The Green Flash

Thank goodness we had to stay in Great Harbour Cay!  It has been a delight in so many ways:  seeing the green flash, collecting 11 sand dollars, making new friends, beach time and seeing the green flash.  Oh, did I mention seeing the green flash?

On this island of 500 people there was only 1 restaurant with a western view of the water.  I gathered 4 other couples and we went to dinner at Coolie Mae’s for dinner one evening.  We arrived in plenty of time to enjoy the sunset over Bullock Harbour.  Just before the sunset one person suggested we all watch for the green flash and lo, and behold, we all saw it!  It was much smaller than I had envisioned.  For years I had expected green to light up the sky like a flash of lightening.  Instead, the strip of green was just above the space where the sun had just been seen.   It only lasted a couple of seconds so it would have been easy to miss.  There was some hooping and hollering going on after that spectacle!  I learned from Google that it is most often seen in the Caribbean and Hawaii and it can be different colors and can occur at sunrise.

Swimming in my SPF turtleneck and pants!

Learning to breath underwater in my new mask.

Jelly fish taken with the new camera.

We have enjoyed the beaches every day.  On Bardot Beach, where Brigette sunbathed in the nude, we stayed clothed.  In fact, you will see me in layers as I attempt to protect myself from sunburn.  I began my snorkeling lessons and will say that I like my full-face mask soooo much better than the traditional kind.  It is way easier to breath and doesn’t feel as claustrophobic.   We saw several interesting jelly fish on the bottom and Scott saw 2 stingrays.  I think they knew better than to come near me!

It was a 3 hour walk, round trip, along Sugar Beach to Shell Beach where we found the sand dollars and other tiny treasures.  I felt like we had hit the jackpot in the shell game.  Scott might or might not have been nude there because, again, we were alone and he didn’t want any tan lines.  Ha!  At low tide you can walk across to other islands and it was beautiful the way the wind blew the sand to create mini “dunes” in the shallow water.  Sadly, photos don’t do justice.   This is my new happy place; it is absolutely gorgeous.

More beach scenes…

I do not enjoy riding our bikes as the seats were not meant for my bone structure.  However,we rode them on several days and managed a 9.5 mi ride to the north part of the island.  There was a giant coral mound which made a lovely, but windy, perch for a picnic lunch.  Speaking of lunch… each day our salads dwindled.  Intellectually, I know that there is plenty of food on board but I still feel a bit panicky about the lack of fresh produce, specifically huge salads.  I am starting to ration the frozen fruits and vegetables now and the refrigerator is down to leftovers from dinner and condiments.

So sorry, more stunning beach photos!

Making new friends was one of my goals for this trip and it has been so easy here at this Great Harbour Cay Marina.  All of us have experienced a delay in our travel plans due to weather and everyone has been super friendly.  We hosted a happy hour one evening with 7 other couples on Unforgettable then the marina had a potluck.  I had a “girls” afternoon and played Rummikube with 2 other women.  We enjoyed “Sundowners” on another boat (The nautical term for Happy Hour).  The boating life may seem lonely but it is actually extremely social.

Plan B turned out to be the preferred itinerary after all.  I am thankful for our extended stay but am chomping at the bit to reach the Exumas!

HOLD THE PRESS:  Our Plan B was to leave after 7 nights, but storms approached and we switched very last minute to Plan C and are finally leaving tomorrow, after 9 nights.  This meant that the mail boat came again and we stocked up on food and had lobster pizza!

The fresh produce department.

The refrigerated department.

P.S.  We saw 2 more sharks!