The last week in the Abacos

 Hello everyone,

The last day of our stay at Treasure Cay included the children taking a remarkable step and signing up for their first Scuba lessons!  They all thought at the beginning of the trip that they would not like scuba but after hours of snorkeling they decided they needed more!!  Brent at Treasure Divers seemed like an amazing instructor so we signed up for pool lessons to be followed with an ocean dive for all who were old enough and passed the pool piece of the lesson.  Meet our new son....  Donald Duck and our daughters with gills....

Everyone did an amazing job learning their pool scuba and would have been able to go out for an ocean dive except that mother nature had other plans.  A lightning storm came through and turned the sea very choppy and the instructor was not comfortable taking them out.  We waited patiently hoping to get out on Sunday morning but the storm continued so the kids were not able to get out for their first open water dive.  It didn't matter - they were so excited that they had actually done Scuba and now want to get certified.  I hope we can follow through on that once we get home.

We treated ourselves to a Bahamian Barbecue at the Bahama Beach Club that night and  enjoyed dancing to a Rake and Scrape Band!

Saw and a knife!!!What a great sound!

(bad tan lines = Glamour don't)

 We made sure to take a long walk on Sand Dollar Beach and we were pleased to find so many sand dollars.  Now the challenge will be getting them home in one piece!!

After we left Treasure Cay we continued our northern course through the Abacos.  We had a very smooth trip through Whale Cay Cut and arrived in Green Turtle Cay for the final visit.  Memories of our first two visits there in May came back and we missed our friends from "Morgan" and "Mango Groove"  and Oma/ Opa very much.  We stayed at the Bluff House Marina for the night across from the Green Turtle Club.  Emily treated us to a yummy dinner of Mexicali Mac and Cheese - a recipe she found and cooked without any help from anyone!  Thank you Emily!

We did a bit more diving off Powell Cay for sea life - Jay always finds the best starfish!

We knew we were seeing some of our favorite spots for the last time on this journey so we were all feeling a bit sad but the excitement of the crossing was looming ahead.  The weather was cooperating nicely so we kept moving north.

We stayed one more night on Spanish Cay and saw many barracuda and sharks which kept us out of the water!  Patrick and the whole family were treated to a tour of the 150 foot Richmond Yacht named Status Quo - owned by Don who owns and operates Spanish Cay.  The captain was a great guy who heard Patrick asking about seeing the ship.  It was an experience no one will ever forget.  Thank you Captain !

After an overnight on the anchor at Alan's Pensacola and yet another windy thunderstorm, we began the journey out of the Abacos and across Little Bahama Bank to Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island.  The sunrise was a nice surprise after the storm we had the night before.

It was a four hour journey but we arrived by lunch time on Wednesday June 29th.

Lucaya is not far from Freeport but it is more of the hotel and resort area.  It was very crowded and commercial.  A big, no HUGE change from the Abacos but it was a treat to see something like this.  We swam and used the beach at the Radisson and even splurged on taking a tour on a Banana Boat!!

We enjoyed some local shopping and the prices on food were also a nice change for us!  We decided we would cross back to the states on Saturday, July 2nd - Hannah's 13th Bday!!!!

Will write again once we arrive back home!
Happy Fourth of July to everyone.

xo
Gail, Jay and the entire gang

"Per Diem Crew Helps Land Record Blue Marlin in Bahamas!"

Wow, it's been a week since our last post!  Time seems to be flying by as we prepare to start making our way  back toward West Palm Beach.  We've had a great week though with a couple stops at two different marinas.

After spending Father's Day in Settlement Harbor at Nippers and Grabbers' (two of our favorite beach bars), the Welsh's moved on to a relatively new marina that Jay wanted to see.  It's called Bakers Bay and it's a massive, high-end development that is covering some 500 acres on the northern tip of Great Guana.  The resort is still under construction (they started 6yrs ago), but what is done is spectacular.  Beautiful architecture, infinity pool, indoor gym, excellent restaurant and fun bar down by the water.  The marina is a man-made basin that has 200+ slips and includes a specific "mega-yacht island".  The development is comprised of multi-million $ homesites and they are catering to celebrities and the ultra-rich.  Recent celebrities on the island included Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Jay Z, Beyonce, Matt Damon and Charlie Sheen (too bad we missed Charlie - now that would have been a party!).  No celebrity sightings while we were there, but the place was beautiful.  The staff was gracious and hospitable and you felt special just stepping off your boat onto their beautiful property.  If you're interested in buying a multi-million dollar getaway in the Bahamas, google "Bakers Bay".  You'll love it (man, I should be getting a commission, eh?).

