02/10/2010, Georgetown, Exumas, Bahamas
We are having the rollercoaster ride of life here. So much is happening , I have no time to share it all. From Awakening The Dreamer symposiums happening in schools, communities, boaters communities to personal transformations. It is going viral here.Training facilitators, teachers, HS students amazing ! Georgetown will be a Hub for Awakening the indigneous people to become aware of what is happening to the waters and land that they hold so dear and sarcredly in their hearts and to inspire and empower them to take action to protect it.
We have a film crew coming down on Feb 15 and 16 to film teenage life on a boat. They are coming from NY I think and we were chosen from applications submitted last week. The kids are excited.
Huge transformation happening in Phil and our relationship and it is all wild and wonderful! Phil has lost 30 pound, practising yoga with grace, love and enjoyment. The children are truly in their element , spending many days snorkelling, fishing, chatting with adults, volleyball, attending multiple workshops on knot tieing, fishing and more. Creativity is bursting in carving, sanding and painting of what fishers call a must have, cedar plugs. They have mastered conch removal, cooking them into yummy conch fritters(Dylan being the master of conch anything) and cleaning , buffing , polishing and cutting the conch shell to make a horn that is blown daily at sunset.
That is just a tiny taste of what is happening. We are living, loving and being in the moment embracing each wave of experience and allowing it all to touch us and stir us deeply to the core of our hearts.
We are thinking often of Palgrave United Church family , especially when attending the Sunday Beach Church held on the beach , led by different boaters each week. Phil, Chantelle and I are in the Choir and are enjoying singing many familiar songs from Palgrave. We have also introduced Go Now in Peace which we will sing at one of the services.
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01/19/2010, Georgetown, Bahamas
I have not blogged for a lonnng... time. It has been so... busy. We are doing a Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream symposium on Jan 30, 4 hour version. We have invited Georgetown representatives in Tourism, Education and The Administrator of Exumas. Also inviting all boaters. We plan to do about 4 symposia by mid March in Georgetown. Very exciting... Getting great support from many.
A living foods gathering brought many like minded people together looking for meaningful connections and exchanges. It was wonderful.
Every morning at 8am sharp the Net comes on channel 68 , where weather forecasts, Business annoucements including parties, special events and dances , Community events including beach church, choir practise, art group, bridge group, parties, yoga, daily volleyball, children events(movie nights, arts, games) and more...Then Boaters General where people offer items(boat parts, household items, water toys and more) to sell or give away, ask for help, share taxis to the airport, thank yous, inquires of any sort and then new arrivals announce their boat name , people onboard and what their plans are. Also people departing and then a thought for the day.
Wouldn't it be amazing if every town had a radio system that you could call in on and bring people together helping, supporting and working together.
Got to go, I am timed out and cannot proof read ... Love you all so ...
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01/14/2010, Georgetown, Bahamas
January 5, 2010 slept in til 726am! The wind was howling as expected . We sat safely in our hurricane hole on our mooring ball . "Jungle Poo" (Bambu coffee substitute) in bed with a smile from Phil.
Absolute delight in a first, yes our first shower on the boat ah... was it nice mm... Warm, fresh water running down my face finding a path down my neck, chest, belly , buttox and then legs, taking layers of salt off, leaving me feeling so refreshed, new and feeling 5 lbs. lighter. Refreshed followed by a vanilla coconut self massage from head to toe. It is a true delight to love yourself. I highly recommended this self indulgent activity. We did use a lot of water(a lot for us is about 10 gallons for all 6 of us) , but can replenish by taking a 1 mile dinghy ride across to Georgetown crouching below a bridge at low tide to complimentary tap of RO Water from Exuma Markets. Thank you Exuma Markets, Georgetown!
Chantelle, Dylan and I went to an art class and learnt how to draw a beach scene with water colours. What a treat to enjoy doing this with the children. Dylan chatted the ladies up non- stop telling them of our travels, conch catches, plane snorkeling and more... He is such an amazing soul. I love him so much! It was so sweet to share creative juices with Chantelle and witness her silent imagination take shape on paper .
In the conference room at St. Francis, I helped the church group put music together for Sunday service and met several people from surrounding boats. Volleyball on the beach at 230pm til 400pm with a bunch of kids and adults. What fun that was! Generations coming together for fun, yes, yes, yes! Great medicine for all souls to bring souls of youth , wisdom and joy together.
