March 24, 2104.

I don't know what it is about the Abacos that rubs me the wrong way. The locals here are a little more commercial but other than that, they're the same warm, friendly people as the locals further south. So it's gotta be the tourons.

I know the radio in general up here bugs me. Here in the Abacos channel 68 is treated as a hailing frequency much like channel 16 is. The other day a guy chose 68 as his comms channel while he was having a conversation with a buddy. A local stepped in and asked that he take his chatter to a working channel rather than a hailing channel. The guy freaked out and told him that 68 WAS a working channel and he wouldn't be switching. The other guy patiently tried to explain the local custom here and the second guy wasn't interested in hearing it. He was uttering things like “what, do you think you own the airwaves' and a bunch of other less civil things. I thought to myself “what a complete douchebag”. This guy's “enjoying” the islands by stumbling through as the ugly American. It would easier to follow the custom, you know, when in Rome. It was embarrassing.

Four times in the last 3 days somebody has had an open mic on channel 16. One after another people grab their own mic and announce “Someone has an open mic on 16, please check your radios”. Which is all fine and dandy, I understand that they're trying to help. The only problem is that if the offenders mic is keyed, his radio is transmitting and not receiving. So he's the only one within range who CAN'T hear you as you blabber on and on about “please check your radios”. His radio is accidentally being annoying. You on the other hand are showcasing your stupidity.

We're sitting here waiting for what is forecast to be a horrific front. For 2 days people have been running and hiding. Every mooring for miles is occupied, Marsh Harbor and Hopetown are packed as will all of the places that offer good protection. The marinas are filled as people sought safe haven. This morning, the day of the fronts arrival, some folks were trying to make reservations for slips or moorings. Upon finding out that there was no room in several places the radio was filled with annoyed boaters bemoaning the fact that they had nowhere to go.

There are a limited number of moorings in very protected Hopetown, which are available on a first come, first served basis. When a front's coming, if you want one, you have to go and get it. You might have to spend a few days on the mooring but at least you'll have it. Deciding on the morning of the blow that you'll swing by Hopetown and pick up the mooring is just dopey. This front has been the talk of the weather gurus for at least a week, it didn't just happen last night. Don't take it out on the guy on the radio, look in the mirror.

Enough of that. The other day Christy and I were anchored below Snake Cay and took a little cruise in the dink. Back in the mangroves we found sunken “building on a barge”.

It's over a hundred feet long and from a distance we thought it was a collapsed covered boat storage from an abandoned marina.

We've got no idea what it once was, but it sure was powerful. Maybe they were generators and the barge was anchored somewhere and just made gobs of power.  The twin engines are still sitting in place slowly rotting away.

Each engine is more than 7 feet tall and 10 feet long. Insert your own Tim the Toolman Taylor neanderthal noises here.

Something I haven't done in quite a while is Boat Name of the Day. Today's boat name was “Unsupervised”. I dunno, it makes me laugh every time I hear the guy say it.