I forgot to mention that Mary Claire kicked off our busy Birthday Blitz weekend last week with an outstanding softball outing. Both she and Kelly have joined church league teams and have been having a lot of fun learning how to hit, catch, throw, and run.

Claire was excited because she had been selected to play first base for the game (the base where most of the action is.) She played the position well, stretching to make several catches and outs at first.

Claire ended up being the best hitter on her team, often getting it out of the infield (which is rare with the elementry school team and their extra-soft softball.) She batted clean up last Friday. Two girls were on when she got up to bat the first time. Claire smacked it over the shortstop’s head, and the ball rolled past the outfielder. Claire was able to speed around the bases for an in-the-park homer with three RBIs. At her next at bat, the bases were loaded. She repeated a hit to left field, but this time the outfielder got to the ball and threw it in. Unfortunately, for the other team, two throws missed their mark, and the ever-aggressive base runner, Claire, was able to round all the bases for an in-the-park Grand Slam.

Her big brother would have been proud. We sure were.

Our last day out brought us back to the Bimini Islands. On this visit we took the launch to Alice Town, the Bahama home of Ernest Hemingway. Alice town has one road, King’s Highway, and the town is only about four blocks long. Kathy, Kelly, and I walked from one end to the other to catch our boat for snorkeling at Turtle Rocks (see map.) Nicole and Mary Claire rented a golf cart (the preferred mode of transport on this small Island) and toured to other parts of the island. Danny stayed on board tending to two of his favorite pastimes: eating and napping.

We found a variety of fish at the reefs of Turtle Rocks, although we had to swim through a jellyfish meteor shower serveral times. We got a couple of light stings that were not too bad. We even enjoyed watching the jelly fish swim. They looked like strange alien space creatures.

The snorkelers all converged on a bar next to the Hemingway Museum where we enjoyed the air conditioning and some afternoon drinks. The kids played swing the hoop on the hook, which was a game involved trying to get a small hoop on a string suspended from the ceiling to catch on a hook on the wall. Safer than darts.

Strokey, the chef, saved the best dinner for our last night out. The Captain offered a formal toast. The teens sang a song for the diners. Strokey made a delicious Caeser’s Salad in front of us and later served (flaming) Fruit Flambe. We all watched a beautiful sunset on the end of our day and the end of our trip as the ship set sail for Miami.

Photos: Bimini – Day 7.

On Day 6 we arrived at Freeport, Grand Bahama, the largest island we would visit. Unlike any other visit, this would be a full day of island touring. Nicole, Danny, Kelly, and I decided to take the Kayak and hiking tour. Kathy and Mary Claire went on the snorkeling tour that featured a giant pontoon boat with rock climbing wall and water slide.

There was very little at the dock, which felt very industrial. It turned out the port is privately owned by a company that also owns much of the island. We had to take taxi vans to town where our tour guides picked us up.

Our tour was three parts: Kayaking through a creek surrounded by Mangroves, then a lunch at a largely deserted park beach, and finally a hike through the park that included a visit to a cave with nursing bats.

The creek emptied out into the ocean which was the end of our kayak trip. Kelly was a very good kayaking companion. Danny and Nicole did ok, although they got caught up a couple of times in the dense Mangroves. We saw a lot of construction where Disney was building the sets for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3. It looked like a mess, but apparently it was an old U.S. military base that was a mess to begin with, so the set will likely end up being a fun Disney attraction.

From what we could see, the Grand Bahamas were mostly made up of skinny pine forrests. These native pines had air-breathing roots and grew very slowly because there are not a lot of nutrients in the thin soil. The trees depend on fire to “win” against other vegetation. The needles of the pines will spontaneously combust on the floor of the forrest after drying out for a few years. This wipes out other vegetation, but the resins in the pines are fire resistant, popping as the fire comes close and literally “blowing out” the nearby fire. We learned a lot about these trees on what seemed like a very long trip to the park. However, looking at the map of the island, it doesn’t look like we went more than 12 miles.

Lunch at the park beach included a visiting mother Raccoon. Nicole, Danny, Kelly, and I all had a very relaxing swim, and our small group had a lengthy beach almost to ourselves.

Kathy and Mary Claire had a fun snorkeling trip, although Mary Claire only had so much patience for looking around underwater. Kathy could probably snorkel all day if they would allow her.

