Flying Solo

4.14.11

Brad left Saturday to head to Grand Cayman for his sisters wedding. Although I was also invited, there are no kennels here in the Bahamas and so someone had to stay behind and take care of the pets. That left me alone on the boat, at anchor for 5 days – the first time I had ever been alone on the water. We had checked the weather and the wind was supposed to remain calm the whole time he was gone, so, despite Brad's insistence that we put the boat in a marina where I would be safer, I knew I could tough it out on the hook.
Sunday Koa and I tagged along with Captain Mike and Karson, from Winddancer. They had rented a 20ft boat and were going to jet around some of the islands and go snorkeling and end up at a pig roast at the famous Nippers Bar. We went to this gorgeous snorkeling area, with huge fish and beautiful coral. But, due to Koa barking incessantly from the boat, I had to cut my enjoyment short. I headed back to the boat while they snorkeled on for a bit longer. We spent the day bar hopping, seeing the famous Hopetown lighthouse and finally ended up at Nippers Bar. Nippers is famous for their Sunday pig roasts, and for the delicious drinks. The bar sits high atop a hill overlooking the East beach, has two pools and layered decks for people to mingle. We grabbed drinks and headed down to the beach where I played fetch in the water with Koa for 30 minutes or so. We had been out since early morning, so he was already somewhat tired. We had a great time at Nippers, met some folks – old and new – and finally decided we were tired and had had enough to drink for the day. We mosied back to our boat and got comfortable for the ride home.
We made it back to the boat by 1800, just in time to head over for some sundowners with our neighbors whom I had only just met the previous day. They also have a large dog, a golden retriever, and they came over to introduce themselves when they saw Koa. They invited me over for drinks when they learned that I was flying solo for the week and also told me to holler if there was anything I ever needed. They were wonderful to me the whole time Brad was gone.
Koa and I soon got into a groove. We would head to shore for a walk early in the morning, come back for breakfast and then work on the boat through the afternoon. Around 1700, we would stop and either sit in the cockpit people-watching or relax below with dinner and a movie. These nights were mixed in with the occasional visit to or from friends for sundowners or dinner. Brad had asked that all our friends keep an eye on me and they all did a great job!
I became a master of the dinghy and the boat had never looked cleaner! I was keeping myself busy, but was ready for Brad to get home. Lugging 6gallon jugs of water around by myself was quite the task! And all of the other daily routine things that we do together are daunting when done alone! So, although I was proud of myself for being able to hold down the fort, I was ready for help to come home!
Brad finally made it home on the 14th and I took Koa in to go pick him up. Brad was impressed with my dinghy handling skills and also that I had brought the mutt in by myself – he is a bit of a handful on the dinghy. He was glad to be home, impressed by everything I had done while he was gone, and eager to get back in the groove of things.