New Olympia Nassau

... wonder at why there weren’t any nationality markers on it, though. Ah, what do I know anyway, right?

Supper was for Mom’s 60th birthday party at Portofino’s Italian Restaurant. Oh, my God, was it ever good. The service was exceptional, the food was amazing, the cake we ordered for mom was out of this world, and they still pushed us to take more dessert back to our rooms to consume later. I definitely have to get some exercise tomorrow!

Atlantic Ocean, Cat Island, Bahamas adelleg

... We will watch the lighthouse light up tonight and toast Tommy - Tim and Dianne's dear friend who loved boating, rum and the Bahamas. We know we would have enjoyed his friendship because of the company he kept. Friends are precious. When friends loose a friend, because we love our friends, we too share in the loss. Here's to Tom! . Life is precious!

... have taken some of our rests down below where it was warmer. I hit that settee and slept soundly until 7:30. It could have been exhaustion but I think it was more comfort - dry and warmer. Anyway - I popped up refreshed at 7:30 AM, just in time to come about and take our heading into the North MOW Channel. Dave said, "It's a good thing we didn't choose the South MOW Channel, there is a freighter in that channel on the rocks ...

... work for lunch. It is definitely the place for the locals. In front of the stall were only three picnic tables so we shared the table with other Bahamians eating lunch. The Bahamians like Obama - I've seen these posters all over the city. After lunch we caught the #19 bus. The buses that run in Nassau are individually owned. The #19 does the perimeter of the island and for $1.25/each you sit and watch Nassau go by or ...

... on the hull on that boat. Watching what he does is our amusement for the afternoon. Between four and six he should be trying to get off and he'll have to avoid the three sailboats on the moorings next to him and try to get to deeper water on the other side of those sailboats. Everyone in our PPDG has run aground and we all have empathy for the Catamaran but the way he did it was kind of funky. If you've ever been in ...

... spring, he pulled the starter rope and engine came to life! Runs like a race horse now and idles OK too. We explored the caves to the north end and the sandbar - particularly the one we spent the night on and then the next afternoon. The beaches are bleached white. The caves hang over the crystal clear water. It is too beautiful. And we are still the only boat in this anchorage. Life is good!

... side of an island whenever we decided to quit for the day. We'll there's nothing to hide behind on the Great Bahama Bank for 60 miles. No marinas, no gas stations, not even a rest area where you could pull off the interstate-not even a Quicky Mart where you could grab a Slurpee. But I guess that's why we decided to take this trip. So we'll rest up today-there aren't any big nightclubs or restaurants left in Alicetown anyway-and get an early start.

... do not go or do anything in sketchy parts of town. We are arriving in port at 8am tomorrow but I am going to get up early to see us dock. For my physics for mariners class we have to answer questions about ease of approach, sheltering features, ship traffic, berthing facilities and whether or not there is a good choice of taverns near port J for at least three of the destinations. I ...

... both large and small. Some were glowing in neon blues, absolutely beautiful. We kept swimming further out to reefs (the visibility was perfect, slight wave action). At one point I dove down to check out a cavern and heard my daughter scream. Not knowing what she saw, I turned and swam toward the girls, who were kicking frantically and pointing. I turned and just ten feet from me the largest manta ray I've ever ...

... as my way of rebelling against the glitzy commercialization it represents. Indeed, the hotel and casino were just like one of the large Vegas properties (some design elements were suspiciously Bellagio-esque!), except the casino actually had windows to the outside world. I have to admit though, that the network of aquariums was pretty incredible - we saw rays, sharks, eels, starfish, all colors of fish and coral, you name it. For ...