Endings and Beginnings

My Mom died the other day. Doing what she loved to do, shopping! And with her passing goes a woman with incredible spirit, love and affection. We will all miss her, especially her cooking. 83 years young, Mom never knew how to stop going. Despite lots of pain and discomforts as she got older, she persevered and always got the job done. Her most recent accomplishment: Senior Volunteer of the Year Award near her summer home in the Catskills. Mom, I miss you very, very much. We all do.

Conception Island, Bahamas

This past week Gayle and I sailed from Georgetown to Conception Island. Conception Island is a remote place about a days sail from Georgetown. It is a Bahamas national park, and therefore relatively pristine. As you will see from the pictures below, there were plenty of "groceries" to be had, including a 20 pound Nassau Grouper that was the biggest fish we have speared on the trip. The freezer on the boat is packed with fish we have shot, and we are enjoying it immensely. We are now back in Georgetown hunkered down for some windy weather, and keeping a careful eye out for storms.

Change of Plans

They say the only thing you can count on is change. Well, we have had a change of plans. We've enjoyed the Bahamas so much that we have decided not to sail up to New England this summer, but rather stay in the Bahamas. As I write this I am in New York visiting my family, and Gayle is in Massachusetts attending her family reunion. We decided to fly up rather than sail up. Bel Ami is tucked in nicely in a hurricane hole on a mooring in Georgetown. We spend our days sailing and exploring. There is so much to see and do: swimming, diving, spearfishing, conch gathering, hiking, playing with the dolphins, swimming with pigs (yes!), scrabble, watching movies. Gayle's friend Mike, who has lived in the Bahamas on his sailboat Silent Flight for years, has been serving as a wonderful activity guide. Currently our plan is to remain in the Bahamas until after hurricane season, and then sail the boat back to the Virgin Islands to reconnect with family and friends down there.