OLD YEAR'S NIGHT AND 2010................

The big event to celebrate the new Year was the "JUNKANOO PARADE" in down-town NASSAU, due to start at midnight after the harbour fireworks. Fireworks, like all fireworks were spectacular. Then into the dinghies and into town where the streets were lined with thousands of Bahamian faces. We had expected the event to start near to midnight, but by 2am things were barely moving. We finally headed for the dinghies at 4am, but by 11am the drums were still beating in town. The costumes, or those that we did see, were spectacular and had taken months to prepare. See for yourselves by double-clicking on some of the photos taken in the dark, blurry though they are. The videos we took were much better.



The first day of the new year and we are the "envy of the anchorage". Mostly because we didn't drink too much and could rise-and-shine during the day to enjoy the little bit of sunshine. We know that these photos are an insult to those scraping their windscreens free of snow and ice and we trust that you don't break too many credit cards doing so........................ ENJOY



Glenn's daughter and friends are due to fly back to Rochester, N.Y. to at least 7 ft. of snow, so their soaking up the sun is critical...............



The sad-and-sorry-saga of the TREEHOUSE dinghy is a tale of woe. The floor came out to leave this wonderful glass-bottomed boat without the glass. The four of them used it for a while, until the floor could be masterfully re-invented. Now the trampoline dinghy is functional at least, until it too will be re-invented ................... For one person this works fine. For four people with groceries.................... not so much...... Then again, if you have escaped the snow and ice for a week everything is an adventure including getting your butt wet........ Here the girls were doing a huge load of laundry in a bucket in the cockpit on TREEHOUSE and doing it with a smile.....................



And when the JUNKANOO finally ended at mid-day and the weary dancers and drummers 'called it a day' and a new year, the costumes were abandoned in an alley. This is a new year filled with anticipation and hope. We will shortly sail through the EXUMA island chain on our way south to the Caribbean...........