Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

 Party day!!  Long, long post with lots of photos follows!

We started the day with other cruisers setting up the tables for lunch and more organizing for the auction.

 

Duane and Darcy hauling out a refrigerator/freezer that was donated for the auction.

 

I won't narrate too much.

 

Maxine had gotten these cool stretchy tablecloths.

 

Jerry got the fire going in the refurbished fire pit.

 

Huge pile of goodies on the auction table.

 

I had dropped my sunglasses off the dinghy earlier.  We'd marked the spot by dropping in Duane's weight belt so we could find them later.  Andrea heard me talking about it so she volunteered Erik to go swim for them because he already had his swim trunks on.  Thanks Erik so I didn't have to jump in with my clothes on!

 

Before noon, the dinghies start arriving.

 

Maxine paused a moment for a quick photo.

 

Everyone pitched in to get the stews and other food warming on the firepit.

 

The cruiser hut starting to fill up with folks.

 

Angie was the most popular person while the crowd was waiting for her to cook the conch fritters as an appetizer.

 

Alan and Skye from Tangent.

 

Here's my plate.  I, of course, couldn't eat the main attraction which was the goat stew.  Wonderful Bahamian meal though.

 

After everyone had more than enough to eat, Darcy kicked off the auction.

 

Lots of fun bidding.  I ended up with a small crock pot, a visor hat and an almost new set of cotton sheets.  The locals really seemed to enjoy the bidding.

 

And late in the day, we tried to get a group photo....

 

The Capt C mailboat was late, but Nicholas got in his dinghy and buzzed over to pick up Buena Vista's Edward Lochlear - he'd ridden the mailboat from Nassau.

 

And as evening was approaching, the locals boarded their boats and headed back home to Ragged Island.

The auction collected over $2000 to benefit the new school and I believe everyone had a fantastic time!