I planned on leaving the Bahamas and going to Los Cabos Mexico on Feb 28th to meet up with my sisters on Mar 1st? The best laid plans….Silver Airways in the Bahamas is perhaps the most mismanaged airlines I have ever flown! And, I have flown Aeroflot!

 

Y my flight was supposed to be from Marsh Harbour Bahamas to West Palm Beach on to Houston overnight in Houston and then onto Los Cabos. my plane had a mechanical problem and so they put us on a oer flight leaving from an even smaller airport 30 minutes away. 5 of us were put into a van and raced up to Treasure Cay where a roomful of people sat…no airplanes had landed or taken off that day. the clerk questioned why they sent is up there. while we were there, alone from Ft Lauderdale circled the airport, the clerk, baggage handler, etc read them the windspeed, ceiling cover, wind direction, etc…but the pilots couldn’t really see the runway…not a lighted field! and, no control tower. So. They turned around and went back to FLL. she suggested that they divert to Marsh Harbour and pick up some of the 100 or so passengers waiting there. But, they had timed out and couldn’t legally fly anymore. So, back in the van race back to Marsh Harbour where a flight I had been wait listed on actually had taken off! So, let’s try Tampa! No, Tampa is overweight and they had to take off 10 bags. Okay, we have one seat left for ft Lauderdale, they will give me a voucher for a night there and I take off at 6am, will be in Los Cabos in time for a late lunch and glass of wine with my sisters. At 10:30pm, they cancel the flight to FLL because of fog. only place to stay is at the Abaco Beach Resort…$330 a night. Won’t give me a voucher.

have to be back at the airport at 7:30 for the new itinerary….#7 that is going to Tampa then on to Houston…will get into Cabos a day late, but it is the only seat. Tampa flight is delayed 3 hours…now going on the FLL flight…last minute, going on e Tampa flight…will have a ticket waiting for me in Tampa to go on with United. Check my bag to Houston, get to Tampa with 30 minutes…no ticket waiting because United didn’t have any seats!!!! anywhere! A really nice Silver Airways agent and her friend a United agent and a jet blue agent get me on a jet blue flight leaving at 7:40pm to NEWARK!!!! And, then a 9am non stop to Cabos. At 2 AM we board the JetBlue to Newark…all other flights including the United newark have cancelled due to snow and ice. Land in Newark at 4:30am…go to the club lounge and take a shower. Then, get into my first class seat (thank you United agent in Tampa). And get to Cabos a day late, but very happy to see my sisters! I haven’t even started on my return trip!

We Had a great time in Cabos….stayed at Secrets all inclusive. Food and drinks were great. We had 2 rooms, both with their own swimming pools. A gorgeous view and had our usual laughing non stop 5 days! nobody can make me laugh…or cry for that matter like my sisters!

We toured Todas Santos and the desert on the way there, Hotel California and the art district in San Jose del Cabos. We ate, we drank, we sang, we danced, we had a blast. I thought I could live there.

We left and thank goodness, my trip back to PA was uneventful and I had been upgraded to first again. A couple of days in PA freezing reminded me that I was now a tropical gal. I gladly returned to Treasure Cay, Bahamas! Okay, so I could really live in Treasure Cay! We stayed there a couple of days…some friends wanted to meet up with us in Great Guana for the Barefoot man concert at Nippers. This is quite an event. a Jimmy Buffett kind of character and a party that is described as Junkanoo meets the mummers! We actually had other plans in Great Turtle Cay, so we missed it this year.

But, the days in GTC and the Sea of Abaco was splendid. the sailing was perfect…the seas great and we thoroughly enjoyed our sailing from Treasure through Whale Cay back into the Sea of Abaco and the Cays.

After a tour of New Plymouth, GTC, we decided it was time to leave the Bahamas and started the staging. New Plymouth was an interesting place….very quaint. It is another loyalist island…settled in the 1700’s by American loyalists…after the revolution, they were loyal to the king and so had to leave America and settled in the Bahamas. They are the white Bahamians.

We left GTC, and spent the night anchored, along with 20 or so other boats getting ready for the West End, Grand Bahamas. From West End, you can cross to Florida….if the weather window is right.

We pulled into a slip at Old Bahama Bay and who should be our slipmates but Island Spirit! We had a great time catching up with them over drinks and snacks.

We did not heed all of our knowledge or others advice when we left Old Bahamas Bay at 5AM…we should have! the first couple of hours were a little challenging with seas 4-6 ft and winds much higher than forecast. We pulled into Fort Lauderdale in a fog…both U.S. and the weather around 10pm. We were pooped puppies….but, it was good to be here!

A couple of days to recoup at our slip in FLL and we rented a car and took off for the keys. We stayed down in Key West for 2 nights and then went over to Naples. A great little side trip.

We went to FLL beach today. Just read and waded in the surf…wonderful! we will be here another 5 days before trekking home. I will stay in PA. David will fly back down on April 19th and link up with a coup,e of guys to bring Sassy back to the Chesapeake. They have done this run a couple of times…it will be 5-7 days of 24/7 in the ocean taking advantage of the Gulf Stream….not my style!

We have had a great time for the past 61/2 months and are already thinking about our next adventure. Thanks to all of you who came with us. we expect some of you to spend a week or two with us next time we do this….fly into treasure Cay and sail and spend days and nights with a lot of fun people.

Love to you all!