Trips 2025: Chapter 1

6 Jan 2025, Christening the new Year in Green Turtle Cay, 26 45.504 N/ 077 19.77 W

It's early January and time for me and the Cat to wing our way to Green Turtle Cay of the Abacos in the Collonwealth of the Bahamas. As many of you may remember, Ann and I (with the Cat), sailed to Green Turtle in 2018 and 2019 and stayed on the boat for a total of 6 months. Hurricane Dorian and Covid made sailing impossible for 2020 and 2021. Ann, the Cat and I flew to Great Abaco Island, and took the BOLO ferry to GTC. We were to stay 5 weeks and completed a little over 4. Then a medical emergency took her away and she passed a couple weeks later.

In 2023, 2024, and 2025, the Cat and I repeated the process, but with company. The following discusses the 2025 trip. Only one thing was missing...

My son (Chris) and my youngest grandkid (Logan) came on the charter flight and ferry trip to the Rose Cottage which will be my and Mattie's home for 4 weeks. I got to share the 1st week with Chris and Logan. Logan loves the water so we went to our backyard and they splashed in Settllement Harbour, then headed for Gillam Bay and golf cart-ed to (almost) Gillam Pt. Where there was water, Logan was there. I hope Ann was looking down to see this!

The picture to the left is the front porch of 'our' Rose Cottage. Ann was here in 2022. Her favorite place was the far chair on the porch. It was amazing the number of folks that knew us, would wave to us, and stop and chat. Fortunately, we had a golf cart, which was essential the last couple of days we were there. Every year when I come here, I can almost see her sitting there. I am staying in the same room we stayed in 2022. My guests stay in the nice room that has a view Settlement Harbour. Fortunately, most of the guests can cook. As many of you may know, I only cooked once: after Ann got a cancer removed in Hyannis and we were on the boat. The next day, I was relegated to dish washing, and the next I was relieved of duty. Ann and I discovered Rose Cottage (aka John Lowe Cottage, circa 1868) on our second sail to GTC. They have a humorous custom of the young folks and the cruiser community singing Christmas Carols at 0500 (that's 5 am). Our singing is accompnied by bongo drums, regular drums, and cow bells. During the serenade, we saw Julie in her cottage waving to all of us marchers. That was the cottage that we went to several years later; the Rose Cottage which we rented from her the last 4 years.

13 Jan 2025, More Company on Green Turtle, 26 45.504 N/ 077 19.77 W

We were to have three more groups after Chris left but Joanne and Frank, formerly of SV Fantasy Island, could not come as there was an illness in the family. They were the first real cruisers we met in 2000 on the Alligator River. In many ways, they were mentors to us. So our next folks to come to the Cottage were Nancy and Tom, formerly of SV Celena. We cruised with them on our first real trip to the Bahamas in 2002-2003. Our cruise was paused with the death of my Mother in February 2003 but we caught up sometime in March.

We had beautiful weather for most of our trip. The picture to the left was a picture we took at Sundowners (restaurant and bar). It is actually quite famous for its views of the Sea of Abaco and Great Abaco Island. All our guests are treated to a Pizza Wednesday (Ann & my invention) at Sundowners. I believe Tom and Nancy enjoyed their trip. They were not strangers to the Abacos. After the left us, they headed for Marsh Harbour to reminince.

Heather and Kyle are not cruisers but they are great neighbors in our Lambs Bluff community in Wilmington NC. They watch the cat and the house when I am on non cat trips. They worry about me and that is a good thing as my health is getting just a bit iffy. Actually my heath is improving but my age is subtracting from that a bit. They were so much in love with GTC, they rented their own golf cart and explored the possibilities. We will see what transpires. We did most of the activities we did with our visitors. They seemed to like Cross Point the most. Ann could not do the Cross in 2022 but we dinghied there a few times when we sailed there.