S/V Symphony

It's hard to keep up the blog with such poor internet access.  We had a wonderful time with Chad & Nicole.   We went snorkeling off the beach on a small island north of Great Guana Cay, also snorkeling on the Atlantic side of Fowl Cay, and finally swimming Mermaid Reef outside Marsh Harbor.

After rigorous training Chad & Nicole show some aptitude for
relaxation.  The sailing life agrees with them.

Homes on the Sea of Abaco outside Marsh Harbor
near Mermaid Reef where we did some of our best
snorkeling.

Chad and I went scuba diving with Above and Below off Fowl Cay.  When Kay, the dive master began stroking a big friendly grouper I began smiling too widely causing my mask to flood slightly.  Clearing the mask is simple but the fact that I had to do it made me laugh.  Fortunately, I kept my regulator firmly in my mouth.  The dive was so much fun - being able to do it with my son made it even more special.

Maryanne has become very comfortable with swimming and snorkeling.  We had to swim a couple hundred yards from the beach to get to Mermaid Reef.  We were able to swim together only a foot or so above the shallower parts of the reef.  The yellow snappers came right up to us probably looking for a handout.  Other fish and lobsters were more shy, hiding in little nooks under the reef.  We didn't see any barracuda at Mermaid reef but there were a few at Fowl Cay.  Fowl Cay was a bit of a challenge since we had to dinghy out to the reefs beyond the Cay.  We also had to board the dinghy from the water.  Maryanne and I have mastered the technique of going vertically underwater and then swimming and kicking hard straight up to scramble into the dinghy.  The entry onto the dinghy isn't particularly graceful but it beats having to swim a mile and a half through a cut with strong currents.  We are really enjoying the snorkeling in the Abacos.

We will be leaving the boat in the Abacos for a couple weeks while we return to NY for Maryanne's teaching.  In NY I may be able to get some more pictures up on this blog.