After Daryl and Ann left, we were planning on catching the next weather window South. Unfortunately, Karen caught a cold and shared it with me. We spent a sniffley week recovering. The nice thing was that we were in a great spot and, having a flexible schedule, we could just relax and get over our colds. So go, we did not.

We did manage to make it to a potluck BBQ put on by all the cruisers in the marina. I was able to demonstrate my coconut opening skills - this was my second coconut so I was an expert. The coconut milk was good to drink, especially with rum, and the meat makes a great happy hour snack. The granddaughter of our friends labeled me "Coconut Jim", much to the delight of the other cruisers.

We also took the trek to the hardware store downtown and picked up some hair clippers. Karen has wanted me to cut her hair as she has had problems getting a good hair cut. When she saw my look of anticipation in performing this delicate operation, she decided that my first attempt would be at anchor away from anyone she knows. I told her that the bed head look must still be in so how could I go wrong! Anyway, stay tuned for a future expose on my career as a hair stylist. I will not guarantee any pictures for the web site though.

We also saw a look-bucket at the hardware store. A look-bucket has a clear bottom so you can go out in the dinghy and use the bucket to inspect your anchor or just look in the water without getting wet. Unfortunately, the price of the bucket was $39US, a bit more than we were willing to pay. We did find a paint bucket about the right size and a plexiglas sheet. With the aid of the Dremel tool and a bit of silicone, we made our own look-bucket for $8. And it works great. I have added another new skill to my resume.

We got to meet Steve Pavlidis, the author of many cruising guides for the Bahamas and the Caribbean. He stopped at the marina on his way through doing research for an update to one of his guides. He is an excellent fellow and extremely knowledgeable about the islands. If anyone is contemplating cruising in this area, his guides are on the must have list. For the Bahamas, everyone recommends that you have the Explorer Chartbook series, and Steve's guides.