We spent a week sailing around the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. It was the clearest, most beautiful water I have ever seen. It was an experience unlike any other. We flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau (30 minute flight), then took a puddle jump to Marsh Harbor. For the majority of our trip, we were almost directly east of our home in Florida. Each flight was only about 25-30 minutes, so basically straight up then immediately down. The long part was waiting for our flights to actually depart. We flew on Bahama Air. We overheard someone at the airport saying, "If you have time to spare, fly Bahama Air." How true that was. Anyway, we arrived and boarded our boat on Saturday night. Our sailing began the next morning.
Day One -- July 1
FOWL'S CAY: Our first stop was at a place called Fowl Cay (pronounced: key). For the most part, each of the islands we stopped at were uninhabited. Anyway, the first stop was mainly for snorkeling. There was a small beach we played on, but we also got to snorkel through some beautiful coral heads. As my sister-in-law put it, "it's like Finding Nemo town down there." So many colorful and beautiful fish and coral, complete with Barracuda, who probably were probably busy tearing apart other fish families. (Finding Nemo reference, for those who don't understand.)
Mckynlee found some little hermit crab friends while we were snorkeling. (I was filled in on this story by my sister-in-law, who was on the beach with Mckynlee.) She discovered that if she placed a small drop of water on the shell, the crab would poke it's head out. One of the crabs didn't want to pop out, to which Mckynlee replied, "This on it shy." One of the crabs stuck an antenna out was looking around. Mckynlee believed that the crab was waving right at her! "Oh hello crab! What is that? Oh, his name is Ted." This little girl. She's so much fun.
Fun fact for all you wondering, a puddle jumper IS a certified life saving jacket (in place of a lifejacket) by the US Coast Guard.
While sailing from island to island, Mcks usually napped. Playing out in the sun and sand for hours is kind of exhausting for a small girl!
BAKER'S BAY: Our next stop was Baker's Bay. Jake and I agree, this was probably the most beautiful beach we've ever seen. The sand was soft and white and the water was super clear, not to mention, the water was nice and warm. Most of the time, we kind of felt like we were melting, so the water was really inviting.
While sailing from island to island, Mcks usually napped. Playing out in the sun and sand for hours is kind of exhausting for a small girl!
BAKER'S BAY: Our next stop was Baker's Bay. Jake and I agree, this was probably the most beautiful beach we've ever seen. The sand was soft and white and the water was super clear, not to mention, the water was nice and warm. Most of the time, we kind of felt like we were melting, so the water was really inviting.
Our boat was anchored in the bay, so we spent the night floating just off the beach. Mcks did great, considering she was in a tiny alcove in our teeny-tiny room. I have this view of sailing in my head, which I'm sure a lot of people do. My image is Ralph Lauren clothing, drinking out of a champagne glass, pearly white teeth, and playing polo on the beach. Sound familiar? Well, it's really not like that. Imagine living in an RV, but on the water. Camping, really. Water camping. With just as many mosquitos, which was kind of surprising. But WAAAAY more fish, which isn't surprising.
Day Two - July 2 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!
NO NAME POINT: Ever heard of the swimming pigs? Well, I had. And it's literally exactly what it sounds like. There are a bunch of wild pigs on an island, and because it's sweltering hot, the pigs swim! And boy were they hungry. We fed them bread and lettuce and Ritz crackers and pretty much anything we could find. It was a cool experience, but it was really just pigs on an island. Mcks was interested in the pig, but she was much more interested in actually swimming.
TURTLE COVE: Hydration is obviously super important, so keeping up with water supply is super important. We made a really short stop at this island that actually had a few shops to pick up some water. Mckynlee and I stayed on the boat and played with her little princesses. It was so much fun. Her imagination is really booming. I love it. Her puddle jumper turned into the princess castle and there was a lot of princesses wanting to build a sandman, instead of a snowman.
