We drove to New Smyrna Beach airport this morning for a flight to Marsh Harbor in the northern Bahamas. Since US Air stopped direct flights to Abaco from Orlando we have been using small semi-charter carriers to get over. For the last few years we have used AirGate out of the Sanford, FL but they moved their operation to New Smyrna. It was a full flight: six passengers, two dogs, and the pilot in a Cessna 414. The flight over was gorgeous. With not a cloud in the sky you could see forever.
We arrived in time to make the all-important stop at Bristol Cellars before they closed. Once supplied with enough wine for our stay we had the taxi drop us at the Albury Ferry dock for the 4:00 ferry to Man of Way Cay. For those of you that have not visited this wonderful island community it is dry. Thus the importance attributed to the stop at Bristol Cellars.
We were dropped off at our dock shortly before sunset and barely had time to get the house opened up before it got dark. That is always an interesting time since you are never too sure what is not working. We were lucky that the reason there was no water was only that the pump switch in the cellar was not turned on. That was a relief since we really wanted our coffee in the morning.
We were supposed to be at a New Years dinner party and were a bit rushed getting set up before leaving. Many readers are not familiar with the set up of the family home here, but the house is on Dickies Cay, which lies just off Man of War Cay to form a sheltered harbor (Google Earth it). There are just a few homes on Dickies Cay and the only way to get to the store in the settlement, or to any of the homes on Man of War itself, is by boat. In our case said boat is “Tisha”. She is named after my younger sister Patricia and is nearly the same age. Tisha is OK for getting around the harbor, but you would not want to get too far from land with her. I always take a handheld radio with me, just in case.
Normally we have a few days to get our act together when we get here, but today we had to jump right in. This time of year going to dinner means taking Tisha out after dark and we had no time for a scouting trip through the harbor as a shake down. I did at least go start her up ahead of time. She eventually puffed to life and was idling away when I noticed that was going to be short lived. No gas tank. The tank has been stolen before, so I was hoping it was in the tool shed to protect it. Yep, problem solved, but I was very happy we had not come down in the dark and rushed off just to find ourselves adrift in the dark on New Years Eve. Who in their right mind would leave a great party to bail out some knucklehead floating in the harbor? It might have been a long night.
By the way, it was low tide and I had no idea how the shallow parts of the approach to Huguette’s dock were changed by the hurricane last summer. We bumped a bit here and there, but got to dinner and back in fine fashion. We had a wonderful dinner with an international cast of acquaintances and were snug in bed by the time the sound of the last fireworks faded. Can’t say the same for the music drifting across the water from someone’s party, though.
Moorings charter boat approaching the harbor entrance as I opened up the upper sliders.
View to the northwest from our dock as we arrived.
View southeast from our dock as we arrived. That is Tisha waiting patiently in the lower corner.
Last sunset of 2011 as seen from the porch. Life is certainly good!
Barbara and I wish you all a wonderful new year!
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