"Traighli Bay" - Al Parrish

Leaving Nassau was extremely hard. I had fallen in love with the culture, the food, and the people. We headed over to Atlantis on Saturday just as the rain started falling in sheets. Pete got to the boat early and I was so excited to see him again. Dave came with him who I hadn't met before but always goes on the sail ups. Pirate Don, Wayne, Ron and Richard were soon to follow. We spent the evening making friends in the hot tube by the boat and catching up. Hearing stories of the Jimmy Buffet concert, Dave's Appalachian trail hike, and the like. Doug and Sarah, his wife who I had been dying to meet, got in just in time for dinner. That night we had a big feast of Berthas conch and fish and I even made some delicious guacamole from some of the 20 avocados we were given that were blown off friends trees from Irene. All our friends came by including Tim, Chris, houseboat Mark, Tina, Steven, and more that I can't even think of right now. We had a blast and it was so good to spend time with everyone one last time and the goodbyes were very hard for me.

We went to NPCC the next morning one last time and then said threw lines and were on our way to the Abacos. The weather was great and we came into Marsh Harbor the next day and found that they had a good bit more damage than Nassau did. We tied up to the dock, real close to the other boat to fit on the dock and talk them into getting us some fuel (an adventure). We had a delicious barbeque of dolphin and pork chops and I was so happy to be in such great company. The next day we headed up to Manjack Cay to see Bill and Leslie again. We enjoyed time on their beautiful porch watching a storm roll in while drinking delicious fresh squeezed key lime juice! The next day we spent the morning helping Bill and Leslie clean up their beach since they had a lot of trees and brush down. Then we headed up to spanish cay but made a stop for one last lobster spearing session. It was a huge success and we came back with well over 20 lobsters! It was a delicious dinner. We anchored out of spanish cay because the dock was pretty beat up after Irene! We had a blast, Pirate Don won over another Pirate and August 31^st became Sarah s declaration day! She got her skull bead placed in her hair which started the many pirate jokes and pirate music and dancing. Great fun. We also had a crazy plankton show and say on the dive platform for 10 minutes kicking the water and watching it light up with tons of dots like fireflies! (that is until sheila told us not to swim because there were a lot of sharks here!) It was also our last night in the bahamas and Don and I made it a special night by piercing our ears (with my peace sign studs) and Doug who was a jeweler so he had “done this a hundred times”.

The days catch… thanks for the shirt Matt!

The next morning we hoisted anchor and set sail for the states. Our first stop was Jacksonville but it was a long way away. We sailed for about 48 hours and it was an adventure. We had fun and had beautiful weather and enjoyed the trip and each others company. And of course Sarah pirates practice and Don's playlist and Matt and I's fight for control over Grateful Dead or Kenny Chesney.... We even got both sails up and had the engine off for a little bit (a belt broke on the engine). We sailed by close enough to see Cape Cod and where all the space ships used to take off and I learned as I said my goal was to see one take off that they had just stopped! It is what it is. We got in to Jacksonville just after sunrise and watched tons of boats take off as we came in. We tied up and learned that Pirate Don, Matt, and I had to go to customs because we didn't have boater cards. Turns out the only customs place opened on a saturday was in St. Augustine so we had to borrow a car from Mary Beth (from a charter this summer) and drive down to check into customs! It was a crazy system. My family has good friends, Sandra and George, who live in Jacksonville. My aunt Valerie and Uncle Brian came up from Tarpon Springs and the four of them came over to spend time with me. It was so great seeing them and we had a blast! They came with us as we did the annual BBQ and BBQ Bill's house. He cooked delicious ribs and opened his home to all of us and we had a blast! It was so great spending time together and celebrating the great season the Bahama Star gave us over a harpoon.

the boys and their grill!

The next day brought in our first goodbyes. Matt, Dave and Pete all headed back home and it was hard to realize that our season really was coming to a close. We spent an day exploring Firdandina Florida after sailing up the Inter-coastal. It was beautiful and so much fun. Firdandina was a quaint little town on the inter-coastal all about boating and good food. We had a delicious low country boil and Sheila was pretty excited about having shrimp again. The next day because of some weather coming in we decided just to dash straight to Charleston. The crossing went well and I was sad as the sun set for the last time on my sailing. We got in around 5 the next morning into Charleston. I came up as Bruce sailed us in and I could not believe he could look at the lights of Charleston and know what was what and which lights to follow. It was beautiful watching the Sullivan Island light house reach out to us as we sailed in. The docking was pretty interesting since we came into a full dock and tied up in a slip that had another boat in. But Bruce made it work! The afternoon was spent have good food and getting things packed up and ready for dry docking for the season. We spent the night at Bob and Squeaks house in charleston and got spoiled with a pool and delicious ham dinner and TV! It had been so long. The next day was spent getting everything off the boat, sailing it up to where we were stored and also taking Don to the airport. Not before getting him to experience Bojangles! It was a great day and as we filled Bruce and Sheilas rental van I started thinking, where on earth did all these tools and food and gear and clothes and bags come from? Our boat is only so big!