MAN JACK: (Pronounced: mun-jack) This beach gave us a lot of adventures. We anchored close to the beach above. It was beautiful and there was a fun pier for us to play and jump off of. (Mcks and I didn't really jump. Mcks did "jump" off, meaning I slowly handed her down to Jake, who was waiting for her in the water. And I didn't jump because I'm pregnant. At least that was my excuse. I'm sure I would have been fine, but why risk it?)
Anyway, we took our dinghy (the small boat you take to shore because your boat is anchored a far away from the beach and usually you have a lot of junk to carry with you) around the bend of the island. We came upon another beautiful beach. There were a lot more people here and we quickly found out why. In a small cove, there was a frenzy of shark and stingrays swimming around. We were standing in the water, only mid-calf, and the stingrays would swim right up to you! I did NOT like the feeling of the stingrays swimming around me, so I backed out of the water. One actually followed me out! It was so crazy. My oldest brother stepped on a stingray when I was probably 6-7, so I'm really not keen on getting joining the "stung-by-a-ray" club. (Fun fact: did you know a sting ray is what killed the Crocodile Hunter? Yeah, seriously.)
We didn't stay too long because there were a lot of people a little too intoxicated and some very unsafe things started happening. One lady kept pulling on the tail of the stingrays as they swam by. Her guide kept telling her to stop, but she didn't listen until he said, "let me explain this to you. That tail you are pulling is full of a venomous poison that will cause you SERIOUS amounts of pain and he will NOT hesitate to sting you if he feels threatened by you." She exited the water almost immediately. Wild animals guy, is it too hard to show some respect?
Anyway, we took our dinghy (the small boat you take to shore because your boat is anchored a far away from the beach and usually you have a lot of junk to carry with you) around the bend of the island. We came upon another beautiful beach. There were a lot more people here and we quickly found out why. In a small cove, there was a frenzy of shark and stingrays swimming around. We were standing in the water, only mid-calf, and the stingrays would swim right up to you! I did NOT like the feeling of the stingrays swimming around me, so I backed out of the water. One actually followed me out! It was so crazy. My oldest brother stepped on a stingray when I was probably 6-7, so I'm really not keen on getting joining the "stung-by-a-ray" club. (Fun fact: did you know a sting ray is what killed the Crocodile Hunter? Yeah, seriously.)
We didn't stay too long because there were a lot of people a little too intoxicated and some very unsafe things started happening. One lady kept pulling on the tail of the stingrays as they swam by. Her guide kept telling her to stop, but she didn't listen until he said, "let me explain this to you. That tail you are pulling is full of a venomous poison that will cause you SERIOUS amounts of pain and he will NOT hesitate to sting you if he feels threatened by you." She exited the water almost immediately. Wild animals guy, is it too hard to show some respect?
Mckynlee also found a hidden (or not really so hidden, she's only two) treasure map! (Disclaimer: I didn't come up with this idea. My in-laws have done this a couple times with their kids and they said it was so much fun, so I stole the idea.) Anyway, Mcks is really into pirates and Peter Pan, so she was so excited! We followed the map down the beach. At first, I don't think she really knew what was happening. Like, sure, I'll look at this coconut, but....why? Anyway, she dug up the treasure box, and then she really got it.
In her treasure box, I put a little "heart of Te Fiti" Moana necklace. Mckynlee saw it a gasped, "ahhh....the ocean chose me!" She legitimately believed in the moment that she was now Moana and the ocean had chosen her to bare the heart of Te Fiti. It was beyond adorable. And just like in the movie, this beautiful shell just sort of washed up on the beach in front of Mckynlee. We didn't kept the shell because there was still a small creature inhabiting it. But it just fit perfectly.
The picture below is Mckynlee's pirate face. I'm pretty sure she's saying, "Arrrr!" Every time another boat passed us, she'd say, "There might be pirates on that boat. They are trying to steal me treasure! Shh...maybe they're sleeping." She took this treasure business very seriously. Every night, she asked me to hide it to make sure it was safe.