From Bakers Bay, we took a short ride across the Sea of Abaco to another resort marina called Treasure Cay.  We had been there a few weeks ago and met our friends the Duckworths.  It was such fun, we figured we would stop in again for a night or two.  As we called in on the radio to get a slip we learned that Treasure Cay was hosting the final leg (of three) of the Bahama's Billfish Tournament.  This is a tournament that included ~40 BIG sportfish boats duking it out for big fish, big money and bragging rights.  As we pulled into the marina basin, we stopped for fuel right behind an enormous Rybovich sport fish boat called "Double Dog".   Really nice boat and a good bunch of guys.   Later in the day, we saw Double Dog again as they were docked in the slip just behind us at the marina.  Little did we know that we would soon be part of history...

After fueling up, we left Double Dog and motored through the boat basin to our slip and proceeded to see 3-4 turtles right beside our boat!  Emily was ecstatic to finally see some turtles up close!  One was probably the biggest turtle we had seen on the trip.  After watching the turtles for a while we pulled into our slip and Emily proclaimed this to be "the BEST day of my life!".  Great stuff!

But back to history in the making...

The marina was hopping given the fishing tournament and we all had fun the first day in Treasure Cay.  Day one of the tournament was uneventful, but the second day was apparently a great day for fishing.  One of the boats ("Midnight Blue") radioed in that they had caught a blue marlin that was a "keeper".  Now we did not know one thing about billfish tournaments when we arrived, but we soon got the low down from some of the anglers.  Apparently, billfish tournaments are all catch and release unless a boat catches a fish that beats the previous biggest fish caught that year.  Thus for a boat to bring in a "keeper" in this tournament it had to be more than 115 inches long.  Well "Midnight Blue" caught one that was just a bit longer than that and we all went down to the dock to see them pull a big blue marlin out of the boat at the weigh station.  It was very exciting and breathtaking to see the crew celebrating and the crowd cheering what was sure to be the winning fish.  It was 551 pounds!

As the excitement wore down, we learned that all the boats were in for the day except for one - Double Dog.  Double Dog had hooked into a big blue and was still fighting it.  Low and behold a couple hours after every other boat was back, Patrick sighted Double Dog coming into the marina - with a blue marlin flag on the outrigger!  We all raced to the weigh station to see them pull out the biggest blue marlin ever caught in the Bahamas!!!  It weighed 1119 pounds and this thing was ENORMOUS!

The place went wild and afterward the captain of Double Dog was quoted saying "it was a great fish and a great fight by a great crew, but we really couldn't have done it without the Per Diem crew behind us."

It really was quite exciting to see such a record breaking fish and suffice it to say we had a great time at Treasure Cay and the Billfish Tournament! 

Before we left Treasure, we had one more exciting experience, but we'll leave that for our next post.  We are on to Green Turtle for a day or two before continuing our trek north.

Hope everyone is well.  We continue to have a lot of fun, but are looking forward to seeing everyone back home soon!

Take care,

The Welsh's

Credits:  Journalist:        Jay Welsh

              Photographer:  Gail Welsh

Sunday June 19th - Father's Day!!

Hello everyone,

I write to you from Guana Cay, home of Nipper's and Grabber's - two very popular spots in the Abacos.  They both remind me a bit of the Beachcomber in Wellfleet but better!!  We have had a very fun but hot week in the Bahamas.  We left Hopetown on Wednesday and went to Tahiti Beach and Lubber's Quarters to celebrate the full moon.  The water was calm and clear and everyone went to Cracker P's for the full moon party.  We had a great time too!  They served a Bahamian Buffet and all the kids were in heaven. When Patrick woke up on Thursday he told me he dreamt about the buffet and that he had marshmallow pie with cream cheese frosting.  (I think maybe the aren't getting enough food!)

We snorkeled at a wonderful spot called Sandy Cay and had the most amazing experience.  Emily was not feeling right and wanted to stay in the dinghy.  We tied up to a mooring and splashed into the water above an amazing reef where the fish and coral were brilliant.  We kept checking on Emily who was very happy to sit in the dinghy and be our lookout.  One other boat in the area reported seeing a baby hammerhead shark but we never saw it.  Those rumors were enough to keep Emily out of the water but she was very lucky and spotted an eagle ray and pointed to it for us.  Hannah and I followed it and I was able to get a picture even though it was about 20 feet below us.

Patrick went back to the dinghy to rest with Emily and they started yelling "turtle"!!  We were able to follow it and take some wonderful photos and video as we got closer.  He seemed to be posing for us!!

We think we have seen it all now!!
xo
Gail and everyone

Monday June 13th - and it is not my birthday anymore..

Hello everyone,

It was a great birthday weekend!  Thank you to everyone for all the Facebook posts and emails.  It was great to hear from so many friends!  We had a great week and ended it in Hopetown at Hopetown Hideaways.  This has become a favorite spot for us.  As I write this post from my hammock near the pool I can hear the crowd at Bingo Night across the harbor at Cap'n Jacks!  Bingo is obviously a multi-national sport!

