Are we mature enough to not get thrown off a slide?

1/7/07-1/10/07

We left for Allan's Cay early on the 7^th after a late night partying with Aries. The sail was uneventful and we made good time under only our jib. We trolled the entire time and were unsuccessful. Our luck was due to change.

Allan's Cay was crowded when we arrived. There were 9 or so boats as compared to 1 the last time we visited the Cay. Nevertheless, we managed to obtain the same prime location we had previously that is directly off the iguana beach. We spent the rest of the day snorkeling and exploring the island. The iguanas were as inviting as before. Dozens amassed on the beach awaiting our arrival. We did not feed them, but if you mimic offering food and toss a piece of sand or stick they flock from all directions to fight over the scrap. It was quite a spectacle. We have some footage that I'll post next time we have solid internet.

We spent the 8^th lazing around Allan's Cay as well. The day started well with brad spearing two fish in one shot. They were the perfect size for lunch. The day just improved from there. Late in the afternoon we went out hunting again and quickly bagged a lobster. As the day grew late Brad managed to spear a fish. The hunt just began with that first spearing. The behemoth shook free of the spear leaving a gaping hole in his back. We had heard stories of sharks taking fish and harming divers after blood is spilled, and lots of blood was spilled. The fish took off out of his hole and across the reef. Luckily he ducked beneath a coral head near the edge of the reef. A barracuda was already on the scene. Twenty minutes of diving with brad at one hole in the coral waiting to spear the fish and Jeff scaring it out from the other hole, lead to the bagging of a monster. So what if it had multiple holes in it. It was beautiful. He was 26 inches in all and absolutely delicious. That night we had a feast of more fish and lobster than we could eat.

With the scraps of left over fish we bated a hook and bottom fished. The hook was taken by a giant black shadow later believed to be a 4.5 ft nurse shark. After a 2 minute fight with Jeff the shark decided it had had enough and released the hook.

We continued our trip north on the 9^th. Motoring directly into the wind we made good progress and arrived in Nassau at 2. We had heard from Dave that if you are going to Atlantis it is cheaper to stay at their marina than just pay for an admissions ticket. We were the only sailboat in the marina and one of very few boats under mega yacht status.

The Atlantis water park was amazing! They have these water slides that end in the clear tubes of a shark tank so you can see sharks swimming next to you as you finish. One of the rides was very steep giving a marvelous stomach drop each time. In addition to the shark tank, Atlantis has a huge aquarium. You can walk through caves of Plexiglas and admire all of the tropical creatures.

There was a large poker tournament happening at Atlantis and we saw a lot of famous players and their celebrity wives. In the morning Jeff and Kara left for the states. With only 4 people we spent another day at the water park and perused the grounds. The rides were as thrilling, but the staff were even more entertaining than the rides. To add a new component to their tube slide we started going down backwards and quickly progressed to spinning the whole way down, having sumo fights in the shark tank and going down off the tube. The lady running the slide was not impressed. She threatened to throw us off the ride in a flamboyant display of her power. She was powerful too, 250lbs of rule pounding fury. The characters running the other ride we enjoyed were no less entertaining. They were 18 year old Bahamians who would say comments like "Man, I am so stoned I can't feel my face." They were obviously impaired as they did their job as water safety marshals. It was quite hilarious as they broke out singing songs about getting high in front of 8 year olds.

We are now anchored in Nassau harbor and will be here until Jen flies home on the 12th.