The day we set sail was Nana's 80th birthday.
Ray and Renee joined us on the boat at 8am. Renee made French toast with coconut maple syrup and fresh Bahamian bread and we had breakfast before we left Marsh Harbor. The kids had their life jackets on before they had changed out of their jammies. (We instituted a life jacket rule whenever we were on deck. When we were inside or in the covered lounge area they didn't wear life jackets.)
Every morning a volunteer group makes morning announcements on the radio network in the Abacos. The community announcements might include a band playing at a local restaurant or an announcement of a bake sale for a local school. Boats also pass details about the weather and the tides to each other during this time. There's also time for general announcements and Renee called in to announce Nana's 80th birthday, and that she was back in the Abacos after a 37-year hiatus. The day's host gave his congratulations and called for "mic clicks" in her honor. Like a round of applause, radio microphones clicked in her honor from Hole In The Wall to Coopers Town.
Once the birthday celebration had kicked off, we sailed from Marsh Harbor toward Elbow Cay. As soon as we were out of the harbor, Captain Ray hoisted the sail.
We stopped for lunch at Tahiti Beach. The Manimal napped below deck while Capt. Ray took the rest of us to Tahiti Beach on the dinghy to play on the sand spit. It was beautiful, but cool, so we waded and dug but didn't swim.
When we were done playing, we took the dinghy back to the boat and motored around Elbow Cay to Hope Town Harbor. We came in about 3:30, while the local kids sailing school was working its way back into the harbor. We circled around to let them get in, then came in and found a mooring in the harbor.
Hamish was still napping, but the Manimal was up by this point, so Nana, he and I took the dinghy in to stroll through Hope Town and stopped to buy books at a gift shop called Ebb Tides. Nana asked about Toad Hall, an historic Hope Town house she'd remembered from her first trip, but the bookshop lady said it had been torn down.
While Hamish slept, Ray gave Kyle a dinghy lesson then Ray, Renee, Kyle and Hamish all came to Hope Town. The kids played on the playground for a while (and made "chocolate burgers"), Ray and Renee caught their ferry home to Marsh Harbor, and Kyle ferried us back to the boat while the church bells played hymns over the Harbor.
Renee had made a beautiful birthday dinner: salmon primavera with kale and Nutella cheesecake with strawberries for dessert. She had even made a birthday crown for Nana to wear while we sang Happy Birthday to her.
Nana had requested games on this trip, so after we put the Manimal to bed, the four of us played Uno together. Hamish is not a terribly strategic player, but she's still good, and managed to win a few hands on her own. The birthday girl, of course, played competitively and won several hands.
We watched the sunset over the other sailboats moored in the Harbor and stayed up late enough for the Hope Town Light to start flashing, but then we all crashed: our first day of sailing behind us.
