A CHANGE IN PLANS

Joel and Corina (Rob's niece) have decided to end their voyage on SVEA. A painful decision but a very sound one. It is always hard to put a dream on hold, but the logic of the circumstances could not be avoided and some things take priority. The sea is as unforgiving as a bank and the skills required to sail a traditional yacht all the way to Australia are sizeable. We all applaud the decision. They will continue to sail on SVEA here in the beautiful Bahamas for the next six weeks until they fly to Australia at the end of June. The Yacht "SVEA" will revert back to us and we will try to find a new buyer for this beautiful classic world cruiser, who will need to love it as much as Joel and Corina have done.
OK, moving on................ The sun is shining, the water is blue and all of us are blessed, that's true.....................................There is a video clip below of the ocean's edge at Little Harbour..... One mistake and generally speaking, it is well and truly over........................................... There is also a little video clip of "curlytails" the unique lizards that live on the islands and the Abaco frangipani photos are for Anne (the Queen's daughter) who has grown several frangi sticks at home that are now in full flower in Jacksonville FL and growing more quickly than a bank account.



Her Royal Highness hard at work. Laurie may be the "Queen of Florida and the Bahamas", but some things more humble, never change. Washing day for the finer things like bikinis and "delicates". The lifelines serve as drying lines while the local 'bus' charges on by. We have been fortunate to be able to use laundromats on shore for the bigger loads. Water is a scarce commodity in the islands and most locals also use the laundromat and in many ways it is the hub of the community. Whereas the Captain also has his chores to do, as you can see from the shots below, the balance works for us. The Queen makes magnificent meals in the galley and I help her eat them............. and we have certainly had some great meals on board, not the least of which was the wonderful dinner we had last night onboard "SVEA", masterfully created by Chef "JOEL". A great job in a tiny galley. A real celebration of joy and peace after the difficult decision-making process.



The remains of a once beautiful outboard motor. It is to be returned to Florida for replacement. A sad saga that even John Grisham would have difficulty in making into a case. We will see what happens after we return to Florida to sit out the hurricane season. It is hard to dwell on negatives, when all around us is such beauty and we have health and freedom. The plan for tomorrow is for the four of us to go snorkling on a reef behind "FOWL CAY", which is bountiful in coloured fish and living coral........................ We would like to think that one of the effects of the blog is to inspire others to follow in our path, if for no other reason than to "see and feel and get a new perspective on life", and thus your comments are always welcome, inspiring and gratefully received.