Well, yesterday put the icing on the cake for us as far as prime experiences in the Abacos are concerned.

At Manjack while Jack was fishing, I picked up some shells. Lots of small ones for the children. The next morning my "shells " were walking all over deck! They were full of tiny hermit crabs.

Wednesday we moved from Manjack up to Powells Cay harbor. When we anchor, we hop into the dinghy and go exploring the Cays. The great undercut rocks form the waters edge on many of the Cays with no access to the land. Powells has a beach so we went over and walked it. We found lots of shells; conch, sand dollars, sea biscuits. This pleased me bunches because the shelling had not been very good on other beaches. There was a cruisers tree on the beach where cruisers decorate a dead tree with stuff they have picked up on the beach. We also walked across the island to the ocean side. It was awful. Apparently the way it lies lots of dead sea grass piles up on the beach. It was at least two feet thick, black and ugly!

Yesterday around noon I suggested that Jack put his trolling line in the water (we completely forget to do this). After lunch I noticed that the pole was bent. Jack went out and started reeling the line in, thinking that so much line was out that he must be snagged on the bottom. The poor fish was so tired from being towed that he didn’t put up a fight until he saw the boat. Then the fun started in ernest! He had caught a 28" long red snapper! It was truly beautiful and brilliantly red! Now it is fish fillets in the fridge! Jack had a grin on his face that you wouldn’t believe!

We have motored all day today, Friday, from Great Sale to Memory Rock which puts into position to cross the Gulf Stream and be back in the USA on Saturday evening. We are both very excited to get back and very sad to leave Paradise.