Makenzie and three of her friends, Raegan, Satchel, and Keef, joined Addie, Ashley, and Shannon on the boat for a week of fun in early August. They arrived in Nassau at 11:30am on Monday and off we went from Nassau to Allen’s Cay, Exuma for the night. It takes about 6 hours to sail there. We visited the iguanas, swam, and waited for our favorite anchor spot to open up.
Addie relaxing and watching the older kids snorkel back and forth to the boat:
It was predicted we were going to have a “blow” (high winds and rain) for the next two nights, so we grabbed a spot at Highbourne Cay Marina and waited it out. We were obviously suffering in this horrible weather and boring place. 🙂
Calm seas, clear skies and big boats.
We definitely were suffering here in our private beach cabana with our boat just 20 feet behind us.
We kayaked with sharks, played in the water, and spent time at the bar (where Grant Hill and his family happened to be hanging out also).
After two fun days with no rain or high winds, we headed south toward Staniel Cay to find the swimming pigs, which reside one island over on Big Major Cay.
The next day we snorkeled in Thunderball Grotto but the current was too strong to stay inside safely so we didn’t stay long. As we were climning on our dinghy, the anchor lost hold and we ended up on the rocks with a line wrapped around the propeller. Not fun! Luckily some local tourist guides were there to help us out.
But, back at our boat, we still managed to relax and have some fun anyway!
The next day we sailed to Norman’s Cay and enjoyed the afternoon at a secluded beach:
At Norman’s Cay we also snorkeled a plane wreck that belonged to the drug smuggler, Pablo Escobar.
Sadly, we had to sail back to Nassau. However, instead of going back to the marina, we anchored in a beautiful bay on the west end. We had great fun swimming and jumping off the boat!
We explored the bay in the dinghy:
We were staying at Lyford Cay on the SW side of Nassau and saw this big house built by Nygard (who was the first person to put spandex in clothing) where celebrities used to gather and have parties and bands would play. It is uninhabited now and falling into disrepair. It is an extraordinary story and when you have time, you can read about it here.
It was a Great Week with Makenzie and her friends!
After dropping the Makenzie and her friends by dinghy at Jaws Beach, they grabbed a taxi to the airport and we spent the day cleaning in preparation for our 4 day journey back to Hollywood, FL.
All by ourselves at anchor northwest Bimini.
After snorkeling Bimini Road, which they claim is the road to the lost city of Atlantis, we moved from the north end to the south end. We swam to Sherry’s on the beach for lunch.
After securing the boat and a quick clean out of the fridge, we caught a flight to NC. We got back to Blowing Rock just in time to get Ella the last few things she needed and move her into her dorm at Appalachian State University. We now officially have two girls in college!
As summer came to an end, we all enjoyed some of our favorite activities.
Our love of beer and being with friends gave us many opportunities to enjoy both this month.
Our fun family time got cut short with the threat of Hurricane Dorian which was headed right at south Florida. Shannon went down to secure the boat and wait out the storm.