The kids had taken the boat and Phil and I only had the kayak to return in high winds to our boat. I would have been fine to go except I was wearing pants and had my book which would turn to mush by the time we made it through the waves. Pete heard my thoughts again and within a minute or less he came around the corner and was there to pick us up , having thought that we might have a hard time getting back. What an angel! I am now up to date with my blog, sitting here listening to Deva Premal and drinking Chai tea and then a glass of red wine as Karl and Chantelle do menu planning for tonight . Karl wants Paaasta with sausage , now Phil is debating whether that is two meals worth and yes is the finall answer! So ... paaasta it is.
We had a wonderful afternoon at Volleyball Beach, playing volleyball with about 3 other adults and about 10 kids. We all went back by dinghy at 415pm and then were off to a beach, sing a long meet and greet at Hamburger Beach about a mile north of us. A group of 8 singers, in coats and huddled together , clenched their microphones and sang from the heart in 65F. I know many of you are in far colder weather . It was wonderful! I was up there within minutes singing along and feeling so at home with kindered spirits. Marshmallow, fire, and all our musical instrument collection inspired a group of youth to rattle, sing and celebrate the moment together. Under the starfilled sky we made our way back with all the anchor lights(on other boats) shining and the lights of Georgetown on the horizon with a glow on the island shore of volcanic rock.
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01/10/2010, Volleyball Beach, Georgetown, Bahamas
January 4, 2010 a nice leisurely wake up to Dylan bringing me coffee in bed with a shot of Jacks(Baileys)mmm... what an absolute angel you are Dylan. I am so... blessed to have you in my life. Love you! 758am and all eyes were on our VHF radio anticipating the morning community announcements.
Yes! Yogaloties at 830am and amazing a sprouting workshop at 1000am . I took a a deep breath in and enjoyed the thought of being with souls of similar interest and passions . Yoga and sprouts what a great to way to start a one month visit in this place that many sailors consider to be the winter home for up to 4 months of the year. Yogaloties was amazing on the beach with about 20 other keeners and I was in heaven! It is so nice to have someone guide the class.
Sprouting workshop held by Jan and Dave on Siggy Dancer from Toronto was amazing. She showed a few books , one of which is called " Sea Sick " and talks about how if the ocean dies we all die, if the land dies the ocean can still survive, so ... take care of the sea! Eating a raw food diet eliminates the need for garbage dumped in the ocean from processed and refridgerated foods. Why eat something dead that is cooked over 105 F or processed in any way when you can eat any bean or seed that has been soaked and sprouted to a bring it alive. I was in heaven! I gobbled up everything she said , tasted some yummy dehydrated treats and flax crackers. I also ordered fresh local vegetables and fruit from them that come in fresh from Andros Island , Bahamas.
We moved the boat and settled in on our mooring ball at St.Francis Marina with plans to be there for a month. Moving the boat was an adventure. To start I was at the wheel, and the rest of the family (5) plus Pete who was in the hole or lagoon and was going to guide me in from the bow of our boat. I had called into the marina and was told to stay close to the rock island and that I should be fine because even at low tide it is 5ft 4 inch and we draw 5ft. Well... not so... there is a dredged passage about 20ft wide(our beam or width of our boat is 13ft 10 in) between the rock island and a .7 meter shoal at low tide which was about 4 ft at high tide when we were going through. I saw the shoal on the chart , but trusted the marina and Pete and whoops we hit the shoal. Well... let me tell you it was unbelievable to see the community of boaters jump into action. Within 30 seconds Pete was in his dinghy headed for the bow along with 2 other dinghies that appeared out of nowhere to push the bow and swing it around. All my efforts to move us in reverse failed . The marina owners son was to us within 1 minute with a 250hp boat to help too! Time as of the essence with the tide going down. All the dinghies pushed the bow together and I gave it a lot of juice and we slid slowly off to retreat to deeper water for a second attempt. The marina boat stayed close beside us and Pete drove the dinghy ahead of me as I followed right behind him safely to our mooring. It was so reassuring to see community just come together , so comforting , and we were hugely thankful. Knowing how much water we need with a big family, Pete collected all the water containers from neighboring boats to bring them to us so we could do one run across the windy wavy water to get water. Pete has been soo... thoughtful and caring Thank you dearest Pete!
