Once again we find ourselves enjoying the good protection of Hope Town harbor to wait out a blow. While our northern parts are getting nailed with wind chills into the -30s, we’re getting the southern end of that front, with high winds and if we’re lucky, a bit of rain. The winds have been high and gusty through the night, but we only got about an hour of rain. Good enough to wash the decks down at least, so now we’ll plug the scuppers and open the deck fills, so we can watch it fall and flow right into our tanks. So satisfying, especially when that burble tells us they’re full. We obviously take what we can get when it comes to fresh water down here, but rainwater is much preferred over the R/O water that most places offer.
We had a quick jump from Man O’War to get here on Thursday, and have been in our little Hope Town heaven ever since. The town has made huge strides since last year, with more buildings renovated, more Dorian-strewn lots cleared, and not one but two new ice cream shops have opened, including one with Japanese-style cold stone rolled ice cream. Of all of the treats a cruiser might covet, something that is hard to fit and hard to maintain temperature in your freezer is high on the list. We love our ice cream stops.
We had a nice dip in the pool at the marina, reassessed the laundry situation, and reunited with friends who spend their winters here. Yesterday morning we joined a pickle ball group for a couple of hours, and had a great time playing and trying to figure out the rules and scoring with very patient fellow players. Our Wifi has been fluky, so we all jump to work when it’s good to fill in the rest of our days.
Many a green turtle has popped their head up around the boat since we’ve been here, which feels like more than ‘normal’, and a large non-nurse shark sped by us in the dinghy as well. We have heard rumors of two big bull sharks claiming the anchorage just outside of the harbor for their new territory, but also that the shark activity in the harbor was growing steadier, likely from the sport fishermen tossing carcasses and entrails overboard as an enticing snack. The animal we saw was not a bull, but perhaps a lemon shark, and either way, I didn’t want to pet it.
I listened to a fun piece on sharks on the radio a few months ago, and one marine biologist told the host that there was a great way to tell if there was a shark in the water near you: stick your finger in the water and then in your mouth. If it tastes salty, there’s a shark nearby. (And then he went on to say that even if it wasn’t, chances were still decent.) I’m fascinated by sharks and wouldn’t say that I am afraid of them, especially as seen from a dinghy, but the years down here have certainly taught us all a healthy respect, and all about risk management when we’re in the water.
The winds are howling, it’s starting to rain, and per usual, wee little Chickadee is sailing back and forth on the mooring thanks to her wing keel, always keeping us on the move. We’ll stay tucked in here until tomorrow at least, and then continue to head south to wait for a good crossing window from Little Harbor down to Eleuthera.
While Lily is far from being as happy as can be, she is finding some sense of rhythm to her days, and while not completely at ease, gaining comfort and confidence in her routine there. Just having her body adjust to the cultural norms of meals at such different times of day must be exhausting, let alone the brainpower for the language. We speak with her every day, and it’s been a massive relief to see even the smallest shifts to the positive.
For now, it’s a gaming and reading, and hoping that the internet is strong enough for steaming movies kind of day.
