Adventures of a Tribe

3 Days of the journey

Posted on April 20, 2016

Finally have internet again!

Sunday, April 10th
This morning Danny and I were still in bed when there was a soft knock on the door. Jude and Mycah had ordered us breakfast in bed for our Wedding Anniversary and served it to us. What Angels. Danny and I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious coconut french toast with sliced bananas, maple syrup and a tall glass of milk. They thanked us both for being such wonderful parents and thanked Danny especially for the amazing Dad he is (in particular for putting up with Mycah lol). We are so grateful for 11 beautiful individuals to learn from and grow with.

We prepped the boat and checked out of the marina, and several friends stopped by to wish everyone farewell, the creatures friends came and chatted for a while and as we motored out we heard farewells from the hotel balcony and dock from several of the anglers. The Atlantic was restless today. Currents pushed in different directions to the strong winds, causing the rhythm of swells to periodically be interrupted by a dysfunctional wandering wave. Tanda Malaika took it all gracefully like a patient mother, placing her hulls in troughs and swells that moved us forward as comfortably as possible. At times spray would reach as far back as the stern hatches. We couldn’t sail directly on course because the wind was right on our nose so we tacked back and forth and then backtracked for four and a half hours and as a crow flies, only made it about 10 miles down the coast.

Finally Danny and the creatures got us anchored at about 1830, just as I finished cooking fish tacos with the trigger fish that Meli gave us yesterday. I cooked them like the security guard at the marina had suggested and seasoned the fish, garlic, onion and bell peppers with oregano, salt, pepper and lemon juice. I served them with rice and pineapple salsa and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Trigger fish consistency is much like lobster, and quite delicious.

What a fantastic day in a beautiful place. We will continue our journey tomorrow, and according to the weather report, the weather will be far more favorable.

Monday, April 11
The winds turned on us again after looking promising on the report, and to avoid beating into the wind for who knows how many hours, we decided to stay put and leave early in the morning. According to today’s weather (which could change any second), it should take us half the amount of time to reach lower Abacos tomorrow than if we’d left today.

Jude and I took advantage of the time while Danny was doing some route planning and the other 3 creatures were busy on school work, so catch a ride in to the grocery store for more fruit, flour and sugar. It is so much cheaper for me to bake all our bread rather than us buying it – (besides the fact that I love baking bread). We took the dinghy over to the marine police station and a gentleman there named Danny offered to take Jude and I into town and then back again afterward. I know I’ve said this before, but I am so impressed with the Bahamian people. They are some of the happiest, friendliest and most helpful individuals I’ve ever met.

This afternoon we all piled into the dinghy and went over to the abandoned hotel to explore. The actual structure is still very sound, but some of the walls need new sheet rock. I’m sure if any of you would like to open your own hotel you could get a really good deal on this one! When we arrived there the tide was low so we had to climb very high up and out of the dinghy to get onto the dock, and Danny was such a gentleman to let me stand on his leg to do it. He was the last one to climb out and as he began his ascent he fell back right into the water. We all had a good laugh.

After our adventure we returned to Tanda Malaika where I served fresh homemade potato salad, watermelon, corn and lamb chops grilled on the braai (bbq). We goofed around for a while, had prayer together and have now retired to our berths. It’s been another wonderful day.

Tuesday, April 12
The sunrise was gorgeous this morning as we made our way out to sea and raised the sails. At first it appeared that we would have good wind for sailing but very soon after setting out, the air became calm and the only breeze we felt was the apparent wind we were creating. Flying fish raised themselves from the cool clear water, gliding out across the gentle swells and leaving zigzag patterns from their tail fins on the water.
As the day progressed the ocean calmed even more.

While taking my turn at the helm, Mycah came and joined me with her ukulele and sang to me for a while. She has such a beautiful voice. Later after going down below she reached up from the lower deck handing me an apple with a couple bites out of it and told me she had opened it for me!
Last night when I hugged and kissed her goodnight and thanked her for being so wonderful, she looked discouraged and said, ‘Mom, I feel so sorry for my future daughters..actually I feel sorry for every women.’ I was concerned and asked her why, and she replied, ‘because none of them will have as amazing a daughter as me. I’m already born!’ She is such a dingbat!!
Not too far before the main Abacos island we saw a little land mass called Moore Island, and decided to check it out. From a distance it appeared to have very long while sand beaches. After motoring all the way in to drop anchor, we realized that the ‘white sand’ was actually concrete wall and there are no beaches at all. It’s all still so beautiful though and we enjoyed dinner out in the stern salon before coming in. Tomorrow we will continue on…