We spent a few nights in Little Harbor on a mooring in a beautiful marine park - home to Pete's Pub/ Gallery and Foundry.  Randolph Johnston began a foundry in this spot back in the 50's making bronze sculptures using the 'lost wax process'.  (He came from the Boston area!)  His son Pete now runs the show along with a wonderful fellow from Algeria named Richard.  I met Richard while hiding from the children at the pub!  (really, I was)  It is a wonderful place built like a fort right on the beach.  There is no floor, just sand and one of their mottos is 'where the elite eat in their bare feet."  Anyways, Richard was sitting in the adirondack chair next to me and when he saw me duck he laughed and asked about our trip.  I didn't know that he was the foundry boss but he started to talk to me about his life sailing around the world for 20 years and about working for Randolph.  He offered to give us a tour of the foundry the next morning.  It was amazing! We saw first hand how the sculptures are made using a process that dates back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.  We were absolutely fascinated at the operation and couldn't leave without making a small purchase... meet our turtle whom we have named... Richard!

That evening held much excitement and if the video posts, please take a moment to watch.  We were playing cards in the cockpit of the boat when we heard some splashing behind us.  Hoping for more dolphins or turtles we quickly dropped the cards and looked out.  We had no idea what was swimming in the water but there were many small looking shark like creatures zipping all over the place - especially under the dinghy.  We called them sharks but now we know they were not sharks.  They were ramoras which attach themselves to large sea mammals for a ride and a meal.  A bit like a drive thru?
They would hurt a lot if you got bit by one but they are scary because if ramora are around then usually their hosts - large predator sharks are around as well!  Needless to say, we skipped the midnight swim....

The video will not load but I will keep trying!  Sorry

The weekend was full of some great body surfing and then snorkeling.  I think I have become a bit more proficient with the underwater camera and everyone is getting better with their snorkel and mask!  The kids and Jay saw a stingray but I did not get a photo of it.  I did get a picture of these beautiful Blue Tang fish.

The weather continues to be a bit of a guessing game.  Some days the wind blows from the west and the seas are really crazy.  Today, there wasn't a bit of a breeze and so the ocean was as calm as a lake.  It made for a very hot day as well.

We have planned our trip home and will be heading north by the end of next week.  We are taking our time going back to some of the cays that we skipped on the way down.  We plan to be back on the Big Bahama Island by the holiday weekend so that we will have a window to wait for good weather for our crossing.  We will be flying back to MD on July 9th if all goes according to plan.  We shall see what the weather brings!  The kids are happy that we have a plan but they can't believe we only have three weeks left.  Everyone from home has asked if it feels like the trip has gone by quickly and the answer to that is not simple.  We have done and seen so much that it feels like we have been away longer than we really have but it seems like we just left yesterday!  I know that doesn't make any sense but it's the honest answer!

Good luck to everyone with the end of the school year.  We plan to wrap up our home/boat school this week.  It will be nice to have all that work behind us but the kids have taken their school work very seriously and Jay and I are really proud of them!

More again soon....
Much love,
The Welsh Family

The Jersey Shore Episode - "Snooki and The Situation Party in the Abacos" (A visit from the Jones' 6/3-6/6)

Friday, June 3rd

We made it back to Marsh Harbor after Patrick and Jay returned from their great day of fishing a bit late but it was sooooo worth it!  Thank you again, LeighAnne, Jamie, Will, Jett and Stumpy!!

When we arrived back at Marsh Harbour, we found Snooki and The Situation signing autographs at the local watering hole next to the marina (ok, it was actually Eugene and Susan our friends from New Jersey enjoying a few drinks on the deck).   It was great to see them waving as we pulled into Harbor View Marina and it seemed like it was just yesterday that we had seen them.  They came with some greatly needed supplies from the states - People Magazine, Star, you know - the essentials.

We shared our fish for dinner by the pool and planned the weekend.  They were very eager to get out on the water with us and we couldn't wait to show them some of our favorite spots.  Off we went to Hope Town for a night on the mooring.  As evening came around, Eugene definitely had some fishing in mind and decided to test the waters behind the swim platform of the boat.  Hannah was sitting on the swim platform and more than a bit surprised when Eugene landed a fish.  As Eugene tried to get it off the hook, it swung across the boat and hit her right in the back!  At which point she exclaimed "Did you just hit me with a fish??!!"  She said it felt like a massage as it flopped around on her back.  Quite a funny moment.

We spent Saturday exploring Hope Town and did some wonderful snorkeling right off shore near "two pilings" - a local spot not far from the town dump.  Who knew you could create a snorkeling reef by just sinking some old cars and a barge?  The fish were big and there were lots of them!  We also saw a very large lobster but since it's not the season for catching them yet, we let it live.

