Yesterday we said farewell to one set of friends, and had the pleasure of greeting another set. Our Caliber friends stopped in for morning coffee, then set sail for their journey back to Florida. They are not certain at this point whether they will leave their boat in Brunswick, Georgia for the summer, or take it all the way up to Pennsylvania, where they have a farm and farmhouse.

Shortly thereafter, we got a What’s App text from one of our closest sets of friends from our marina in St. Augustine: a family of five who left their home in Missouri to embrace the sailing life last year. This is their first trip to the Bahamas as well, with their 31’ sailboat which they have been constantly refurbishing, and their three young children ages 5, 4, and 2. We have not seen them since we left St. Augustine in February. The text stated that they were all set to leave West Bay, New Providence, where they have been anchored through the recent windy, rainy weather. This Bay is on the opposite end of the island from Palm Cay. The text advised they expected to arrive around noon and they would spend one night in Palm Cay to re-provision and visit.

Promptly at noon, we saw their mast outside the entrance to the twisty channel.  They negotiated the tricky turns perfectly (the featured picture is of their boat arriving in the marina). After achieving a safe docking in an overlarge slip at dead low tide and against the wind, there were hugs all around. They all looked great, fit and brown, and the children have clearly taken to life on a boat, which just seems perfectly normal to them. The parents maintain good crew discipline – during the approach through the channel and the docking procedure, the children sat still as mice in the cockpit, staying out of the way, but called their greetings to us in excited piping voices.

Their oldest, a boy, is very serious about boating topics, although a lively, happy child. He takes on a very serious demeanor when talking about anchoring, rolling swells they’ve experienced, and how things work on a boat. He has a great interest in boating systems, and after seeing his own boat hauled in Florida, constructed his own toy Travelift and sailboat set.

The younger girls are quite motor-developed for their age, a side effect of climbing on, off, over, and around boats and docks. The middle girl is quite the fashion queen, with sundress, sparkly gold cloth bracelet, and seashell necklace. The youngest, who was quiet and spoke in single words while pointing when we last saw her, is now speaking in complete sentences.

We went together to the marina restaurant where we had an extended lunch of grouper fingers, conch fritters, fish burgers and fries. We shared our amazement and feeling of good fortune in being able to have the incredible experience of being in the Bahamas, meeting people and experiencing the geography, flora and fauna. We talked endlessly about our adventures, mistakes, weather endured and enjoyed, equipment triumphs and failures. When we were full, and the kids started to droop, we repaired to our own boats for rest and dinner.

After dinner, we had a treat of ice cream at the marina coffee shop, and walked to a local playground where everyone blew off steam playing on the swings, sliding board, maze, and see saws. When dark fell and the mosquitos came out, we went back to C Ghost, where Tommy set up the settee in the main salon as a big bed, where the children enjoyed a screening of the movie “Up”, and the adults enjoyed some rare “big-people” time and talk together.

Tomorrow we plan a joint trip to the grocery. The parents will shop, and Tommy and Paula will help keep the kids entertained so the parents can concentrate on their list!