Throwing my message in a bottle!

Well the moment came, the it's official we are done and the boat is stripped down and there is nothing left to do but say goodbye. My mom met us off the interstate and we said our goodbyes quickly so I wouldn't be sad. By then only Doug, Sarah, Ron, and Bruce and Sheila were left. It was so hard to tell them bye unsure of when we would see each other again. Working on the Bahama Star was one of the greatest adventures in my life so far. The lifestyle and people will be sorely missed and I was not ready for it to end. I don't know if I will every work for two more wonderful and loving people who I got so close to and got to really share my life with. I hope to one day find a job that I am as happy and passionate about as the two of them. All I can say is THANK YOU. Not just to Bruce and Sheila, who deserve it a million times over, but also every person who came on that boat and shared time and their lives with us and all the prayers and emails from friends and families that blessed us with good weather and safe traveling. Thank You, and God Bless.

one last mooring ball pull!

squeezing fresh key lime juice!

Doug piercing Don's ear! With a peace sign…

Sarah in her element! ARRRRGH

The boys and their cameras….

Pete and Don with the day's catch

Dave and I enjoying our key lime juice

It is always time to dance! Man I miss the boat!

"Shelter from the Storm" - Bob Dylan

What a crazy week for a last charter! The week started off great. We had the Dr. John from the iguana group back again for a different assignment and with him came Ron, Lynn, and Jeff. The objective was to move as many iguanas as we could catch from Allen's Cay to Flat Rock. The reason was because the Sheer-water birds (endangered or something) were being eaten by barn owls that had started coming to the area because of mice brought to the island by boats. So the idea was to spray and kill all the mice to stop the barn owls from coming over to save the Sheer-waters. Only problem was no one knew of the affects of the spray on the iguanas and if they might eat the poisoned mice. (Confusing right?) So the idea was to move all the iguanas (only around 20 so they believed) to Flat rock for a year and by using transmitters inserted in the iguanas we could find them next year and put them back. So we had a vet and vet assistant, Robert and Andrea come as well to do surgery on the iguanas. Along with John and the group from May that returned there were a couple other friends who had come on previous trips. Stesha, Rick, Dan, Dave, and John's wife, Sheila, who had never in 25 years been on the trip!

holding down a big one!

Matt Rick and I taking a break!

The trip started off great. The group got in early enough on saturday to sail on over to the Exumas. We started off early Sunday to catch all the giant iguanas we could find. The first morning we didn't see a single iguana. After lunch however we were a lot better and came in with 4. One small one which raised the question of if they had found a way to nest on the island, Dr. John had always thought the terrain to rocky. The other 3 were not marked before which meant there might be a few more than 20 iguanas. More work cut out for us. Monday came with another morning of nothing but that afternoon we had caught 3 and the vets had successfully completed 3 iguana surgeries on the boat. Monday evening plans were discussed as to what to do about Tropical storm Irene who was headed our way. We decided to head back in to Nassau which was unfortunate since the group did not get to finish all their work. Tuesday the vets finished the surgery on the iguanas we caught and we did a little more searching and one last lemon joy bath. Then that afternoon we headed back as the wind started picking up. I was very sad to say goodbye to the Exumas.

The gang at lunch! Ron, Sheila, Dr. John, Jeff, Lynn, Stesha, Dave, Dan, and Rick!

Washing the Iguanas...

We got into Nassau late Tuesday night and boats were already tied in and people already boarding windows to get ready. We spent wednesday spiderwebbing our boat in and tying lines to Houseboat marks and helping him move stuff out. He decided to move everything out of his boat because he didn't think it would make it through the storm. We heard few reports of lots of damage in the southwestern bahamas on wednesday as we sent our group to stay off at the very accommodating Buckner's. They are friends of Dr. John's and have a beautiful home in Nassau where the whole group stayed for Irene and we brought them dinner wednesday night. I got to buckle down the hatches (literally) and ride the storm on the dock. The winds picked up wednesday night and it rained all night as the edge of now Hurricane Irene went by. The peak of the storm was at about 9 Thursday morning. We went out around 7 to check lines on other boats and check on our friend Wesley the security guard. Bruce, Sheila, Matt and I were very happy to stay down in the bunks and gets some R&R for a late morning. With Bruce reading “The Perfect Storm” and me “The Hungry Ocean” we felt very lucky with our current situation. We had a delicious lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese and watched a movie. Yes I know, very adventurous. The winds got up to about 80 but we were tied in really well and hardly rocked at all! We took dinner over to the Buckner's again and had a good time and great conversation. Friday morning the group returned and we spent the day exploring the Atlantis aquarium and eating conch salad and fritters at potters cay. That evening Chris took us over to Green Parrot on his boat for dinner and we had a great time! Our friends, Jim and Eddy on the Angler Em came to dinner with us and then allowed us on their boat to explore “how the other half lives” on there beautiful fishing yacht.

hanging out in the aquarium with our new best friend, the saw fish!

mmmmm, Conch fritters and conch salad!