We had a great lunch at Cracker P's on Lubbers Quarters (yes Doug, we finally made it there)!  It was wonderful and we plan to return next week for their Full Moon Party.  The dogs of the restaurant helped entertain the children - Emily held back a bit but do you blame her?  Memories of Taco linger......

Sunday was another beautiful day on the water.  We left Elbow Cay and headed to Guana with a short stop in Man-O-War but since it was Sunday we knew the island would be closed.  After heading out of the channel Eugene the fishing God  knew something was swimming nearby.  He dropped a line in and within seconds had a bite.  Personally, I think the skills of our captain contributed but I'll let them argue that until Fantasy Football season starts again.  Anyways, he landed a beauty - a 13 pound mutton snapper....And Hannah ducked!  Since we weren't planning to cook that night, Eugene reluctantly let him live.

Since it was Sunday and there was nothing else to do, we brought our friends to Nippers for the Pig Roast.  They hated it.  Won't ever go back.  (We couldn't get them to leave!)



It was very sad to go back to Marsh Harbor and let them go back to their hotel and get ready for an early morning flight.  We kept them as long as we could and even had the guest dolphin appear behind the boat to end their weekend in the Abacos!  Eugene was the only one with a camera when the dolphin came by so we will wait for him to post it.  It was quite a sight to see all of us running up and down the dock following a dolphin and her babe.  So much fun!!  Susan learned how to blow the conch horn - well done!!

Thank you so much for coming to visit Eugene and Susan.  See you this summer!

Where in the heck is Abaco?

(Written by Jay)

So I've had a few folks ask "Where is Abaco?" or "What island are you going to in the Bahamas?".  To answer that question I thought I would pull out some charts (or maps to you landlubbers) and see if I could show everyone where we've been.

The Abacos is made up of about 80 islands and cays (pronounced "keys") in the northern section of the Bahamas (about 75 miles northeast of Nassau).  The main island is called Great Abaco and that is where Marsh Harbour is located.  Marsh Harbour is the largest town in the Abacos and the third largest in the Bahamas.  It has been our jumping off point for trips to many of the smaller cays and where we've gone to resupply.  The really cool places to visit though are the little cays that run in a line on the eastern side of the Sea of Abaco.  Over the past month, we've been to many of these cays and they are all unique.  Some have little towns, some just a few vacation homes and some are uninhabited!  Almost all of them have great waters, beautiful beaches and neat sea life.

The picture below is a chart with red arrows on the places we've visited.  My apologies if it's tough to read the chart, but hopefully you can get a feel for the area we are cruising.

The picture does not include our first two stops which are a bit west of this area.  They were West End on Grand Bahama Island (near Freeport) and then Great Sale Cay.  I did this over a week ago and since then, we've been to several more places - including Powell Cay, Manjack Key and Treasure Cay so I'll have to keep adding red arrows to our chart!

Hope that everyone back home is well and look for more blog entries soon!

The Welsh Family

Fishing with Stumpy!

(Written by Jay)
Pizza Night at Treasure Cay ended with Jamie and LeighAnn inviting Jay and Patrick to go fishing in the morning.  Jamie had hired a local fishing guide to take them fishing throughout the week and Friday was the last day that their guide "Stumpy" was available to go out fishing on the reef.  We gratefully accepted and Patrick and Jay met Stumpy, Will and Jett bright and early the next morning.  Stumpy was a local from Coopers Town who had been fishing these waters his whole life.  He picked us up in a small center console fishing boat and we were off on our adventure!

It was a perfect day for fishing...except for the wind.  It was blowing hard out of the East (and had been for nearly a week).  This created 4-5' swells on the ocean and some pretty big waves heading through Whale Cay Passage to get out to the reef.  We had taken our boat through Whale Cay Passage a couple days before in similar conditions and had seen a few "nuts" going out in small fishing boats.  Today, we were the nuts!  Despite the rough seas, we had an awesome time.  Stumpy was a great guide who got us to the fish (how he can look down through 50' of water and know there are fish down there is beyond me!) and Patrick caught his first triggerfish!

Just caught - Patrick and his triggerfish!

Patrick & Stumpy!

Everybody caught at least one keeper (Triggerfish, Pogey, Strawberry Grouper) but our biggest thrill came just before we were preparing to head in.  Jett  hooked into something big and he and Will took turns pulling in a big Amberjack (probably 30+ lbs)!  It was quite the fight and took a good 20min to land him!  When we got back to the dock, Stumpy filleted all the fish and Patrick and I left with more than enough fish for dinner.

Stumpy, Will, Jett, Patrick and Jay with the big one that did not get away!

That night we grilled up the fresh fish and we enjoyed it with all of our friends at the marina.  It was also a great way to welcome our friends the Jones' who flew down from New Jersey for a visit!  Look for an upcoming post on our time with the Jones'.

Jay grills the day's catch!