Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Sheila and Paul Visit the Abacos

Once I knew my sister, Sheila, and her husband, Paul, were coming to visit I could think of little else until they arrived. I was once again seeing the sites through fresh eyes as I imagined how much they would love it here. I was not wrong…they did love it here.


Sheila and Paul arrived in Marsh Harbour on a beautiful afternoon where we met them and had lunch at Mangos before boarding Coyote and heading out into the Sea of Abaco. We anchored for the night off Man-o-War Cay and went for a lovely evening stroll along the beach. The next day we toured the town and then moved to Hope Town as it was getting rather bumpy in the anchorage due to a west wind that had picked up throughout the day. On the way Sheila and Paul had fun riding on the bow of the boat.

Hope Town did not disappoint either. They fit right into the relaxed lifestyle and thoroughly enjoyed
wandering throughout the quaint town, having lattés in the coffee house, ice cream at the Sugar Shack and swimming or strolling along the beautiful beaches.






On one of our perfect days, Sheila and I went to yoga in the morning and then met the boys for coffee before heading to the beach for a swim. On another perfect day we rented a golf cart to tour Elbow Cay, stopping at Tahiti Beach for a picnic lunch. Later that night we went to Firefly for dinner, Sheila and Paul’s birthday treat to me. Yet another perfect day included a trip to Lynyard Cay on Harold’s run-about with a stop at Sandy Cay for snorkeling and then Pete’s Pub for lunch. Needless to say they were all perfect days, even including the big thunder storm in Hope Town!

Their trip was a last minute decision so we couldn’t really believe they were actually here. Sheila and I kept pinching each other because it didn’t seem real. It was all so wonderful that we decided we could not describe it to anyone without seeming to be completely obnoxious. So, I will just say that I am so happy they came to visit. It was a most brilliant birthday present and I will always remember our perfect week.

We were sad to see them go, but it marked the point at which we felt it was time to start for home. We spent a few more days in Hope Town
that included my actual birthday for which we had dinner with friends and then cake (baked by Lynn) on the boat. Since this was a milestone birthday year I have been milking it for several months…I guess I need to accept that it is finally over.

We have now crossed through the Whale and are in Green Turtle Cay where we have waited out a front. Tomorrow we are heading further north to either Manjack or Powell Cay and soon we will cross the Gulf Stream headed for home. I always find this time somewhat stressful as we look for the best opportunity to make the crossing. In the meanwhile we are planning to explore some new northern cays, which is always exciting. And then we will be close to home and our family and friends, which is always wonderful.




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