Treasure Cay Interlude

We had another leisurely morning, enjoying the blazing sunshine and doing some internet chores (banking, phone calls) while the girls slept in .... again! They have logged some serious sleep time on this vacation!! Of course, I think all the dancing at Nipper's wore them right out yesterday...as it did all of us! We were going to try to dive, but the conditions were so rough outside the reef that we opted for a beach-side lunch and a tender tour of Baker's Bay Marina with the girls instead. Later we found out that even the dive boat from Treasure Divers didn't even try to get outside the reef either, so apparently it was a smart decision on our part.

We’re anchored in the marina basin at Treasure Cay early this afternoon, ducking in to get out of the brisk W-NW winds, which are forecast to be 20-25kts tonight. There aren’t many Abacos anchorages that provide good shelter when the winds are from the west; most are quite exposed. When we came in, there were only 4 other boats anchored here. We tucked in amongst them, keeping a good 50-75 yards away from all others for swing room. (We have a digital laser range finder, so we can verify how far away we are from other boats....peace of mind, since Karyn can’t judge distances over water very well.) Not to mention that the anchor alarm is set on the radar/ chartplotter overlay, so we’ll know for certain if we should drag anchor.

But...clearly we have “The Sign” out again. You know, the sign on our boat that is invisible to us, but one that all other boats can see, which says: "Please anchor as close to us as possible." Since we set anchor, several other boats have come in as well, and one charter boat has moored practically right along side of us. Not what you want to see in a crowded anchorage....and we’re not certain how the tides and currents affect the basin here. Sure hope we all don’t swing into one another in the evening hours! It's a little dicey with the charter boats; you never know exactly how experienced -- or inexperienced -- the crew may be, but it kind of shows in how they anchor/where they anchor/how they handle the boat. Here all we wanted a peaceful night’s anchorage without worries....! I’ll be grateful when the holiday rush of charter boats are gone and away from the anchorages.

After checking in the marina office, we stopped and said hello to Brent at Treasure Divers -- we went out with him last year when conditions were rough, and ended up at Nippers for lunch instead -- which is what he said they did today! He remembered Ron right off the bat, too. He's such a nice guy; so cheerful and friendly! We got Ally a new Scubapro mask while we were there, as she's been needing one, and were happy to give Brent the business. Afterwards, we walked around the resort here at Treasure Cay and took the girls to the beach on the east side of the cay...gorgeous, white, incredibly soft sand and beautiful blue waters, even if the surf on the Sea of Abaco was rough! We spent a few minutes on the beach enjoying the view, watching the kite boarders and the lone sailboat that was motoring north, lumping unhappily into the winds. Not something I'd enjoy, to be honest, and it looked as if they were taking the inside passage past Don't Rock, where it can get rather shallow. Hope they made it!!

Tonight we will grill some lobster tails, steam some broccoli and make some twice-baked potatoes for dinner, then possibly watch a movie (perhaps watch Captain Ron as Kayleigh hasn't seen it yet) and enjoy our anchorage. And keep an eye on the charter boats in the vicinity, as well!! Of course, while Karyn is fixing dinner, Ron will be fixing the 12kw generator, as it suddenly died. Impeller issue? Hmmmm...we'll find out. The zen of cruising is learning to take these problems in stride, right? Just fixing one's boat in exotic places, as we know! Always an adventure!!