Talking about tides...did you ever go through "the Whale"? We had scary crossings in BOTH boats every time we went through but you have to do it to get over to the outer Abacos. We went to Man O' War by boat taxi from Hope Town and saw where the Alberg family made the wooden boats. Green Turtle was great, too. Good cracked conch!
You're right about sailing. Nothing beats OJT especially when you have to white knuckle through bad weather. Learned a lot of life lessons out on the sea. Glad to hear about your travels. I think there are a lot of rag-baggers, blow-boaters, stink-potters and wake-makers among the Free Republic crew. :o)
My Ggpax4 was a Marblehead seaman, a Captain. He had several ships. And yes, he was an observer at the Tea Party. A number of my ancestral relatives were Marblehead seamen. One was a member of Glover’s Regiment, and was a part of the detachment to get Washington across the Delaware for the Christmas Day attack on the Prussians at Trenton.
In Marsh Harbor we stayed at the Conch Inn for the night before setting sail the next morning. On the patio, sipping drinks, we conversed with a couple at the next table. They were from Colorado Springs. In conversation I mentioned that I had a cousin in Colorado Springs. When asked who, I told her my cousin’s name...turned out my cousin was her ‘best’ friend. Disney doesn’t have a lock on ‘Small World’...this is just one of many times we have learned how small our world really is.