Lots of photos and a few changes...

---

Lots of photos and a few changes...

Since we have a good internet connection, we are taking advantage and sending all the photos that we have been saving. We have a good connection because we are weather-bound in the Caicos Islands, so weather-bound that Mark and I will be leaving by plane, not boat… It is 75 degrees outside but there are torrential rain squalls and the winds have been in the 20-30 knots region with big seas as this front comes through, so Paul can’t even think of moving the boat until Thursday, which is our day to return to the quiet drizzle of the Northwest.
We did have a very easy trip from Crooked Island to here. We made the first jump to Mayaguana Island and finally were able to enjoy some of our toys-got out the snorkels and fins and looked at all the wonderful fishes on one of the many coral heads surrounding us in the ‘bay’-more like a large, shallow coral patch surrounded by a reef-but we were secure and had one of the most beautiful days of the trip.
We left this little paradise at 8am Friday morning to beat the front to Caicos and had a very smooth trip, getting into the Caicos Banks at 1030, then another hour across the banks to clear customs and tie up at the Caicos Marina and Shipyard. It is hard to imagine the scope of these banks, we travel at 30 knots and it still takes hours to get from here to there!
The weather made a radical change, just like the weatherman said it would, with the first heavy rain squall coming in while we were at dinner on Friday night. We rented the cutest mauve Diahaitsu that barely carries all of us, but has been our transportation from this very secure, but not exactly picturesque, marina into town for touristing. We definitely don’t have the best stories at the marina-the guy in the sailboat behind us lost his rudder 100 miles out in the Atlantic while single-handing, and there is another 28 ft sailboat with two guys aboard who were in the same general area and had a knockdown that stripped them of all their sails, navigation instruments and food stores-they were on their way to Australia via Cape of Good Hope.
So we have traversed the island, done the laundry, made friends with all the other weather-bound boats at the harbor, made friends with the Marine Police, learned to drive on the left side of the road, and have done some Christmas shopping-kids, guess what you’re getting for Christmas!
Continue…Monday morning, still here and still leaving by plane-Berit better keep us ALL informed about the next few legs!

I’ll work on getting into the swing of things (Berit). Today we were off to visit our new Customs friends, who said they were recruiting for Turks and Caicos Defense Forces. They were conveniently out of enough visa forms when we first came into the country, so today, we went to visit them and get a form to get Mark out of the country and another form to get Paul and I and ‘Living Water’ out of the country without the rest of the crew.

We fulfilled our last dream this afternoon (that we’re aware of) for our trip. Lib and I really wanted to lie on a white sand beach and swim in turquoise water, and we spent a little time there today between necessary chores. Mark and Lib have packed up their extraneous flotsam and jetsam, and tomorrow we will celebrate Captain’s Dinner, with regrets on Paul and Berit’s part.
From here: Paul and Berit go on alone to the Turks on Wednesday, preparing for the jumpoff to the Dominican Republic on Thursday. Our current special friend is Commander’s Weather. So far, they have been spot on with their weather condition reports.

Will keep you posted…..Berit

---

Photos

Lay Day
Lay Day in Crooked Island

Traders
Haitian Traders

SOSpenders
Now I am sure that it works!

Coral reefers
Coral Reefer Spotters

Ahhh..
This is what the brochure told us!

Mayaguana
The reef at Mayaguana

Yacht and Coach
Our yacht and our little pink dingy

Road scenes
Now what's wrong with this picture?!

Comments

[Kelly]

Driving a pink (not so cadillac)
Beautiful shots everyone. I can't wait for you all to get back safe. Paul and Berit...safe sailing. Mom and Mark...I'll see you in less than 2 weeks. I can't help but remark that Libby didn't even rent a car in England (we took the train and left the VW van in Holland) and here you are driving a little pink daihatsu on the wrong side of the road....A little bit crazy! Must be all the carribean rum. Ciao, Kelly

[Marlane and Bob]

Lucky
Sounds like fun, beats xmas shopping. Enjoy

[Anne]

congratulations
Passages made, distances achieved, goals attained, and all that navigation you put together, Lib, got you where you wanted to go. Now for the next tropical island in some other ocean... Nice yacht!