ortolan

by

Ortolan Cat Floating Resort

View of Monument anchorage from the top of Monument hill. Ortolan is the only cat in the photo

View of Monument anchorage from the top of Monument hill. Ortolan is the only cat in the photo

After returning from Long Island Jan 6 we moved around to a few harbor anchorages, finally landing a great spot off the shore in the Monument Beach section. On the 10th, our son would fly out on the same flight that Cathy, our next guest, would fly in on. We’d hoped to hook up with our favorite island homeowner, Cort, (Carolyn, his other half isn’t being ignored, but she’s home in WA) before he flew home for a few weeks on Sat but site work for the camp house suddenly was in full swing that week. However, Friday the 10th was a new Bahamian holiday, Majority Rule Day and most businesses would close and that included the contractor and his workers. Cort offered his time, boat (which I have dubbed Island Runner), car and rental house and ferried us in, then taxied us to the airport, the market, back to the airport to pick up Cathy and back to the house for lunch and my secret laundry facility.

Customs and Immigration at George Town Airport

Customs and Immigration at George Town Airport

George Town International Airport is small and friendly; more substantial than Black Point yet not as large as Nassau. As we walk up to the door into the terminal, a woman stands holding the door open. “Benjamin Rackliffe?” she queries. If I’d thought faster I could have taken credit for arranging his own personal airline host, because after the flying down ordeal, didn’t he deserve it? Instead the truth was that he was one of two parties who had not checked in online (hey we tried) ahead and since the other one was a party of two, the person walking up had to be Benj. We hung around for a bit as parents are prone to do, then did a publicly acceptable farewell routine (the real mushy one we did earlier on board) before heading off.

One service that cruiser guests provide when they fly home is to take stamped mail and mail it when they get to a U.S., Canadian or where ever home is, mail box. Benj had a package to mail for us (a very special one) along with mail from two other cruisers. It’s an easy and convenient way to get mail out of the Bahamas because if you mail anything from here- kiss it good-bye for two months!

Cathy waits for us at Kermit's Lounge across from the terminal

Cathy waits for us at Kermit’s Lounge across from the terminal


Luncheon feast at Cort's Burger Villa

Luncheon feast at Cort’s Burger Villa

When a guest visits, you wish for the best weather possible and by some miracle Cathy’s 4 ½ days were some of the best so far. She got off to a busy start; we didn’t even let her get settled before our lunch date and tour of Cort’s property.  In true resort fashion though we provided accommodations, equipment, ideas, food, water, sunscreen and let her set the pace and activities. Not sure it’s any surprise that someone still working full-time and in need of relaxing down-time would choose anything but R&R activities- especially those that required slathering on sunscreen.

Cathy views the building site for the camp house

Cathy views the building site for the camp house

Getting up at oh dark thirty to fly then getting dragged around, requires a snooze before dinner

Getting up at oh dark thirty to fly then getting dragged around, requires a snooze before dinner

A beautiful day for a multi-island kayak cruise

A beautiful day for a multi-island kayak cruise

We tested our skills and our memories in playing this game.

We tested our skills and our memories in playing this game. The margaritas were helpful too

As the saying goes, be sure to leave with sand in your shoes.  Hang on to that tan- I say!

by

Canoe Catch a Cat?

Friends snapped an action shot from shore

Friends snapped an action shot from shore

An area we travel through twice a year is the Upper Indian River/Mosquito Lagoon stretch. Dotted with mangrove islands, Fishing and RV Camps on the west shore, the lagoon is a haven for manatees, egrets, herons, dolphins, osprey and more. Weekends explode with small boats; pontoons, fishing skiffs, kayaks and today, Friday, the speed demon of them all: an outrigger canoe. The day was overcast which was a bummer because the area is so lovely with sunshine.

So we’re just going along around 7kts, faster than usual in order to make our destination and get through the Addison Point Bridge before it closes for rush hour traffic at 3:30. We look over and spot a two person something; they turn around and begin paddling parallel to us. Then they angle toward our stern- me thinks they want a wake to ride, and then they get in right behind us paddling like crazy and we see it’s an outrigger canoe. Oh, this is makes up for lack of sunshine! Of course, photos are required and when I step out on to the stern, the woman in front yells, “we’re from CT too!”

I have her tell – more like shouting- me their email so I can send the pictures. A few minutes later they are still at it; paddling steadily but not aggressively. I think they’ve done this before.

Our stern wake gets a fun second use down the Mosquito Lagoon

Our stern wake gets a fun second use down the Mosquito Lagoon

We pass s/v Snow Goose who gets a kick out of our tiny parade while a short time later I warn our wake paddlers that we’ll be slowing down to allow a motor yacht to pass; a “slow pass” we cruisers call it. The camera goes into Movie mode- I mean after 15 minutes this needs more than a photo or two.

We learn Vicki and Del are visiting her Dad for a long weekend; soon they bid us adieu and head back to their launch location. Damn but that outrigger canoe looked more fun and maybe easier to paddle, than a kayak. A two-person one appeals to me. 🙂 So many possibilities in the small boat category.