Friday, May 7, 2010 - West End, Grand Bahama

Anyone who has owned a boat knows what B-O-A-T stands for: Broken Or About To!! Yesterday morning as we got underway, there was a problem with a clog in one of the heads. It turned out that a metal toilet paper roll holder had been dropped into the head and flushed into the system. Fortunately, Captains Mark and Jim were able to clear the blockage without having to take everything apart. Today, the original plan was to leave early in the morning and head for our next port, however, when the captain and crew checked the water makers neither the 400-gallon-per-day nor the 800-gallon-per-day water makers were working. This equipment hadn’t been used since the Holts had Adventure in Rhode Island last summer. Adventure has a 500-gallon fresh water holding tank, but with five adults aboard and fresh water at a premium along the way, we wanted the water makers to be functioning.

Mark, Jim and Gale worked all morning troubleshooting the problem and replacing parts. They were able to get the 400-gallon water maker up and running but did not have the time or energy to tackle the 800-gallon. Working in the engine room was very hot and humid and by the time they were finished at 1 pm, the men were all pretty tired. It was decided that we would stay put one more night and enjoy the afternoon in this beautiful paradise.

After a few snacks, the five of us put on our swimming suits, grabbed our snorkel gear and jumped into the dinghy. We had a wonderful afternoon exploring a nearby island and snorkeling at two different locations. We saw stingrays, sharks, barracuda, small colorful reef fish, lovely coral, starfish, sea urchins and other interesting creatures. What a way to spend an afternoon!!








Back aboard Adventure at 5:30 pm, we all took advantage of the shower facilities at the marina. Mark and Jim worked some more on the 400-gallon water maker before dinner. The seals that were replaced this morning were leaking so they put in another set and hoped for the best. As Gale was grilling chicken, a local woman came by selling freshly baked bread. We ended up buying two loaves each of her white bread, cinnamon raisin bread, coconut bread and banana bread. For dessert, she sold us one of her pineapple pies.

After dinner, it appeared that there were no more leaks. We relaxed and enjoyed the movie, Meet the Parents.