Fearless

Tomorrow will most likely be the last beach day for the three amigos. Gracie and her people will be leaving on Saturday, if the weather predictions hold, to cross back to the US. (Secretly, the crew is doing a "bad weather" dance...)  Dylan and Dee Dee will miss many things about their best buddy. The most amazing thing will be her singular focus on retrieving the bumper.

Gracie has always been tenacious and fearless in her bumper retrievals. She truly showed her courage in today's beach romp. The waves were steep, high, and frequently breaking. But none of that deterred Gracie.

While Dylan and Dee Dee held back or turned and ran, Gracie dove in with one goal, to bring back the bumper no matter what happens.

And that is exactly what she did! You go sweet girl!

Dylan Goes Calling...

Last night was the weekly Drink 'n' Drift. Dylan took advantage of the opportunity to do some courting with Gracie. What a sweet couple.

Waylaid

No one can say that Gracie doesn't go after the bumper with gusto! She always charges in with complete focus.

Dylan learned long ago to wait and waylay her when she's close to shore and steal the bumper. Dee Dee has started doing it, too.

 They pounce and a tussle ensues but ultimately they all get their piece of the bumper. And it repeats, over and over and over and over and...

Three Amigos Again!

Dylan and Dee Dee were thrilled to have buddy Gracie back for their morning romp on the beach.

Two Amigos

Gracie's people went off to some fancy, smancy Sunday brunch today, so she couldn't come to the beach - where are their priorities! So Dylan and Dee Dee had to manage on their own. They did alright, but they look forward to playing with Gracie tomorrow!

Anticipation....

And the release!

Release the Hounds!

There's a dirt path through some woods that leads from the road to the beach. We leave our shoes in the woods at the bottom of a sand dune and let the dogs go. We wondered what they looked like roaring up over the dunes to the beach.

Poor Dee Dee..... Poor Dylan

Despite our efforts, Dee Dee has come down with a pretty bad ear infection. It's something we have struggled with from the time she was a pup. We carry ear astringent onboard by the gallon but somehow it still happened. She received several doses of antibiotic into the bad ear which she always reacts to quickly. But Mom and Dad made the hard decision that today could not be a beach day.

Unfortunately, that meant Dylan had to stay home too. Poor guy. Today we'll take a walk into town to check for veggies at the market. The whole crew is hoping tomorrow just might be another beach day.

To The Beach!

Gracie's people, John and Marilyn, made a great sign to mark the path that leads down to the beach here at Great Harbour Cay. It's not that the kids need it, they could do it blindfolded, but if any of you want to watch the fun you'll know where to find us.

A Blustery Day

We awoke to high winds and cold temps (OK, maybe it snowed in Maine yesterday but down here if it starts with a "6", it's cold). The crew still walked to the beach with pal Gracie but it was too rough for swimming. So instead we all enjoyed a long walk on the beach while the three kids found coconuts, sticks, and assorted beach junk.

There's a Stormfront Comin'

We awoke to overcast skies and blustery winds. Still a good day at the beach for the crew.

It's Deja Vu All Over Again...

Gracie, Dylan, Dee Dee and a bumper, proof that some things never change...

Settling in...

This week Dylan and Dee Dee pulled into Great Harbour Cay Marina to the same spot we had last year. We were greeted by so many familiar faces! Dylan and Dee Dee were pleased to have their best buddy Gracie right next door again.

Within a few hours they were all back at the beach chasing the bumper. Look familiar?

That night was their first Drink n Drift of the season. Dylan and Dee Dee couldn't wait, jumping in the minute the dinghy was in the water.

However, they had a few hours wait until it was closer to sunset.

Gracie was still yearning to spend time with her buddies.

The kids have settled right back into their routine and are loving it. There's always something to watch on the dock. Dee Dee loves sitting at the door watching the world go by.

Mom and Dad have taken a few days to settle in after 10 weeks at anchor. We're all looking forward to some great R&R. Dylan and Dee Dee are even ready to pick out their picture of the day again. Make sure to follow their adventures.

Pig Beach

Dylan and Dee Dee spent several days anchored off of Big Major Cay near Staniel Cay. One claim to fame at Big Major is Pig Beach where wild pigs will swim up to your dinghy looking for handouts. We watched boats full of tourists running back and forth all day long to the beach.

If you are wondering, no, we did not take the picture above. Why? Because Mom and Dad determined that having Dylan and Dee Dee that close to wild pigs on the beach was not a good idea. Use your imagination...

Instead, this is as close to Pig Beach as this crew ever came.

Of course, that doesn't mean they didn't enjoy taking dinghy rides around the anchorage. They even got to go ashore to Staniel Cay Yacht Club, the home of Finnegan the marina Lab. Unfortunately, Finnegan was not in residence that day.

Each day we got to watch the mega-yachts come and go, picking up charters and deploying their various toys. This was Dee Dee's favorite yacht. Not because it was two (three?) times bigger than aCappella. But because it had this cool inflatable water slide off the side. Just imagine the fun our crew could have with that!

Leaving George Town

Dylan and Dee Dee pining for Sand Dollar Beach.

After 6 weeks, the time has come to pull anchor and head out of George Town. There were many things Dylan and Dee Dee have enjoyed during their stay. But what they will miss most are the afternoon coconut retrievals on Sand Dollar Beach.

Today the galley was topped off at Exmua Market. The crew helped with the final toting of water. Mom and Dad have one last talk this afternoon, then we're ready to go.

At first light tomorrow, we will bring up the anchor and start heading back north up the Exuma chain towards Great Harbour Cay. After all, there are more beaches to conquer and coconuts to retrieve, and this crew is up for the task.