Our last stop in The Exumas this year was Cambridge Cay.  We buddy boated from Staniel to Cambridge with Chip and Elizabeth.  This was the most remote part we traveled to but it was the best exploring.  We can’t wait to return here next year.  Marc and I made every attempt to homeschool Joellen and Camden every morning while in Cambridge Cay, but with surroundings like this and Chip and Elizabeth visiting, the kids’ attention spans were sub par.  We tried every morning to buckle down and get some good schooling in, but we ended up doing math, a little reading and a lot of science by telling the kids to jump in and report back what they saw snorkeling.

Gathering rocks and wood again for the daily building of a seesaw

Elizabeth taking it all in

Bell Rock

All was going well when one morning we woke up and we had no water coming out of the tap.  Then the engine wouldn’t start.  Water and a functioning engine are probably the two most important items on a boat to be working properly.  Marc said “Here we go again with another project.”  Every day something breaks and Marc has to put on his Mr. Fixit hat.  Mr. Fixit spent all morning working on the water pressure pump and the prime on the water system.  He didn’t even attempt to start working on the engine yet.  One thing at a time.  After many hours of tearing up the floorboards and trying everything, Marc called on the VHF over to Chip on Mambo and Forrest on Freedom’s Wind.  Forrest is a watermaker expert and his brother who was visiting happens to own a mechanics shop.  Score!  So Forrest worked on the watermaker, his brother worked on the engine and Chip tied up to us to transfer some of the fresh water from his boat onto ours so we could prime the water system.  Within an hour and a half water was flowing and the engine turned over.  Thank you fellow boating friends!  Other boaters are so friendly and always pitch in when help is needed.  It is a special community.

After Cambridge Cay, both Mambo and Adagio decided it was time to head north.  Chip and Elizabeth needed to get back to Fort Lauderdale and we needed to start making our way to The Abacos.  Last Saturday we all decided it was a good weather day to leave The Exumas and head to New Providence.  We on Adagio got a head start and left about an hour before Chip and Elizabeth on Mambo.  We had decent wind so we turned the engine off and were cruising along at about 6-7 knots under full sail.  We were well pleased with our speed until Mambo came barreling on our stern and passed us in nothing flat.It was a fun way to say goodbye to our wonderful friends and to The Exumas.  A special thanks again to Mambo and Freedom’s Wind for helping us out.

Next up: The Abacos.  We need to be in Fort Pierce, Florida sometime in June before hurricane season begins.  Marc and I decided a few days ago that we will travel through The Abacos on our way back to Florida.  We are currently in New Providence and are heading to The Abacos tonight.  It will be a 12-15 hour sail so we are doing this one through the night which will be a nice change.