Just Like Old Times

Well, one of our visiting group has left the building, or anchorage, as it were. Yesterday our friends on Fine Line were nice enough to ferry us out to their boat anchored a good 10 minutes from the dinghy dock. They had to take us in 3 shifts, so it was 20 minutes per trip. We really appreciate their efforts. First up was me - dinghy ride - wheeeeee!

The others were running late, getting "trapped" on the conch train, so I had some quiet time to reflect on the last time I was on their boat (back when I had one too) and appreciate their view. There were a surprising number of boats out there and I even saw a dolphin.



Then the rest of the gang came, and we celebrated the fact that no one fell into the water getting on/off the dock or the boat.

 

Anne & Steve had an enraptured crowd,
none of the younger ones had ever been on a cruising catamaran before.



We hung out like cruisers do for while and then had a fun family pose for a great lasting memory.

Too soon, it was time to head back to shore. Apparently, my cousin's group had a little adventure when a little too far from the dinghy dock the motor started coughing. Uh oh. Cough..jerk...cough...Would they run out of fuel and float off toward Africa? Would anyone ever find them? Would the rest of us be trapped on Fine Line? No - they made it to the dock, although it was 2 minutes before the fuel dock closed. Whew, that was close! By this time, Michael had gotten off of work, so Steve grabbed him for a ride out.

We shared a sundowner together for the last time (maybe) and reminisced a bit before reluctantly taking our last ride to shore.

Sigh. No question, the best part of cruising is being able to go where you want, when you want (weather permitting), but that's also the worst part. Leaving friends over and over again, never being sure if you'll run across each other again. Fair winds guys!

After that, I had a couple of other unexpected guests in the form of a Canadian Island Babble blog reader and Idiot fan and his wife who came to visit. Richard and I have been pen pals for a few years now and he was instrumental in getting my book into his local bookstore (thanks Richard). The couple are avid sailors and are involved in yacht clubs both in Canada and Nevis (doing a lot for kids). I stupidly forgot to get a picture of us, but here's Richard giving us a cheers from a year ago.

Back atcha Richard! Safe travels to you and Liz.

Yesterday was a great day. Today is the last day with family, so I guess we'll see how it unfolds.