The free ride is over!

 

2/25/2010

Romeo decided he could not take another  free night on the dock.

Being tide up to a marine is not as nice as we would have thought, the constant worry of the boat crashing on to the dock is a real headache. We did not sleep at all that night, the 40 knot wind came through and we had seven ropes out and we still didn’t feel it was enough to hold us away from the dock. Other boats had as many as nine. In the Morning, after the wind calmed down, Romeo untied the boat and moved it to the north side of the dock for an easier exit later in the day, when the winds were estimated to be 20 plus knots.

 

Romeo and Juliette walked  to the beach and then cut through at the Coral Sand Hotel to the Food Store to do some shopping at the Piggy Wiggly. A young skinny tall black man approached  them on the street, Joe Doe asked him where the Piggy Wiggly food store was and the man said, he would show us the way. He walked and talked with them. The three of us walked across the street and around the corner to the store. After they did there shopping the man was waiting for his tip for walking us to the store thankfully John Doe only had one dollar he gave the man the $1.00 and then asked where is the Bank was, the young man pointed down the road. Juliette reminded John, that is not a good idea in the future to ask a guy who is a beggar where the bank is. Just a few days before, they had been in the same area and a guy started walking with them asking if they would like to buy smoke and we’re not talking cigs or cigars. This area of Dunmore Town is like the ghetto, but it is were all the stores are so what can we do, we need food. Mr. Rogers is a nice man who thinks every one is nice, but they are both learning that maybe the Island is not as safe as they felt it was. The Bank is on the same street about a half mile away, so they get some cash and head back to the boat.

Romeo gets the boat ready to move and Juliette settles up the bill. The total bill was $9.00 and she gave the dock master $25.00, a $16 tip. She was not sure what kind of tip to give, when the slip is free? Romeo and Juliette untied the boat and head across the bay to their new anchorage on the east side of North Eleuthera, to wait out the next cold front. Went for a short walk on the beach and to the docks where water taxi’s transport people back and forth to the Islands.

2/26/2010

Great anchorage by Three Islands nice

and quiet no other boats coming by the boat. Cold front passed in the middle of the night and continued to blow 25 to 30 knots all day, worked on the boat in the morning and dinged over to North Eleuthera to take a walk to the airport. It would be about a mile and half to get there it was warm and partly sunny, a very nice walk. A man from Florida was drinking a beer waiting for his girl friend at a bar across the street from the airport, he started talking to us and offer us a ride, but Romeo side (no he liked to walk.) Romeo decide they would walk to a big store he heard about.

We walk a half mile and noticed road construction and a lot of dust and rocks flying around, so  the next person in a vehicle that stops is a nice black man. He asked if we would like a ride, Romeo gladly excepted. The man could only go part way, so we got out of the truck and started walking again after a few minutes of walking, a nice lady stopped in a van and gave us a ride she was about 65 years old and drove about 85 miles an hour and as she drove she told us three or four time take she did some taxi work on the side, because she has 9 kids and 14 grandkids, but Juliette ask if they lived with her and she said none of them did. When she dropped us at the store she then mention the side work again. Romeo got out his wallet and notice all he had was $20.00 bills and so he gave her the $20.00 and of course she has no change. Then she said “I was not going to charge you”, but takes the cash and said “ I will come back and give you a ride back.” They went in to the store it was a big warehouse store with a lot of bulk items. They grabbed a snack and walk toward the direction that the lady drove away. Maybe she would pick them up on the way, it is a good thing we didn’t wait for the ride, because she never came back and we just keep walk to the Bluffs, a town where Gabe lives.

Gabe is a Canadian they shared Thanksgiving Dinner with in Nassau last year.

It was a very small town with very old buildings, no new growth and run down house and one bar and restaurant. Every one they talked to new Gabe, but once again he was not around.

We walked to where his boat was tied to his mooring ball, but no sign of him on it. They talked to an old fisherman cleaning his catch of the day and Juliette picked up a nice pink conch shell out of the water. Romeo was very nice to carry it all the way back to the boat in his back pack.

They walked all the way back, no one offer a ride it was about six mile and a very long walk. Thanks little old lady whom never showed up during the long walk home. They enjoyed the walk except for the dusty, rocky, road under construction.

A guy running the big equipment was calling Juliette, “The smallest women in the world”, of course, standing next to Romeo at 6 ft, 3 inch and her being only 4 ft 11 inches from  the big equipment up so high, she must have looked very small from his view.

He was having a great day and seemed to enjoy  his work.  They got back to the boat at 5:30 pm to enjoyed a nice sunset, dinner and went to bed.