Bahama Bound - Christmas Day

 March 7 - Day 73 Someone’s birthday and what a coincidence!

Today is Steve’s birthday, and when I tallied up our time at sea it came to 73 days—quite the coincidence in the air! Wink wink.

I’ve been wrestling with some technical hiccups uploading videos, which explains the delay in updates. Hopefully I’ll get that sorted soon.

Last night, with too much on my mind to sleep, I slept out in the cockpit. With the wind screens up and cushions down, I managed to snuggle in until daylight.

Yesterday we explored Bitter Guana Cay, picnic in tow. The iguanas were everywhere—like a mini Jurassic Park—and I was not a fan. Lunch with the dinghy half in the water didn’t help; they still came charging. Shy of a panic attack, I had Steve whisk us away in record time. However, this is a pic at mini Jurassic.

From there we cruised to Big Major Cay to see the pigs. I made it clear: shoreline cruising only, no getting out. I was not in the mood to be chased by pigs!

Cruisers know laundry is a big deal, and Black Point lived up to its reputation with oceanfront views. But then it happened… my “you-know-whats” betrayed me. After a Georgetown dryer disaster left the elastic ruined, I joked they might hang to my knees. Well, while folding laundry, I stepped out of the bathroom and realized they were indeed hanging below my shorts. Mortified, I spun around and dashed back to fix it. To this day, I’m not sure how that happened with lined shorts!

A few days ago we stumbled upon Hetty Cay and had the whole island to ourselves. Blissful, though we stayed too long and ended up sunburned.

Another morning I craved something different for breakfast—oatmeal cookies. They’re my weakness. I’d sworn off sugar while provisioning, but found a recipe using honey and added a little Stevia. They looked good but tasted awful. Still, we ate them slowly, and at least I wasn’t obsessing over cookies.

Wedding Updates:

Our original plan was a beach wedding in North Carolina, but the hoops and headaches pushed us to Plan B: a destination wedding in Jamaica at the end of October. It saddens me that my mom and some family may not make it, but I’ll see everyone earlier that month at my niece’s wedding in New York, and we’ll celebrate her lovely day together.

I’ve also been practicing my hair-cutting skills on Steve—don’t worry, it’s not too short!

Island Life & Little Moments:

The Ocean Cabin restaurant’s sign summed up the Bahamas perfectly: laid-back hours, island time.

Marine life has been sparse so far—stingrays, nurse sharks, turtles, a few fish—but I’m excited to snorkel more once we reach the Land and Sea Park.

We spotted an old phone booth, a nostalgic reminder of growing up. And I added a video of Steve putting up the Genoa sail—much easier than the main!

On the personal side, I’ve been dress shopping for my daughter’s June wedding in Kauai and sneaking in a little shopping for myself. I still prefer real stores where you can touch and feel the fabric, so I’m hoping for some stops along the ICW when we return to the States.

Thanks for following along on our salty, sun-soaked adventures. From birthdays at sea to wedding plans ashore, life on Restless is full of surprises. Stay tuned—more stories, more laughter, and hopefully more marine life are just around the corner.