The picture below is Mckynlee's pirate face. I'm pretty sure she's saying, "Arrrr!" Every time another boat passed us, she'd say, "There might be pirates on that boat. They are trying to steal me treasure! Shh...maybe they're sleeping." She took this treasure business very seriously. Every night, she asked me to hide it to make sure it was safe.
My nephews are super adventurous. And pretty much willing to try anything. They found a bunch of coconuts. Straight from the tree. In case you are wondering, coconuts are not super easy to get into without a machete. (We weren't carrying ANYTHING like that around. The knives on our boat could barely cut through chicken, haha.) Anyway, they found nails and sharp rocks around the island and broke into the coconuts! Fresh coconut...delicious! Let it be known, I am a HUGE fan of coconut.
We didn't have cake on Jake's birthday, which is a bummer. But Mckynlee picked out some Birthday Cake Rice Krispy treats that we brought with us. Pretty much the same thing, right?
Day Three - July 3
MAN JACK: We wanted to get one more glimpse of the stingray/shark bay before we moved on. We wanted to get to the cove before all the tour boats came, so we got a move on early. We cut up some hot dogs for the sharks and stingrays. When we got to the cove, there wasn't much activity. A few stingrays swam by, but not nearly as many as the day before.
We found out that stingrays really don't like hot dogs. I guess they have a more dignified taste palate. The sharks didn't really want the hot dogs either. Curious....
We found out that stingrays really don't like hot dogs. I guess they have a more dignified taste palate. The sharks didn't really want the hot dogs either. Curious....
This island just kept on giving! After our failed attempt at finding some carnivorous sea creatures, we took a little nature trail to...surprise....another beautiful beach!
If you notice, the waves are much stronger at this beach. For the most part, the beaches we went to had little to no waves. This beach is different because it opened right into the Atlantic ocean, rather than the sea of Abaco (which is the water between all the islands. Go figure). There were a lot more rocks and sea weed at this beach. Those rocks are very deceiving. They are treacherous to walk on. Super sharp and not friendly.
After taking our nature walk back to the dock, we spent some more time just hanging out. Then on to our next destination!
SPANISH CAY: We stoped here to get some ice. We didn't do any swimming, which was a good thing because the water was FULL of sharks! Big sharks too! The lady in the store said there were at least 7 different varieties of sharks that swam around the dock. I was also amazed at how clear the water was. I don't know if this is an aggressive shark, but I certainly don't want to find out the hard way!
SPANISH CAY: We stoped here to get some ice. We didn't do any swimming, which was a good thing because the water was FULL of sharks! Big sharks too! The lady in the store said there were at least 7 different varieties of sharks that swam around the dock. I was also amazed at how clear the water was. I don't know if this is an aggressive shark, but I certainly don't want to find out the hard way!
At one point, Mckynlee asked me what the sharks were doing. This is our conversation:
Mcks: "Mom, what are the sharks doing?"
Me: "I don't know. Maybe they're looking for a snack?"
Mcks: "They probably want to eat Mom, Dad, and Mckynlee."
She said it so matter-of-fact. It was so funny.
Mcks: "Mom, what are the sharks doing?"
Me: "I don't know. Maybe they're looking for a snack?"
Mcks: "They probably want to eat Mom, Dad, and Mckynlee."
She said it so matter-of-fact. It was so funny.
ALLEN-PENSECOLA CAY: This beach was pretty far north. It took us a long time to sail there. Unfortunately, we weren't super impressed when we got there. There was a creepy deserted boat on the shore and it was just kind of eery. It was early enough in the day, so we turned around and headed to a more southern island. It was late enough in the day though, we couldn't get to our next planned island.
POWELL ISLAND: We stopped at a small island, just for the night. We let Mcks stay up late and watch the sunset with us.
POWELL ISLAND: We stopped at a small island, just for the night. We let Mcks stay up late and watch the sunset with us.
Day Four - July 4 (Independence Day!)
POWELL: Before we got started, we took a little swim off the back of the boat. I am SOOO proud of Mckynlee. We convinced her to jump off the back of the boat with us! She was so brave.
