January 23, 2002

Hello everyone,

We hear that the weather up north this winter has been very good, with little snow and quite warm temperatures. We hope that it stays that way for all of you and that the flu bug doesn’t bite.

Things are still great aboard. The weather has been wonderful lately, with 3 weeks of sunny warm days. The water temperature is still around 78 degrees F.

Along with friends aboard MarNel IV, we have done a lot of fishing and snorkeling. Some of it quite successful. I have become adept at spotting the camouflaged groupers, and Murray is really getting good with his spear. He shot a good sized lobster right between the eyes, for our first feed of lobster aboard this year. But, it sure wasn’t the last. A little wheeling and dealing ashore one day got us 2 lobster for $10. They were the perfect size for one meal. Then last night, a purchase from a passing local got us a HUGE lobster for $12. That one fed us and we have at least one pound of lobster meat left over for Lobster Newberg ( I got the recipe from another boater ). Yummm.

In our travels, we have seen some lovely reefs. Recently, the wind and seas were very calm and we took the opportunity to snorkel on the Sea Aquarium again. It was just awesome. Huge fish and beautiful coral gardens. The sea aquarium is inside the Exuma Land and Sea Park and fishing there is prohibited. Consequently, the fish are not afraid of divers and just mosey around, in and out of the reef. Last year, we were disappointed to see that the huge groupers had gone and were afraid that someone had shot them. But, after we were in the water about 30 minutes on this visit, they started to show up from their hiding spots and we saw at least 3 big ones. It was wonderful to see them.

We have burned up a lot of gas, trying to catch fish from the dinghy, with little success so far. On the other hand, still fishing using conch bits as bait has been very good. Murray caught a total of 6 trigger fish in two days. They are hard to clean, but have a lovely firm white flesh that is very tasty.

Right now, we are back in the Staniel Cay area and anchored around us is the Canadian fleet. Or, that is what it looks like. Canadian flags seem to be in the majority at this moment. In fact, the numbers of American cruisers seem to be greatly diminished, while the Canadian ones ignore their slumping dollar and head off anyway. We have had many reunions with old friends and are meeting new people daily. I organized a beach party a few days ago, with drinks and snacks and conversation while the sun set behind us. Last evening, we saw our first green flash of the winter. As the last of the sun disappeared into the sea, a brief flash of bright green was spotted. It is rare, but does happen.

Well, that is what is going on here. How are things with everyone up north? Write when you can. Hugs to all.

Heather & Murray aboard Windswept IV