Waves were calm and pleasant most of the trip. They got bigger as we got closer to Treasure Cay, but seeing where we would be ending up made it easier to tolerate. Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise got on the bow to make sure our ground clearance was good as we navigated through some narrow channels.
Last time we came to Treasure Cay, we cruised around the southeast part of the island to get into a bay on the other side, anchored, and rode the tender in to a tie up point and walked across the street to the beach. We didn't have good charts on that visit because we came over, spur of the moment and just used the old Garmin C Maps from 2018 or 2019. Ben had to guess good routes based on that, knowing a lot probably changed due to hurricanes and such. We were still learning about this boat so we didn’t have a lot of the knowledge or skills we have now, and didn't want to take big risks. With the new charts, we were able to anchor directly in the cove of the beach!
It took a few tries for the anchor to hold, so once it did, we started getting ready to go to Florence's and the beach. I checked to make sure she would still be open, and Google said she is open 6 am- 6 pm every day except Sunday. Ben and I were pumped because Florence makes HUGE cinnamon rolls and cookies that we had in 2021 when we were here. The kids didn't really remember being here, so didn't even know what to expect except for sugar.
We took the Chicken to the beach, pulling it up in the sand knowing the tide was still on its way in, and set the anchor ashore. Moose, meanwhile, acted as if he had never been at a beach before and was frolicking in the waves, getting annihilated with the crash of each one as it came in. We were still about a mile from Florence's, but the water was much rougher, the closer we got to Florence's, and Ben wanted to keep the Chicken tucked away at a calmer part of the beach.
The 7 of us walked a bit on the beach before Ben decided we should walk on the road instead. We trekked up to the road and walked about a mile on the shoulder of the road, having to remember that the oncoming traffic was on the right side of the road, not the left. The only time that was an issue was trying to get through the roundabout. Here, the circle flows clockwise. Such a mind trick!
After about a mile, and Papa D's dump truck passing us several times, we made it to Florence's... only to find out she had left for the day. It was only 4:45. We were disappointed, but the kids were psyched when we stopped at the minimart next door and Ben, Bear, Moose, and Roo each got a Goombay Punch, Uncle Paul and Aunt Denise got one to try, and I took a few sips of everyone's. We got two additional 6-packs of Goombay Punch and a 6-pack of Ben's favorite Ginger Beer for the boat. The guys are going to take the tender over in the morning and get some cinnamon rolls for us for breakfast before we head for Elbow Cay in the morning.
Ben and Uncle Paul decided to walk back to get the tender on their own, so Aunt Denise and I took the kids across the street to the beach to swim and play. We didn't realize we left the sand toys in the tender until later.
At the water's edge, the kids spotted a sea star that was tumbling around with each wave crash. One of them finally grabbed it and we all admired it before throwing it back, but further away so it didn’t have to tumble and crash forever.
When the boys finally came to us with the Chicken, they told us it was tipped on its side and had a ton of water in it when they got back to it. Ben had to pull-start it because the battery got wet. They sat in the tender to let it charge while the kids finally had their sand toys to play with. Of course, it wasn't nearly long enough and they complained when we had to clean up and go.
Aunt Denise, the kids, and I loaded into the tender while it was being tossed around on the bigger waves, and made our way back to the Cartermaran.
Uncle Paul and the kids swam around the boat at the anchorage to get the sand off before getting rinsed off on the boat and into jammies. House lights along the shore came on, so it was easy to see which homes on the beach were occupied and which weren't. It was cloudy for the sunset, and everyone went to bed pretty early.
No comments:
Post a Comment