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GREEN TURTLE CAY: We stopped here because we thought we would be able to rent golf carts to tour the island. As it turns out, the island usually rents out their golf carts to people months at a time. So, long story short, we weren't able to get a golf cart rented.
TREASURE CAY: This island was quite a bit bigger in terms of things available. They had a market, gift shops, restaurants, beach (obviously), and a whole island we didn't really explore. It was a little bit rainy, but that's the story with hurricane season. We pretty much saw rain clouds and thunder every day. Some days, we watched the storm completely pass by only a few miles from us. It's the strangest thing. It'll be raining in one spot, then completely sunny just around the corner. Funny how that works.
As we were pulling into Treasure Cay, it was POURING rain. That didn't bother anyone, especially not the kids. Mcks and her cousin, Caleb, were out dancing and playing on the front of the boat, getting drenched.
Anyway, despite the rain, we still enjoyed the evening at the beach. Mckynlee, Jake, and I build a sand castle. It was mostly Jake and I, but Mckynlee patiently waited by the side until we told her she could crush it. Jaren, Jake's brother, found us a bunch of shells to decorate our sandcastle with.
As we were pulling into Treasure Cay, it was POURING rain. That didn't bother anyone, especially not the kids. Mcks and her cousin, Caleb, were out dancing and playing on the front of the boat, getting drenched.
Anyway, despite the rain, we still enjoyed the evening at the beach. Mckynlee, Jake, and I build a sand castle. It was mostly Jake and I, but Mckynlee patiently waited by the side until we told her she could crush it. Jaren, Jake's brother, found us a bunch of shells to decorate our sandcastle with.
After playing at the beach, we went to a restaurant in the marina. We had pizza! The best part of the pizza was not having to cook or clean up the dishes. After dinner, we headed back to the boat. We completely forgot it was the 4th of July until the fireworks started going off! You'd think that since we were in a foreign country, we wouldn't see Independence Day fireworks. But you know Americans. We could hear and see the American celebration everywhere. Watching fireworks from the boat were a lot of fun!
Fun fact: We saw an Eagle Ray! That's a really cool, spotted stingray. This was the only place we saw them. We saw plenty of stingrays, but this was the only eagle ray.
Fun fact: We saw an Eagle Ray! That's a really cool, spotted stingray. This was the only place we saw them. We saw plenty of stingrays, but this was the only eagle ray.
Day Five - July 5
TREASURE CAY: Our original plans were to head to a new Cay in the morning, but we didn't want to risk missing out on a beach day because we were trying to beat the rain. So we stayed put and spent some more time on Treasure Cay. It was raining in the morning, so we went to the market to restock on food (mostly snacks) and to the gift shops.
Mckynlee got to pick out a new hat in the gift shop, and she was pretty thrilled about it. She is definitely a beach girl. She refused to wear pants this morning. (Don't worry, she had a swim suit on.)
It was a little bit of an overcast morning at the beach, but that didn't change the beauty! This was an especially exciting morning because we saw dolphins! We were swimming, playing around some white fish (they would chase and eat the seaweed we threw in the water) when Ron (Jake's dad) spotted dolphins out in the distance. I grabbed some goggles and the Go Pro and I tried to swim out to them. We quickly learned that catching up to a dolphin is an especially difficult thing to do. (This sounds like a "duh" moment, but they weren't that far away!) Jake and Mckynlee ran up the beach as I tried to swim up the beach. We were too far away to get any pictures, which is a bummer. But we certainly did get a good workout!
It was a little bit of an overcast morning at the beach, but that didn't change the beauty! This was an especially exciting morning because we saw dolphins! We were swimming, playing around some white fish (they would chase and eat the seaweed we threw in the water) when Ron (Jake's dad) spotted dolphins out in the distance. I grabbed some goggles and the Go Pro and I tried to swim out to them. We quickly learned that catching up to a dolphin is an especially difficult thing to do. (This sounds like a "duh" moment, but they weren't that far away!) Jake and Mckynlee ran up the beach as I tried to swim up the beach. We were too far away to get any pictures, which is a bummer. But we certainly did get a good workout!
