We enjoyed several pleasant days together. Jay and Sarah met every member of the Fort Pierce office of US Immigration, sharing enough quality time to remember their names and favorite hobbies. Once cleared, they were ready to make the long, but warmer trip back to Annapolis.
Our short stay in the Bahamas was over and the relentless calender called us back to land. Sarah and Jay were also feeling the demands of their schedule. Early in the morning we joined Fidelio and began our sail back to the States. The winds were perfect for heading west.
A fast sail brought us back to Manjack in the late evening. Once settled in the anchorage, we heard the sounds of music and caught the faint smell of rum wafting from the shore. Quickly the dingy was in the water and we were off to investigate. There on the dock were Ben, Sarah, and Jay, working their way through the music of Dylan, Del, and Woody. Ben, from Oriental NC, had been living on the island for months. Jay and Sarah, from Great Britain, had recently arrived after a chilling January sail down from Annapolis. We sang, enjoying the stars and the night breeze.
Gradually the weather cleared, the winds moderated from abusive to lovely, and we had the sail that we had been dreaming about for days. It was just in time, before Peter and Ginny caught their flight back to real life and wwwwoorrr....
The surprising high point of our visit was Peter's discovery of this STAINLESS STEEL JEEP in Marsh Harbor. All the rest of us could say was “be still my heart”.
This lovely boat is one of Winer's children. Abigail lives on Manjack Cay and here is being taken out to her mooring by Ben. (More about Ben later)
In front of a tiny plain house was a small sign: “Can't accept any boat orders. Winer”. We had wandered by the home of Winer Malone, a descendant of one of the earliest settlers, Wyannie Malone, and a famous builder of traditional Bahamian sailboats. Winer, who is in his 90's, continues to make beautiful wooden boats using only hand tools. He hasn't stopped boat building; he has just decided that he already has enough orders to fill his remaining years.
We really enjoyed walking in the small streets in the community of Man of War on Elbow Cay, one of the early Loyalist settlements in the Abacos. Not much room for cars here.
The passage to Marsh Harbor took us through rain and a few squalls. We were preparing for the much anticipated arrival of our friends from Rhode Island, Peter and Ginny Stack.
Ben, a young man from the States was living on the island and taking the Manjack course of island life. The Grouper tutorial with Bill was a great success. Fortunately, Ben brought his guitar and gave us nights of music. While all the beauty of Manjack encouraged us to stay, we left with hopes to return.
After George's funeral, our time ashore was longer than we had anticipated. It always seems as though we manage to arrive in time for all the major events of our family and friends. We also assume that they cruise along in a slow autopilot mode until our next return. How could their lives be so busy and full of important matters while we are gone? That would mean that we are missing ...
Somehow we tore ourselves away and returned to our boat, then the gulf stream, and finally the Bahamas. Once again we were sailing across the crystal water of the banks and reaching for Manjack Cay.
