Hill and I haven't been online much due to the lack of internet in Marsh Harbor. Even though this is the largest town in the Abacos, internet is hard to come by. This morning, Hill and I took the dingy in so that he could try to pick up some parts for our shower, and I was planning to surf the internet for a while at a cafe. However, the coffee shop I planned to visit first (which advertises "free wi-fi") told me that they no longer offer internet to their customers. I then tried Curly Tails, one of the marina restaurants, but their wi-fi was protected and the restaurant didn't open until 11:30. I then walked down to another coffee shop, to learn that they didn't have wi-fi at all. Then I decided "to hell with walking," and I walked back to the Curly Tails to finish my crossword puzzle and type this up to post once they open.
I spoke with my Dad on the phone last night and he asked how the sailing was going. "Well..." I responded, "We haven't been doing much sailing." We flew out to Long Island on the 14th to meet up with Hill's family for a five days at the Cape Santa Maria resport, then flew back to Marsh Harbor late Thursday afternoon. On Friday, we scheduled a scuba dive with Dive Abaco, a shop in Marsh Harbour. (Our second - we also did a dive in Long Island. My scuba certification is paying off!) We went out for the dive on Saturday morning with Keith, the owner of Dive Abaco, and four other people who planned to snorkel. Our first dive was pretty simple, a tour around a reef in the protected Fowl Cay area. It was beautiful, but cold. Even though I had rented a full wetsuit (most people rent shorties), I was full-on shivering by the time we got out of the water. I also learned that my scuba mask doesn't seal well under my nose and when I exhale, the air bubbles go straight into my mask, also letting in water, so that I have to clear my mask every few minutes. Annoying. So I decided to skip the second dive, mostly due to the cold, and instead snorkeled while Hill and Keith dove. Apparently I missed out because Hill said it was an awesome dive - they swam through some caves and also saw a eagle ray and barracuda. Too bad for me.
Yesterday we heard that a cold front was supposed to pass through, so we decided to put off sailing and instead devote a day to the many tasks that still need to be completed on the boat. We went onshore in the morning to provision. Back on the boat, Hill attempted to install our showerhead, only to learn that it wasn't the right size. I reorganized the v-berth and also put the final touches on our sun awning so that we can finally deploy it the next time we are at anchor. (Of course, the cold front never passed through and the weather was beautiful and sunny all day.)
The weather forecast for the rest of the week is winds at 15-20 knots until Friday. From what I can tell, the wind here is either 15-20 or 0. So we are going to head out to Great Guana or Man-O-War Cay today (depending on which direction the wind settles on) and make our way down to Little Harbour by Friday. All of these are short trips, less than 10 miles, so I think it will be a good way for me to get comfortable with the wind. Hill and I are both getting a little antsy (especially Hill). But I'm glad that we took a break. When we returned to the boat, I realized how many things I've done and learned over the first few weeks, and how much I enjoy living on the boat. But Hill and I planned this trip for adventure, not to chill out in Marsh Harbor for six months. We are ready to move on.
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