Wednesday Jan 19, 2011

Made pancakes for breakfast. Food on the water is always good. These pancakes were delicious. After breakfast Dave ordered the part we needed. It is a $14.00 part that costs $90 to ship to the Bahamas. Once we know the part was to be shipped over night, we borrowed the resorts bicycles and took a ride into the Village of West End. A very small community made up mostly of conch fisherman. There are some abandoned homes. There are some homes that were under construction when the economy tanked and were never completed. They have several shops and a bakery. Every home has at least one boat. Some are abandoned derelicts. Some float and are working boats. Conch is the mainstay of the fisherman here. They motor out into deep water and dive for the conchs. They fill their boats up and then they bring the conchs back and store them alive in these wooden square structures know as conch pens.

Our goal was to find a bottle of rum made here in the Bahamas. We found a Brand of rum made here. It is called Ricardo. It is a coconut flavored rum that is very sweet. Easy to drink with or without ice.

Dave and I tried some of it when we got back to the boat. Then we tasted a little more. I was quite fond of it. Dave then headed for the beach. I stayed with the boat to meet the mechanic that one of the workers here at the resort said was a good mechanic and would be able to help. The part should be here tomorrow so should the mechanic.

I cooked fresh mackerel and dolphin in a lemon butter sauce for dinner. Dave prepared a salad. We had a delicious and healthy dinner sitting in the cockpit under a full moon talking about Patrice and Sandy. The fish was given to us last night by one of the guys in a big sport fishing boat docked down the way. Fresh fish is really good. Tomorrow, I will try and make a conch chowder with what we have on the boat. My fresh fish acquisition plan works almost every time. I watch a big sport fisherman cleaning his fish. They get talking about how good the fishing is. I listen and ask a few questions. Then I ask my favorite question. What are your going to do with all of the fish you just cleaned. They usually say I am going to eat some and give some away. I reply that I would enjoy a give a way and they hand me cleaned fish. I used to ask the fisherman coming into the dock the same question. Now I have learned to wait until the fish are cleaned. As soon a I learn how to catch my own fish I will stop hasseling the fisherman. Until then this has been out technique for getting fresh fish.

We have become quite friendly with one of the workers here. His name is Michael. Michael grew up here in West End. He was telling Dave and me that John Travolta has a condo about 100 feet from where we have the WaterMark docked. In fact The West End’s Old Bahama Bay is where John Travolta’s son Jet died not too long ago. I guess one of the maids found him in the bathroom. Michael said that when John Travolta was here Jet like to be driven around the property on a golf cart. Jet kept the golf cart driver busy all day long.