Cold Front Season (or the Christmas Winds)

(pictures to follow at next strong internet connection....)

Our “gang” is now a 5 boat flotilla, loosely gathered, for the most part, occasionally splitting up to different locations as changes in weather affect our anchorages.
Most recently, 3 of us spent a few days tied up at the marina at Compass Cay. If it’s in the budget, it’s a great treat to be at this dock. The marina is like one giant aquarium. Nurse sharks, snapper, cute, little seargent-majors, and many others swim around in profusion- happily eating up the food scraps tossed over from your meal preparations. Tourists arrive in small power boats to swim with the sharks in the crystal clear water of this marina.
Before it got too windy, we all enjoyed the common grill on the dock bringing our pot-luck dishes and feasting on the fresh wahoo caught on Jabulani. During the blow, we bundled up and headed out on any of the many well-marked trails which criss-cross this small island. Our 2 hour walk, was a hike northward up the spine of the north ridge, over flattened, rough coral (we call moon rock) and along some windswept beach coves (where we look for washed up treasure), finally ending up at the “bubble bath” at the northern tip.
Bubble bath is at the western end of a shallow tidal inlet that pools to over 6 feet at the bottom edge of a large cliff face with a V-shape split that allows breaking waves from the Sound to crash through into the pool, creating a bubbling, frothing, whirling bath!
Our second walk, on the next day, did not end so well. Jasper, (Libby & Frank’s dog) pounced on a baby sting ray and before he could be stopped, he had it in his mouth, and of course got stung—ending up with blood at his neck and a very quiet disposition on the rapid return home.
Apparently, the toxins from a ray are extremely painful, and you must get any remaining barbs out of the skin. The good news is you won’t die from the sting—hot water compresses apparently help disperse the toxins. On a careful note, you must be alert for a secondary infection that could occur in a couple of weeks due to fish toxins—only certain antibiotic can fight this. Jasper woke up himself the following morning, & seems fully recovered at the moment.
Currently, we are anchored at Big Major, next to Fowl Cay. We’ve had a lovely couple of days—kayaking, dinghy into town (Staniel Cay) for a beer & some conch fritters. Yesterday I took the dinghy through the cut to Sampson Cay Marina (next island north) with a pile of laundry, & used their brand new machines to catch up on clean t-shirts & linens. Tina and I ended up staying there for lunch (2 for 1 homemade pizza), ate an entire pizza, & brought one back for the boys. Last night, as the gang played Texas hold-em on Mattina, we watched our second Green Flash at sunset!!
Indepencence has Christmas lights on her mast and boom, as well as decorations in the main salon. It’s beginning to look like Christmas in the tropics…
Wishing you all Happy Holidays and warm companionship!
Till next time….
Sue and Paul