Sailing Positive Waves

A little routine rigging work. We had been in vacation mode with our Swedish family for over two weeks in Hope Town and while we did spend a few days here and there doing regular boat maintenance, we definitely had a little catch-up work to do on PW. Not only that, but we were leaving PW for five weeks so we had to get the boat cleaned and ship-shape for our absence. Contrary to all logic and reason, we were leaving PW in Hope Town to join Hans in Wisconsin for some skiing and cold weather. Freja and Matilda were very, very excited and kept telling everyone they met, “in just 2 days I’m going to Wisconsin. I can’t wait! I’m so excited!” After quite a few quizzical looks (you’re leaving the Bahamas to go to Wisconsin? Voluntarily??), the running joke became: “I’m so excited to leave the Bahamas to go to Wisconsin—said no one ever.” But our kids have only lived in hot climates: Florida, Texas, the Caribbean so they were understandably very excited to spend an extended time in the cold. H

The Swedish side of our family came to visit us in the Bahamas for two weeks over the Christmas and New Year holidays. In total we were a group of 8 adults and 8 kids, and the time we spent together consisted mainly of two activities: feeding and moving a large group of people, and drinking rum punches. There was beach time, snorkeling, fishing, some boat chores, pool hangouts, and movie nights mixed in, but as I look back on the pictures it all seemed to revolve around shuttling a large group of people around, feeding all those people, all the while bolstered by strong rum punches. The Hope Town mainstay, Cap'n Jacks , had particularly strong rum punches. You could get tipsy off the fumes alone!  We stayed on PW on a mooring in Hope Town's protected inner harbor and the Swedes stayed in two rental houses, side-by-side on the same property . (I highly recommend Karen and Robert's rental houses. Their hospitality was unsurpassed and the houses were comfortable and had everyt