As the group left saturday I was very sad to see them go. I hated that their time in the Exumas was cut short and that our last charter spent nights not on the boat and tied in Nassau. Irene just did not come at an opportune time. I was very glad that there were no injuries or serious damages to the homes of people we know or most of the island. I was very impressed at the immediate response that Bahamians had to clean the roads and help each other get prepared for the hurricane. We were very blessed and if I am in a hurricane again I hope it is in an environment so well prepared.

Hurricane outfit… I know the shades make it

Matt braving the storm

Our security guard friend, Wesley!

The wind almost blew me over right after this was taken….

Our friend Houseboat Marks, only minimal damage!

Our conch friends heading back for the storm. (Yes that is all conch)

Dr. John in his element!

Dr. John and the extremely helpful Sheila

iguana surgery… never thought I would see this!

Matts nap… note the fingernails! I was pink!

"Have a Good Time" - Paul Simon

This was another great week and our last time at a lot of our favorite places in the Exumas. We had an all guys YL group from Texas. They had all gone on the trip two years ago and were doing a “reunion” trip, aka they just really wanted to come back. Shane and Craig were the leaders who returned and they also had Jase a leader who works with college life back at TCU. The twelve boys were all about fishing. We didn't hit the park at all we just took them to different reefs to spear fish.

Saturday night we sailed over to the Exumas late and all the boys proceeded to go for a night swim with their “waterproof” flashlights. Pretty entertaining. Sunday brought in my birthday which was so much fun. Another guy on the boat, Addison, had the same birthday as me! I was very excited about that. Sheila and Bruce got me my very own spear and shooter and Matt got me lots of chocolate! It was so nice. I spent all morning trying to spear something and had brownies and Happy birthday Addison and Aubrey Anne sung, it was fantastic. We went to Compass Cay one last time, which was really sad. Saying goodbye to Tucker and Preston and my favorite beach and having one last tucker burger. I finally speared my first fish on the last day, but once again he wasn't quite as big as I thought he was... but it restored my faith in my spearing capabilities. The boys spent every night shark fishing and slept in every morning. It was weird getting up and not immediately cooking breakfast. They caught a 4 ½ foot lemon shark and were pretty good at spear fishing. We had delicious fried fish and lobster, lobster omelets, and lobster Alfredo. I got spoiled. We also jumped off thunder ball for the last time. I jumped a few times and Matt and I finally dove off. Something I have wanted but been terrified to do. It was an experience... exhilarating but also a bit painful. My neck and head were not happy with me for about five days. The group was all reading “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” and talking about it. I picked it up and read a few chapters and really liked it. Its on my book list. Another week of beautiful weather and water and I am sad thinking that I am nearing the end of my time down here in the Exumas.

"Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere" - Zach Brown Band

Another great week has flown by! I can not believe we are on the tail end of the season! We had our first “lasts” this week when we said goodbye to the Exumas Land and Sea park! Next week the group is all about fishing so we wont be going into the park. So no more Wardrick Wells or Pirates Lair or Hawksbill! The group was a family and friends group from Texas. Jeremy had done TbarM years ago and at the end of the week stayed on the boat for the sail up. He has come back a couple more times and this time he brought the family. His wife, Lori, parents, Mark and Terry, and two good friends, Coley and Rusty. Lori also had her mom, Becky, sister Vicky and her husband Brandon and their 6 year old daughter, Hallie. Lori's two good friend, Jenn and Chrissy also came. I hope you followed that. Everyone was tons of fun!

Highlights of the week start of as me finally getting out and going spear fishing at Green Cay!!!! I shot my first lobster but in my defense I only saw the antenna and dove down and shot it. Then I learned how small he was! The snorkel at Green was just fantastic. Enjoying the floating dock at Wardrick one last time and spending the afternoon floating around. Hallie eating Raisin Brand and proving my whole no one under 60 eats raisin bran theory preposterous. Having the beach at Compass all to ourselves and playing and floating in the water. Sheila and I flipping over in our chairs in the surf. Seeing the biggest, fattest, darkest barracuda yet. Hitting up Crazy Johnny's and dancing the night away. Getting to do Octopus garden, one of my favorite snorkels. Coming in early and spending another Friday at Atlantis swimming and riding the slides. The fantastic Lazy Crazy River and our own pool we took advantage of by our dock spot. Going to the Atlantis movie theater and watching “Lincoln Lawyer” and loosing 5 dollars at the slots. But the biggest surprise of the night was finding our elusive jawbreaker machine in the movie theater!!!! It was a great week and another sad Saturday of saying goodbye.