On our way back to the boat, we got virgin Pina Coladas. Mckynlee does not like juice. Or slushies. Or soda. Basically, she will only drink milk or water. But we gave her some pina colada, thinking she wouldn't even try it. But she LOVED it. She kept begging for more. That's my girl! I can't seem to get enough of pina colada.
GREAT GUANA BAY: On our way to the next destination, we ran into a very big storm. Mcks, Jake and I missed most of it because we all fell asleep! We were putting Mckynlee down for a nap, and by the end of the second verse of "I am a Child of God" the three of us were out. During our family nap, the GPS on the boat went out. According to the Sunsail tech that came out to fix it, the water was struck by lightening and it affected the boat. Good thing we weren't swimming!
GREAT GUANA BAY: On our way to the next destination, we ran into a very big storm. Mcks, Jake and I missed most of it because we all fell asleep! We were putting Mckynlee down for a nap, and by the end of the second verse of "I am a Child of God" the three of us were out. During our family nap, the GPS on the boat went out. According to the Sunsail tech that came out to fix it, the water was struck by lightening and it affected the boat. Good thing we weren't swimming!
Great Guana is another large island. We took a short/long walk around to a restaurant called Nippers. It overlooks another beautiful beach. I made the mistake of making Mcks pose for a picture right by some of the treacherous rocks I mentioned before. We got Mcks excited--for the sake of a cute picture--and she ended up scratching her ankle. She bled a little bit and we had to go on search of a bandaid. Mckynlee is a tad bit over-reactive when it comes to "big owies". The rest of the night was spent trying to convince my dramatic two-year-old that she wasn't dying.
On our way back to the boat, we saw these really cool painted walls. Mckynlee fell in love with the mermaid wall. Every time we passed it, she insisted on taking a picture with it.
Day Six - July 6
In the morning, we headed back to Baker's Bay. Me, being the person that I am, insisted we take some family photos. Every July, since Mckynlee was born, we took family pictures. So it was that time again. Family pictures are something I can get really annoying about, so Jake kindly obliged.
For using a self-timer, I pretty much love how they turned out.
After pictures, we played on the beach! There was a giant water trampoline at the resort on the island and the kids were lucky enough to have the opportunity to jump on it! They had a lot of fun. After the tramp, we just played in the sand and ocean.
Mckynlee has a little ice cream scoop and cone sand toy set. She was making everyone different flavors of ice cream. Everyone in our group got a different flavor. She had coconut, chocolate mint cream, birthday cake, vanilla, chocolate, cotton candy, and something like fish I think. She's a funny girl. I just love her so much.
After Baker's Bay, we stopped at Fowl Cay for some more snorkeling. Jake and I didn't snorkel because Mcks was still asleep on the boat. Then, when she woke up, a storm rolled it.
ORCHID BAY: (At Great Guana). We spent the night at the same place. There were nice showers, which was a welcome luxury. And, my nephew, Austin, had heard so much about a dish called "chicken in a bag" at Nippers. They only do it on Friday nights, so he really wanted to try it. So back to Nippers we went.
This time, we avoided the rocks completely. It was a much happier experience.
ORCHID BAY: (At Great Guana). We spent the night at the same place. There were nice showers, which was a welcome luxury. And, my nephew, Austin, had heard so much about a dish called "chicken in a bag" at Nippers. They only do it on Friday nights, so he really wanted to try it. So back to Nippers we went.
This time, we avoided the rocks completely. It was a much happier experience.
I know, I'm ridiculous. But taking pictures is one of my all time favorite things to do. I don't have a great memory, but pictures always take me right to the moment. On this trip, Mckynlee truly believed she was Moana and that the ocean chose her. She requested Moana be played on the boat at all times, and she told everyone who would listen that the sea calls her. It was precious.
