My Dad turned 85 today!!!  We are sad we can’t be there to help him celebrate but I did get in a quick satellite phone call.  I always thank my Dad for my love of travel.  When I was about 7 years old or so, he bought a truck camper, and every year all of us would head off around the United States (and parts of Canada one year!)  Taking seven kids in a truck camper is not everyone’s idea of a great time but my parent’s did it for two weeks at a time.    A few times we also went over Christmas break.  It was a great way to see the United States as a family.  For Dan and I, this trip is like a camper on the water.  Instead of driving on the highway, we are sailing on the ocean, but the feeling of family is the same.  Thank  you Dad!!!  We love you!!

 Michael Beans was playing again at Marina Cay and we took the Petty’s to the show.  Dan had been practicing his conch blowing skills for about a week now, in preparation for the Conch Shell Blowing Contest. He was getting good!  We timed him up to about 44 seconds.   The winner is crowned King Conch and gets a big bottle of Pusser’s Rum.  Not bad!  We figured Dan had it wrapped up.

 Michael Beans show is pretty good entertainment.  He sings some, tells jokes, and passes out free rum.  He is a good entertainer and everyone has a good time.  Dan and I got a free shot of rum during the “Name the Pirate” contest.  Tessa took my picture while I was up in front getting my shot.  That was a mother daughter bonding moment!  Collin won a shot of rum for his pirate toast, but since he is only 7, he had to give the rum to Karon.   Another Hallmark moment. 

Soon it was time for the main event, Conch Shell Blowing Contest.  They have an adult and kids contest.  Tessa, Alec and another older boy competed.  The older boy won, but Tessa and Alec got a prize for trying.  We were proud of them just for trying……….in a bar.  (Can you tell we have started to lower our standards?)

The naked couples were there.

“Look kids!  There’s the couples that were naked on their boat.  They really have no decency.  Collin!  Win Mommy another shot of rum, son!!” 

It’s all relative in the islands!

Now it was time for the adult contest.  There were about 7 contestants, including Dan.  The first went down miserably, and our and Dan’s confidence was high.  Dan’s turn.  He picked up the conch, started to blow and we settled in to what we thought would be a 40 second wait. But no!!! Something happens!  At 29 seconds he is out!!  Will that be enough?

Two more contestants to go, a woman and a man.  She takes the conch and is strong.  15 seconds we start to worry.  Twenty seconds and we are in a full sweat.  Twenty five seconds and I know I am going to have to cause a distraction!!  26 seconds, 27 seconds, 28 seconds.   She is done at 28 seconds.  That was too close!!!  Dan was worried.  The guy went next.  He seemed a little too calm, and we all wondered if he wasn’t a ringer.  Could he be a professional?  But no.  After about 15 seconds he was out. 

Dan won!!!! The crowd cheered!!!  Michael Bean’s knighted him King Conch, handed Dan his bottle of rum and said “Do your victory dance!!”

Dan had no dance.  Pure panic!!!  He hastily did a move that was a cross between an Irish Jig and something that is illegal in 20 states.  But he had his bottle of rum and the love of his family, friends, the bar, and the weird naked couple. What more can you ask for?

 It was too rough for us to enjoy Sandy Spit, a beautiful, tiny, uninhabited island, so we headed across to

Cane Garden Bay. The kids hit the beach, Alan and Dan found some hammock chairs at Elm Beach Bar and Karon and I went shopping.  The beach is getting back to normal after the big storm a few weeks ago.  At Myatt’s gift shop, she said the water had come up through the bar and stopped just outside the store. That was good because there’s a lot of tradition in the beach bars here, Rhymers, Quitos, Elm Beach, Stanely’s to name a few.  Most sailors, including us and our friends have great memories here.

After shopping, Karon and I found Dan and Alan.  They hadn’t moved from the chairs, but they had news.  They indicated two couples not far from us. 

“Those are the people who were naked on the boat.”

Yes, the naked dudes were here.  We saw them when we came into the harbor earlier.  The guy came to collect the mooring ball fee, and the younger guy paid for it, naked.  DUDE! 

“How did you recognize them?  Did you follow them into the bathroom?”

They recognized the older guy as he was wearing the same shirt, shoes and hat we had seen him in earlier.  So they did have clothes.  They just chose not to wear them.  And the weird thing is I think they are American or Canadian and this is definitely a more European behavior.  Strange.

The kids played on the beach some more and we watched a beautiful sunset from the Elm Beach Bar.  The next day we were off to Marina Cay.

  On the beach

 Alec putting up the flag