It’s Thursday evening and we are still here at Great Harbor Cay Marina in the Berry Islands. Currently between Cold Fronts, we are enjoying a few days of light winds. It’s amazing how quickly things change when a front comes through, the wind picks up and the temperature drops 20 degrees in a few hours. And no, I won’t talk about the “before and after” temperatures as it will just piss off my “northern” friends. Did you know that you can wear socks with sandals?
Today we changed slips here in the marina so that we wouldn’t be so exposed to the winds when the next front comes through. Now that we are in the “inner harbor” the WIFI is much better, which is nice. It’s actually strong enough to make some calls on WIFI to avoid toll charges. That’s a good thing as we will soon be leaving here and probably won’t have WIFI strong enough for the rest of the trip for that sort of luxury. I had quite an audience as I backed into what seemed like an impossibly tight slip between a sailboat to port and cruiser to starboard. Not a hitch. Go me. I won’t talk about how much a bow thruster helped. Big tide, about 4′, nearly twice what’s normal. Pandora looking very low on the dock. 
Quite a few boats left the marina today to take advantage of the good weather and moderate winds and head south to the Exumas. We opted to wait until after the next front comes through, perhaps on Tuesday or Wednesday to begin our run.
In spite of the delays so far, I expect that we will still probably head to Cuba by the first week of March. Let’s hope that the weather cooperates. Actually, if we can’t enter Cuban waters by around March 4th or so, we will have to re-apply to the USCG for yet another permit. The one we have now is only valid if we leave the Bahamas between February 28th and the beginning of the first week of March a five day window. In order to change the dates we will have to reapply and do so at least two weeks in advance of our departure. And I need to know when I am leaving at least two weeks in advance, as that’s how long it takes the “new” permit to make it through the system. Talk about red tape.
Anyway, for now, we still hope to visit Cuba. However, with all of the strong cold fronts, we will have to see if the weather conspires against us. Details to come, I guess.
Yesterday was such a windy day that a group in the marina opted for a “craft project”. Hey, want to make a coconut fish? Hmm… I can’t say that I have ever given it much thought. Ok, why not…
It will come as no surprise that you begin with a coconut. Someone actually asked “where can I get a coconut?” Answer: Under a coconut tree. Good tip. Here’s a shot of some of the “crafters” hard at work. The whole process brought back memories of grammar school, or a nursing home to be completely honest. Actually, I am a lot closer to the latter than former. Sad but true. I don’t know if I should be depressed or happy with the image of myself with brush in hand crafting a fish out of a coconut. 
It was actually fun and I can say with confidence that, unlike some of my earliest craft experiences, nobody cried and I am pretty confident that there was very little hair pulling or biting. Pretty mature, wouldn’t you say? Not surprising as most everyone involved was “very grown up” with an emphasis on the “VERY”.
“So, how long does it take to make a coconut fish Bob?” Actually, it took about five hours, including a lunch break. The “break” was prophylactic in hopes that my blood sugar wouldn’t drop so low that I’d revert to the sort of behavior that I was inclined to the last time I was painting a “project” on a picnic table. And, I was the last to be done and as the organizers were cleaning up around me I became very anxious that there was a real risk that they’d take my favorite colors and my “special” brush. “Don’t touch my paints!!!” However, I kept my cool through it all. So, not bad for a “tween” crafter. ie: Not in child day care or a nursing home. You know “tween” the “highs and lows” of craft age. It was fun. You might say that I was able to get in touch with my “inner guppy”. “Bob, Bob, that was so lame.”
Brenda’s also being quite creative and has been doing some projects of her own although with a more “adult” bent. In particular, she warped up one of her tapestry looms with a new project that will undoubtedly keep herself busy for longer than we will be aboard this season. Check out her post to learn more. She has also been doing some tatting. Wondering what in Hell “tatting” is? You’ll have to follow her blog in the next few days to find out for yourself. 
It’s good to have her feeling creative and happy. Happy wife, happy life.
On a completely different topic. We had some excitement today when a family of manatees showed up to “play” off of Pandora’s transom. Did you know that manatees love having a hose sprayed on them and will hang around and drink their fill of the “sweet” water. Just how cute is that?
Mother and cub sharing a drink of fresh water.
They also love the feeling of having water sprayed on their tummies and roll over to get the full effect. Bliss…
After a while my fridge cycled and they were attracted to the water coming out of the transom. Surprise! Not fresh. 
Mom smiling for the camera. So adorable, especially for a 1,000 lb big girl. 
How about a short video of the pair that I took today too?I also took a photo of an oddly shaped fish near one of the pilings in the marina. The photo doesn’t show how neat the coloring was. The fish just hung there. Brown with bright blue spots. Crazy looking. 
But wait, there’s more. Brenda and I went for a walk to the grocery. We even got a head of lettuce, one of only four left and the mailboat just came yesterday.
I thought that this snail on a palm frond made for an interesting pattern. 
Well, that’s about enough excitement for one day here on Great Harbor Cay. Perhaps I’ll close with last night’s sunset. 
So, there you have it, a post with a coconut fish, a real fish, a snail, a family of hose sipping manatees, some “boss” boat handling, a great sunset and a happy wife. And best of all, no hair pulling or biting. I just love this place.
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