Hurricane Irma - September 6, 2017

We got our last use of the kayak today and Noel picked us up for lunch. When we arrived at Max's Conch Bar, we finally had access to wifi. Our phones were blowing up from our friends. They were trying to reach us regarding Irma. The storm was quite large at this point and it was headed towards the Bahamas. At this point, I was trying to find a place for us to stay Thursday night. I called several hotels but there was no availability. I called the owner of the island, William Delancy, and he said that he does have a place for us to stay.

Sad. It was our last day on the island and our trip was cut short. When we got back to the island, we enjoyed the rest of the fish and as much beer as we could drink. We also got started on packing. The next morning was coming early because we had to be at the airport by 8am.

Hurricane Irma - September 5, 2017

Tuesday, September 5, 2017. The singers were up early, as usual. We were getting up and preparing the coffee. Before the coffee was ready, we received a call from Noel, the host of Little Deadman's Cay. The conversation went like this: "She's coming." Me, "ok?". "Yeah, the hurricane. I think she's coming. But I got you a place and you can drive my jeep." Me, "So, we need to leave the island." "Yeah, we need to get you off the Cay before she arrives." Shocking news at 7 am. Unexpected. 9 am. Mr. Delancy calls to check on us. I explained my brief conversation with Noel and Mr. Delancy agreed that was a good set up for us. 10 am. We attempt a quick kayak but get a call from Noel. The airline, Southern Airlines, was trying to reach us. Noel wasn't really sure what was going on but told me to call them. I call the airline and the representative breathes a sigh of relief. She explained the hurricane was coming and we were being evacuated on Thursday September 7th. After a heated discussion on what we should do, I call the airline back just to make sure. The representative gave a light laugh and said our plane tickets were good for a year but there was no guarantee of us getting out before the hurricane hit. So I said, "ok, see you on Thursday at 8 am." We made arrangements with Noel to take us to Max's Conch Bar for some lunch and research. To this point in the trip, we had been blissfully unaware of any hurricane coming our way. It was time to see what all the commotion was about.

Hurricane Irma - September 4, 2017

Monday, September 4, 2017. The moon was brilliant and vibrant. That day was spent kayaking, playing yahtzee and drinking beer. It was a good relaxing day, with no cares in the world. More photos to follow.

Private Island Experience, Part III

This is the final installment of the private island experience. Are you thinking that you need your own private island? There are many to choose from and some are quite affordable for a week. Friday, we looked outside and at the ocean. We quickly decided that another long expedition out to the open ocean in the kayak was not feasible. So we kayaked to one of the neighboring islands to hunt for shells.

It was a rocky ride full of waves and wind, which made for difficult paddling. We had been to this island the year before but on the opposite end. This side had a shipwreck, which I thought looked cool. From this island, we carried the kayak across to the other side and continued our quest for shells. There was hardly any wind on this side and it was a much smoother paddle. 

On this island, I found tons of great shells to add to my collection. I did not find the elusive Bahamian sand dollar. I will find it some day though.

Saturday was our last full day and the most appropriate thing to do is nothing. We relaxed. We played Yahtzee at the gazebo, with wind whipping the dice and my hair. We BBQ'd the snapper and fed our leftovers to the fishes at the dock.

Sunday, we had to prepare to leave and a major storm was brewing. Our flight wasn't until 3:30 PM but Noel came to get us around noon. I actually saw a lightening bolt. Possibly because of the weather, our flight was delayed one hour. Besides the minor delay and stormy weather, we had a smooth day of travel. It was that evening that we experienced the moth.

We have decided that April is an excellent time to visit Little Deadman's Cay. The weather is quite warm, there is no chance for a hurricane and the bugs can't land (due to the windiness). While that is a good time to go, we will be back in September. There's a chance for a hurricane and the bugs are out in full force. The advantage is the labor day holiday, which saves me from using one day of vacation. The most efficient way to maximize vacation time is to use holidays. Next up on the blog will be my review of Sandals Emerald Bay in the Exumas. 

A Private Island Experience

We started our two week Bahamian adventure by our second visit to Little Deadman's Cay in Long Island Bahamas. Each time, we have learned how to do the trip better. Armed with tuna packets and snorkel gear, we were ready for a good time. We landed on a Sunday and most food stores are closed. Our host, Noel Turquist, talked one of his friends into opening just for us to get supplies. We were there from Sunday to Sunday. Monday, was our huge expedition day and we had plans of kayaking to the open ocean. This means kayaking around several small islands and then hiking across another island until we were met with the ocean.

As we began our arduous journey, we ran close to an angry fisherman. He was heckling and probably cursing at us but we kept on our quest to find the open ocean. We found a couple of good islands for exploring and we made slow progress. Utilizing our GPS, we found a very long island that couldn't be kayaked around easily. Hoping to find open ocean, by hiking across the island, we started trekking. Eventually, we were met with the beautiful open ocean, seen below.

Truly, a stunning view, unmatched by any other part of the Caribbean and we had it all to ourselves. Tuesday, we needed to get fresh fish for dinners and rented a car. We had no plans but to explore the northern end of the island. I came unprepared and ruined our opportunity to explore Adderly's Plantation. We will be back for that. We made it to the Christopher Columbus monument, constructed at the top of a hill on the northern tip of Long Island. The views were gorgeous on all sides.

I made it up the hill in flip flops. Down near the ocean, I found a couple of cool shells and immediately lost them at the same beach. How did I do that? We continued back towards our side of the island, with a quick pit stop to Stella Maris. At Stella Maris, there are million dollar homes, with million dollar views. We also found a random cave, filled with bats. The bats did not appreciate our invasion of their privacy. 

We capped the day of adventure off with a good lunch at Max's Conch Bar and purchasing fresh fish: grouper and snapper, from the fisherman. I will be recapping this trip over many posts in the coming weeks. Please come back to see the next installment of this Bahamian Adventure.