Exumas

January 6
There's so much to do and see in the Exumas.  People spend weeks here.  For us, we only sailed to Norman Spit and The Mice.  We have a lot of mileage to do this year so we have little time to spend in different spots.  However, we promised ourselves to come back to the Bahamas in the next few years.
We only stayed one night at Norman Spit.  There's not much wind/wave protection.  The night was a bit bumpy.  We loved The Mice .... well, the isldands of course.  We anchored in 10-12 feet.  The water is light blue and so clear.  From the deck, looking at the bottom, it's hard to believe there are 12 feet.  It looks like 3-4 feet.  We decided to stay a whole day (2 nights) to give time for Frank to clean the bottom of the boat and for me, knowing we'll sail a 30-hour stretch next, make some meals in advance:  oatmeal pancakes, hard boiled eggs, chicken pasta salad, more cooked chicken and leftover roast beef.
To clean the bottom of the boat, Frank used his snorkling mask, his suction handles (I call them suckers) and a brush.  After more than a couple of hours, he took a break not because he was tired but because his stomach felt quizzy from swallowing salt water over time.  He did come up the ladder pretty quickly after I yelled "Shark!!!".  No kidding, a shark passed 2-3 feet under him.  The shark, swimming in a leisurely way, didn't look hungry.  Before the end of the afternoon, Frank wanted to finish his cleaning job.  But after I notified him of a long black fish (about 75 cm long) near him, and he said it's a barracuda, we decided no more cleaning today.  We didn't want the barracuda to decide Frank could be dinner.  That's enough excitement for one day.
We left The Mice behind this morning, crossed over the Exumas to the East, and are now heading for Crooked Island - a 30-hour sail.  We have localized rain showers.  The wind is broad reach.  The sea has less than a meter waves.  The head sail is out.  All is well.