After two and a half glorious weeks in the Exumas, Llyrical turned west and began the journey home. Crossing the Yellow Banks as a crew of two required that I hang out on the bow to relay underwater obstructions to the Captain via our two way radios. This harowing position was held for about an hour during the 49 NM crossing. Otherwise, the crossing was uneventful.
Given expected high winds, Llyrical made her way to Hurricane Hole Marina, a tight circle of slips carved out of the southwest edge of Paradise Island, just across the cruise ship channel from Nassau. Paradise Island is best known for its Disneyland-like hotel, casino and mega-yacht complex. We made our share of ice cream and basket purchases there and visited the famous aquarium which is the central feature of the hotel's principal restaurant. Otherwise, we gave it a wide berth.
On the eastern side of the Paradise Island were two lovely outdoors gardens: the Cloisters, a stone sructure imported from France and a sculpture garden. We enjoyed walking to and through both.
We also hiked over the bridge to Nassau for shopping. We were unimpressed by the Straw Market but really impressed by the native-made batik, purchasing gifts for the girls and the grandkids. We also spent a lovely evening at a local fine dining establishment called Sun and...
During our four day stay, we decided to contact Ed Kurowski of Gratitude Yachts about putting Llyrical in brokerage. We agreed on a price and Ed identified a Captain who could sail her to the Chesapeake from Florida. While a difficult decision, we felt it was the right one.
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