hot spots. Our friend, Ann Ringland, Linda's college roommate, came to visit for 10 days. We had three days of sailing with her to Great Guana Cay, Treasure Cay, and Elbow Cay. Then the weather changed and for six days we have been hunkered down on a mooring in the Hope Town harbour with winds that went as high as 49 knots and blew consistently 25-30 knots. Heavy rain came periodically and though the Bahamians are grateful for water in their cisterns, we are getting weary of being unable to travel. We did get out on Wednesday, 4/13 and went on a tour boat to Little Harbour south of us on Great Abaco Cay where we toured a bronze foundry and gallery and had lunch. The plan was to snorkle on the way back, but the water was too rough to go in safely. We are hoping the winds will let up a little so we can get off the mooring and go to Marsh harbour on Friday 4/14. We have some repairs to get done to the head and the windlass. Off course the Easter holidays will have most businesses closed on Friday and Monday. Susan Tonon will rejoin our crew soon.

In Hope Town we did have an oppportunity to attend the United Methodist Church which only has a minister about one Sunday a month. Vernon, the grocer, conducted the service and his wife played the organ. We were delighted to be a part of their service. If we are able to return to Marsh harbour for Easter we will go to the Scottish Presbyterian Church that we have attended twice in the last month. They are a ten year old congregation and are raising funds to build a church. The minister who is 80 years old comes for 5 months a year from England and is a delight.

Our tenative plans are to watch the weather develop and look for a good opening to cross from the Bahamas to the East Coast sometime toward the end of April. We plan to let the gulf stream carry us North to Georgia or South Carolina. We are looking into leaving the boat somewhere in South Carolina during hurricane season while we return to Illinois. Tenatively we plan to return to the Bahamas in the late Fall and go further south to the Exhumas, but as the sign in Vernon's grocery store in Hope Town says, "If you want to make God laugh, make a plan."