12/17/23

 An update:  Thanksgiving in West Palm with our friends, Ryan and Jerry,  from Zinzi!  Jerra flew in from Denver to celebrate.  And celebrate we did!  With food and games.  Jerra requested cribbage games at least once each day.  What fun!

Jerra made scrumptious tacos for dinner one night.

This is the night we put on our fanciest clothes and Ryan and Jerra took us out on the town. Here we are at  rooftop place overlooking a marina and the ICW.   Next stop: a fancy Italian restaurant where we stuffed ourselves.  Thank you Ryan and Jerra!  And then we walked around West Palm and found a place that sells homemade ice cream!  Just what we needed to end a perfect evening.

Ryan and Jerry working on Ryan's lower unit of his outboard motor.

Thanksgiving dinner with Ryan and Jerra

Right after Thanksgiving dinner we said goodbye, hugs all around, then hauled the anchor.  We headed for the ocean.  We usually leave West Palm and sail for 48 hours nonstop to Georgetown in the Exumas.  This year, because of the wind, we sailed across the Gulf Stream on toward Chub Cay and anchored for the night.  The next morning the wind picked up and we headed for West Bay on New Providence where we stayed for 2 days waiting for the wind to clock around.  Here's a video of sailing from the banks to West Bay.....

It's a good thing we stopped at West Bay because we had a chance to get in the water and look at Persephone's bottom.  It was covered with growth!  We spent an afternoon scraping and cleaning the bottom of the boat making it smooth and slippery for efficient sailing.  Who wants to sail around with something akin to a carpet attached to the bottom?

We left West Bay when the wind was from the right direction.  A little light but as long as it wasn't from the direction we were trying to go.  We left at 9:30 pm and sailed all night in the shallow beautiful waters under a full moon south of New Providence towards the Exumas to anchor at Pipe Creek for the night.  Here's a video taken in the morning........

Our last leg of the trip from Pipe Creek to Georgetown involved catching dinner!

This Big Eye Tuna provided enough tuna steaks for about 10 dinners!

We anchored near Monument Beach in Elizabeth Harbor.  Georgetown.  Here's looking down at Persephone from the monument erected on the highest point of Stocking Island.

We're early - there are usually a hundred boats in this same picture.

Every day we have been walking on Stocking Island for exercise.  Walking the beach on the sound side, on the Exuma Sound, has been brisk.  The winds, which have picked up a couple of days after arriving, spray salt water mist on us as we walk along in the sand.

Jerry waves from the top of the next "up and over" between the sandy parts of the beach.

The interesting limestone shoreline...

I framed Jerry

The "inside" or the harbor side of Stocking Island....

Our walk involves dinghying to the beach on the harbor side, finding a trail to hike over to the sound side and then turning north or south.  After 2 or more miles we find another trail to come back to the sound side and then a walk back to the dinghy.

The prevailing wind is from the east so the sound side is usually windy and the harbor side hot and humid.

We have enjoyed the warmth, walking, visiting with friends old and new, swimming and just relaxing with books and games onboard.  In a few days I'll be leaving Jerry aboard Persephone while I fly back to NY to spend Christmas with family and friends there.  

Wishing you a healthy, happy, peaceful holiday season.

Karen & Jerry