When we went to the beach, Mckynlee insisted she was done swimming. She didn't want to put on her swim suit again. Luckily, I know how quickly her mind changes, so I packed one anyway, and I made the executive decision to not change myself. Good thing too! Nippers provided paddle boards and kayaks. Mckynlee saw her cousins kayaking and she reeeeaaally wanted to go. So, mom win for packing the swim suit. Chicken in a bag: fried chicken cooked in a bag with french fries, ketchup, and hot sauce. Jake ordered it. He said it was a solid...okay. It was an experience, and that important. There was a lady who really wanted Mcks to dance with her. She put her hat on the ground and tried really hard to convince her to dance with her around the hat. Mcks was feeling a little shy and a little tired, so this lady didn't get much out of her. But, for the remainder of our time on the trip, Mcks was asking people to dance around her hat with her. Back to the boat for one more day in paradise! |
Day Seven - July 7
Back to FOWL CAY: We went to a different side of Fowl Cay. We played ball and just swam and chatted on a giant sand bar. It wasn't very deep for the majority. We didn't stay very long.
On our commute to the next stop, we saw more DOLPHINS! These ones were really close to the boat. They swam right along side our boat and even did a little areal show for us. Of course, we were all scrambling around trying to get our cameras out. It was so amazing. Jake did capture one amazing picture.
On our commute to the next stop, we saw more DOLPHINS! These ones were really close to the boat. They swam right along side our boat and even did a little areal show for us. Of course, we were all scrambling around trying to get our cameras out. It was so amazing. Jake did capture one amazing picture.
MAN-O-WAR CAY: When we arrived to Man-o-war Cay, Mcks was napping. Ron was very kind and offered to stay on the boat with her while we went to shore. We were super excited when we found a little ice cream shop! With how hot the weather was all week, we had all been craving something cool and sweet. Toasted Coconut and strawberry for me and mango and pineapple sorbet for Jake. Delicious!
Along the street we were walking on, there were lots of little shops. We originally headed towards a shop that makes bags out of sailboat sails. But, we ended up going into a small little boutique. The entire shop was filled with hand printed fabrics from the Bahamas. They had pillows, dresses, shirts, pillow covers, bags, etc. I picked out a wallet and my in-laws each got some fabric for pillows. It was one of those places that made you wish you had a project in mind, even though you really don't.
During the entirety of our trip, Mckynlee LOVED to help people out of the dinghy back into the sail boat. Often times, it made it more difficult, but it was so darn cute, you couldn't refuse.
ELBOW CAY: Our very last stop of the trip. We didn't take too many pictures. This beach is supposedly a giant sand bar. We walked along the sand bar that was covered in about 4 inches of water. It was actually really hard to walk on! Balance was extremely difficult, especially for this prego mama. We enjoyed the beach, but by the end of the week, I think we were all a little exhausted.
During the entirety of our trip, Mckynlee LOVED to help people out of the dinghy back into the sail boat. Often times, it made it more difficult, but it was so darn cute, you couldn't refuse.
ELBOW CAY: Our very last stop of the trip. We didn't take too many pictures. This beach is supposedly a giant sand bar. We walked along the sand bar that was covered in about 4 inches of water. It was actually really hard to walk on! Balance was extremely difficult, especially for this prego mama. We enjoyed the beach, but by the end of the week, I think we were all a little exhausted.
Day Eight - July 8
We pulled into the Sunsail dock around 9am. Our flight didn't leave Marsh Harbor until 1:50pm, so we stopped for lunch before heading to the airport. A frozen virgin Pina Colada was the perfect end to a tropical vacation.
Our flight to Nassau was 2+ hours delayed with no explanation. Our flight from Nassau to Ft. Lauderdale was also 2 hours delayed. Our total time in the air was only 60 minutes, but it took us about 8 hours to get home. It rings true, when you have time to spare, fly Bahama Air.
Aloha Bahamas. I'm sure we will be seeing you again!
Aloha Bahamas. I'm sure we will be seeing you again!