A VISIT FROM SANDRA AND PAT

March 29, 2012  Dateline: Port Lucaya Grand Bahamas, Bahamas

It has been nearly a week since I last posted to the blog.  I have an excuse, Rich and Carol’s youngest daughter, Sandra, came to Port Lucaya along with her significant other, Pat.  They kept everyone busy doing not much.  There were several visits to the casino.  Pat and Wayne of MY WAY played a few rounds of golf.  Carol, Sandra and Francine shopped at the Port Lucaya Market Place and the International Bazaar near Freeport.  When they were finished shopping they went shopping again.  The Market Place was adjacent to the marina and they had to walk through it every time they left the boat, even to go to a restaurant or the pool or the ocean. And of course, Skipper always kept everyone amused.

On Tuesday, Rich, Carol, Sandra and Pat rented motor scooters and drove around the Freeport/Port Lucaya area.  Rich lead the way, and Pat did a terrific job of following, especially when Rich had no idea where he was going (they went around a rotary twice).  The trip highlighted the continued financial pressure on the island as there was a large number of empty buildings and ones that were started and then stopped before completion.  The cruise ships that stop at Freeport bring an estimated 1.3 million to the port each year.  While that number of people should provide a good solid tourism base, less than 200,000 actually get off the ship, which does not bring a lot of spending money to the area.  Unlike Nassau, Freeport has nothing around the port to attract tourists to leave the ship. They must take a bus or taxi to get to Port Lucaya to get to where all the action is.

Restaurants in Port Lucaya are surprisingly good.  There were several of them visited by Rich, Carol, Sandra and Pat.  The presentation was good and the food very good except at one restaurant where Rich had lunch and got sick—oh well sometimes it happens.

Yesterday, my swim platform would not go up.  At 7:15 this morning Rich was on the phone with the owner of the manufacturer.  After following the instructions which included the switching of the up and down valves the swim platform was finally raised to the normal up position.  A new valve is in the mail on the way to the Boonton address.

Today, Rich met the owner of HAREM.  HAREM had been in the marina for the last week but no one noticed the Looper flag on her bow.  They will be here for

another 2 weeks and commented on the economic depression that the island is suffering.

Tomorrow I am on my way to Palm Beach, an 83 mile trip.  On Saturday Rich and Carol are going to drive to New Jersey and leave me to enjoy the Florida sun.