Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

Took advantage of the overcast skies (no rain, fortunately) to dinghy to the next little cove and follow a trail over to the ocean-side of the island.

Starting the trail, looking back over the anchorage.  Sojourn and the rest of the boats are on the other side of the treeline.

 One of the cruisers - Bernie on Countess Cosel - works (as a hobby of sorts) to keep the "cruiser trails" marked and fairly clear of growth.   This trail takes about 1.5 hours to walk.  The markers are just pieces of bright rubbish that he collects on the ocean shore side.  These bits and pieces get blown away during bad storms, so they are constantly in need of attention.   We're glad to have the trails to follow!

Saw a huge termite mound.

And a little salt pond.  There are ducks in there but hard to see.

And some cool cacti.

Beautiful ocean side.  Looks stormy but really wasn't.

The sun would peek out.

And then quickly be shaded by clouds.

 All the way back around the bay to the dinghy.

And here are my little "treasures" that I picked up along the way.  The pretty yellow clam shells are still attached to each other.  I'd never seen any quite like those.  (The coral piece is long dead, so don't fuss at me for uprooting coral!!)

And as usual, the 4pm social hour at the hut.

Someone noticed a pretty rainbow forming.

And it grew into a doubloe rainbow.  Quite spectacular!

And before long it was time to retire to our boats for the evening.....

Dinner was on Sojourn with a jambalaya recipe that I admit was pretty tasty!  Cathy brought a equally tasty apple cake.  A couple of games of "Golf" and we were all ready for snoozing!

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

Seems like the east winds want to stick around for a while now. A bit unusual for the weather pattern to be unchanged for 10 days.  The strong east winds mean that we are most comfortable staying  exactly where we are.  We COULD travel, it just would be very yucky.  So we're enjoying our relaxing days.

Sunrise was a bit muted this morning.

Getting better as the sun rises!

Better!

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

Went for a fabulous snorkel nearby.  Pretty large starfish.

And a fairly friendly sea turtle....most are skittish and swim too quickly.  This one obliged me with a slow swim.

And a cool little school of fish avoiding a nearby large barracuda.

Another potluck for dinner at the cruiser hut.

Beautiful peaceful sunset.

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

Went out for a snorkel....was pleasant but not spectacular.

We did come upon this odd crab - it appeared to be about as big as your hand.

I hovered over it for a good while until it finally decided to move a bit.  Interesting little legs.

And a pretty French angelfish. 

That's about it for the day - dinner on What If was a fabulous  Gnocchi with spinach and glazed carrots.  And mint Oreos for dessert!!

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

Took a little walk to the windward side of the island with Karen and Gerry from Persephone. 

The wind had the seas churned up - much different than the protected anchorage just on the other side of the hill.  That's the incredible thing about Hog Cay - even in 30 knot winds from the east, the anchorage is pretty much flat.

Selfie on the beach.

Karen and Gerry.

View from the top of the hill.

And approaching the "calm" side anchorage.

Treasures we found while walking on the exposed beach.   The round/heart shaped seed pods are aptly called Sea Hearts.  The odd shaped seed pod is called a Stinking Toe seed or West Indian Locust.   Just neat to see what washes up on the Atlantic shoreline.

Sundowners as usual in the evening at the cruiser hut and dinner on What If.  A pleasant relaxing day!

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

We'd decided last evening that we'd do a potluck tonight.

In order to have a bonfire, we needed to gather some firewood.....we drug dead fall out of the sandy dunes.

Karen and Gerry from Persephone taking a load to the cruiser hut.

Ed loading up a bunch in his dinghy.

A group effort - unloading it and dragging it over to the fire pit.

A nice big pile good enough for several bonfires.  (The wood is not the "best quality"...burns sortof like pinewood.)

Gerry putting the final touches on the firepit.  Good job!

And before long it was time for the potluck.  Great assortment of food and as usual, nobody brought the same item.

Fun relaxing conversation until after dark.

Had to include a photo of Cathy's foot.....she cut it pretty bad doing water aerobics yesterday - stepped on something sharp in the sand.  She's trying to keep it dry and let it heal.   Bummer!

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

Enjoying relaxing in the breezy semi-sunny conditions.  The temp holds steady day/night at about 78/79. 

Donna has knee issues and has a list of water aerobics that her doctor wants her to do.  So she invited everyone to join her ashore.   It was actually a good time - we did about 45 minutes of various lunges/jumping jacks/running in the water.    I understand this is supposed to be done 3 times per week.....

The usual, about 4pm folks start heading to the cruiser hut.

Enjoyed the chats - we decided as a group that well do a pot-luck dinner tomorrow.   That's all the excitement for the evening.

Off to What If for a comfy broccoli-chicken casserole and fresh asparagus for dinner.  I'll have to ponder what I'll take to the pot-luck tomorrow. 

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

Not alot happening.... Here's a link to Cathy's Blog, very nicely done!

We did laundry,  Duane fixed a couple of things.  We read books. 

And ashore for visiting at sundown as usual. 

Incredibly peaceful here.   Dinner aboard Sojourn was Caesar salad and spaghetti, followed by pumpkin bread from What If.  Early night as usual!

Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

We're going to be in the Ragged Islands for a while.  The forecast is for strong easterly winds for the next week  so we'll stay well protected on the west sides of the islands.

We took advantage of the last fairly calm day to head out to an exposed reef on the south side of Maycock Cay.

I found this shell (some form of conch/snail).  The snail inside was "walking" with his "foot" along the seafloor.

This is what an empty one looks like -  a shell I picked up a couple of weeks ago (I don't believe I posted this photo earlier).  

It didn't retract when I picked it up - unusual.  They normally zip right back into their shells if you tough them.

So I put it back down on the sea floor.

And it started slowly "walking" again.  I thought this was so cool!!!

So I filmed a little of it's "walk".

It was Duane's day to get lobster. 

He got three total - there were lots of them in the reef but hard to spear as they disappear back into their dark "holes".  (Wouldn't you if a human was aiming for you??)

Just thought that coral was particularly pretty.

View of Maycock Cay.

We were out snorkeling a long time - several hours.  Back to the boats - the "haul" for the day.  Into the freezer as What If is hosting dinner tonight with the lobsters Ed got yesterday.  

 and it was soon time for "sundowners" ashore. 

Before long we saw Bluejacket pull in and drop anchor beside  Sojourn.

So, we took the dinghy over and convinced Jerry and Donna to take a taxi ride ashore for a few minutes.  Good reconnecting with everyone!