Amazon Adventure # 12. Green Turtle Cay and Marsh Harbour.

                             Christmas on Green Turtle Cay.

We have found the perfect place to explore and take a break from constantly moving on, tiring days and windy, wet, sleep-challenging nights. We have arrived in the northern Bahamas, at a very pretty and interesting island amid other nearby equally interesting islands. We walk about and the girls make friends with some local children. We do research for their school science project, check out the water catchment on the hilltop, and interview some local people to understand the history ( a very long history by Canadian standards) and how local people deal with development pressures, transportation links and all the other things that we have to think about back home on our own island.

We move on reluctantly to Marsh Harbour, the largest town, to find propane and to arrange for more money to be sent to us from our bank back home ( We have our house rented out to give us income while we are away.)

                                                          Green Turtle Cay

The Journal.
Dec.25th.
‘I`m dreaming of a white Christmas’ but I did n`t get it! Warm and sunny. I woke up and got to making shell necklaces and a shell mouse (for dad). For breakfast we had cornflakes and Christmas fruit bread; then the unwrapping! (Sometimes at the dock you can hear the rapping. Ha Ha.)
Then we went for a walk and met a lot of kids. It was real fun. We had a chicken dinner with rice. Delicious! Afterward dad read to us and then out for a walk and now sleep. ‘I`m dreaming of a white Boxing Day.’ Gwyn.

Dec 26th. Still no snow.
Today we all slept in til 8:00 and me and dad and mom all went in to town and poked into little shops and I bought a shirt that said ‘Ya mon’ on it. Bought some groceries that cost lots of money. Elaine.

Dec.27th.
Today we got up and did homework until lunch then stopped because the hamburger meat was going off. So we had dinner at lunch and vice versa. The people here are really nice, very much like at home. We had a history lesson from Allan ( the owner of The Other Shore Marina) about the islands etc. Very interesting!

Tonight we had a visit from a man from Jacksonville Florida who came aboard and into the tent. He talked to us for a while. You can still smell the rum! On the way out he fell through the gap between the trampoline and the hull. Hauled himself out and limped back to his yacht. Tomorrow we`ll probably leave here for Marsh Harbour. Too bad to leave here but hopefully we`ll meet other people. Anne.

Dec.28th.
This morning we settled up and gassed up and motored for three hours to Marsh Harbour. Passed ‘Don’t Rock’ a balancing sort of landmark. Very shallow in this area. The approach to the harbour had us guessing until close in as it is hidden behind a headland. Did a tour of the harbour and pulled in to a ramshackled government wharf to scout the town for tomorrow`s ‘combined ops.’

The wharf at Marsh Harbour. The locals come shopping by boat.

We found it a big place with more than one of everything. Later we motored across to the Marsh Harbour Marina and then rushed out for an evening walk and found our way to the ‘castle ‘on the hill. Most intriguing sticking above the trees from down below but a bit of a ruin close up.

Dec.29th.
Today we shopped, did a massive laundry, and phoned our home bank for some money. ( we are down to our last $100.00.)

A collection of comments from people looking down at us from the wharf:
A very intelligent boat.
A cute little sucker.
My marriage only lasted two months in a small multihull like this.
Now there is a nice looking boat.
A major worry is the massive cost of everything. A tourist economy. No local fresh fruit and vegetables. Everything imported at great cost from Florida. Bill.