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01/09/2010, Georgetown, Bahamas
January 4, 2010 a nice leisurely wake up to Dylan bringing me coffee in bed with a shot of Jacks(Baileys)mmm... what an absolute angel you are Dylan. I am so... blessed to have you in my life. Love you! 758am and all eyes were on our VHF radio anticipating the morning community announcements.
Yes! Yogaloties at 830am and amazing a sprouting workshop at 1000am . I took a a deep breath in and enjoyed the thought of being with souls of similar interest and passions . Yoga and sprouts what a great to way to start a one month visit in this place that many sailors consider to be the winter home for up to 4 months of the year. Yogaloties was amazing on the beach with about 20 other keeners and I was in heaven! It is so nice to have someone guide the class.
Sprouting workshop held by Jan and Dave on Siggy Dancer from Toronto was amazing. She showed a few books , one of which is called " Sea Sick " and talks about how if the ocean dies we all die, if the land dies the ocean can still survive, so ... take care of the sea!
Eating a raw food diet eliminates the need for garbage dumped in the ocean from processed and refridgerated foods. Why eat something dead that is cooked over 105 F or processed in any way when you can eat any bean or seed that has been soaked and sprouted to a bring it alive. I was in heaven! I gobbled up everything she said , tasted some yummy dehydrated treats and flax crackers. I also ordered fresh local vegetables and fruit from them that come in fresh from Andros Island , Bahamas.
We moved the boat and settled in on our mooring ball at St.Francis Marina with plans to be there for a month.
Moving the boat was an adventure. To start I was at the wheel, and the rest of the family (5) plus Pete who was in the hole or lagoon and was going to guide me in from the bow of our boat. I had called into the marina and was told to stay close to the rock island and that I should be fine because even at low tide it is 5ft 4 inch and we draw 5ft. Well... not so... there is a dredged passage about 20ft wide(our beam or width of our boat is 13ft 10 in) between the rock island and a .7 meter shoal at low tide which was about 4 ft at high tide when we were going through. I saw the shoal on the chart , but trusted the marina and Pete and whoops we hit the shoal.
Well... let me tell you it was unbelievable to see the community of boaters jump into action. Within 30 seconds Pete was in his dinghy headed for the bow along with 2 other dinghies that appeared out of nowhere to push the bow and swing it around. All my efforts to move us in reverse failed . The marina owners son was to us within 1 minute with a 250hp boat to help too! Time was of the essence with the tide going down. All the dinghies pushed the bow together and I gave it a lot of juice and we slid slowly off to retreat to deeper water for a second attempt. The marina boat stayed close beside us and Pete drove the dinghy ahead of me as I followed right behind him safely to our mooring. It was so reassuring to see community just come together , so comforting , and we were hugely thankful.
Knowing how much water we need with a big family, Pete collected all the water containers from neighboring boats to bring them to us so we could do one run across the windy wavy water to get water. Pete has been soo... thoughtful and caring Thank you dearest Pete!
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01/09/2010, Georgetown, Bahamas
January 3, 2010 6am departed Black Point for a 42 miles ocean sail with 4-8 naut winds bound for Georgetown. About halfway, the motor suddenly slowed and all hands were on deck with video, net, verbal support and one at the reel bringing in a beautiful 4 pound blackfin tuna for dinner.
We arrived Georgetown at 300pm and anchor in Gaviota Bay. Within one minute of anchoring we had 3 boats contact us by dinghy and radio that we had met during our trip. I sat in the cockpit just breathing and looking forward to being here for a month. I really wanted to land somewhere for a while to just enjoy a place without having to think about the necessities. We were brought up to speed on all the community events including art, yoga, parties, workshops etc to announced daily at 8pm on CH 68. Of several anchorages we had chosen the one that had all the activities and what the kid hangout!
Internet access is undependable and pricy. It is a priority for Bryn and Karl right now in order to complete their courses by Jan. 20. The St. Francis Marina in the bay where we are anchored offers fre internet and a mooring ball for $15 per day or $300 a month so we decided to play it safe ,with the forecast of high winds and squalls for the next 4 days ,and go on the a mooring ball in Hurricane Hole 1 the next day. After an evening of reunion with many we retired to bed at 9pm .
Good Night Georgetown, were the last words we heard on the community channel.
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