The evening was relaxing for the older folks as the kids watched “Finding Nemo” on a projected screen mid deck. The food was delicious… as always.

Danny and I both rigged up some duct work to help route air over the beds. Two nights were unusually hot. We think it may have had something to do with running on extra engine power to get to our destinations. Our rooms were just above all the engine rooms. Kathy recommends bringing a travel fan of some kind in the future.

Day 6 Photos: mac17.static.net/winjammer2005/day6/

Day 5 at Egg Island was a lot of fun. We woke up already anchored. Everyone who dared, was allowed to jump ship. Nicole and Kathy chose to remain top side watching, but the rest of us jumped, flipped, or dove. A big barracuda parked himself under the ship and would swim in and out of the sunlight. The waters seemed to only be about 25 feet deep. Kathy threw a mask down, and we took turns looking at him. I dove down to get a closer look. He looked about 5 feet long and had a pretty scary looking mouth.

Later we took a launch over to Egg Island. The snorkeling was good. We swam with schools of larger fish than what we had seen at Gun Cay. Lunch was served on the beach, and there was a beach olympics. I wandered over some rocks on the right side of the beach and found the tide flowing through an inlet to a lagoon. I found a live conk in the inlet.

Seeing the aerial photo now, I wish we had done a little more exploring.

Kelly and Claire took a mini-Scuba class and both learned to breathe under water with a “bubbler.”

We returned to ship in time for the adult scavenger hunt. The adults were split into three teams and put through a series of challenges. One person from each team had to step up into the team circle, and that person would take the challenge. Nicole (Team 3) and Kathy (Team 2) ended up going head to head in a challenge to see who could get their bodies signed with five crew autographs the fastest. Kathy found the captain first, and got him to sign her shoulder. She was able to show it off for the rest of the evening.

After a lot of challenges, it was time for the last one. It was my turn as I stepped into the Team 2 circle with two other guys from Team 1 and Team 3. It was all kind of rushed, so I didn’t even notice the other two guys. We were told each team had seven minutes to dress up their teammate for the Miss Windjammer contest.

I was whisked away to the front of the ship, and suddenly I was being dressed and made up by five or six women. Someone gave me a wig, and when it wouldn’t stay on, I was told to just hold it up with one hand. I had lipstick, toenail polish, and Kathy put two pointy water cups under my top. As we hurried back, I got Maurice, the bar tender, to escort me in, and present the judges with a bottle of Jack Daniels. (Bribery counts, and our team did a lot of bribing.)

I thought I would be able to win for sure until I saw the guy on team 3: Danny!

We were asked a series of questions and then we had a dance competition. Danny had the crowd cracking up with his acrobatics. I couldn’t keep up. (I think I at least beat the Team 1 Miss Windjammer.) Later several women told me that Danny just had that cute factor going for him.

As dinner started to be served, people started changing into their costumes for the evening Costume Party. I decided to just play photographer having dressed up plenty as Miss Windjammer. Kathy and Nicole dressed up as Gypsy Bling and the Pirate Girl. Claire dressed up as a rapper dude. Kelly dressed up as a boy. Danny wore his Action Jackson shirt and turned his hat backwards.

The contest and dancing were a blast. OJ stole the show in his vintage World War II Czech bathing suit, especially when he did a ballroom dance with Pebbles.

Photos: mac.fiveforks.comt/windjammer2005/day5/

We spent the day and evening docked at Nassau. When we woke up, a cruise liner was parked next to us, making the Legacy look small. Then the giant Disney Liner pulled in, dwarfing the other cruiser. And then Carnival came in later in the afternoon. It was immense!

We spent the morning touring the town on foot. Danny and Nicole went one way, and Kathy, Kelly, Claire, and I went another. As we parted, I gave Danny a special mission to look for a good deal on a few Cuban cigars.

We visited a number of shops and sites in town. Had to buy 4 double A batteries for $8! (Ouch.) The six of us got back together for lunch on the Legacy. We changed into bathing suits and caught a cab over the bridge to Paradise Island, spending the afternoon at Cabbage Beach. We had a lot of locals for company because it was a national holiday. Mostly teenage boys. The water was crystal clear. Kelly and I did some snorkeling. I spotted three little squid swimming in unison.

We took a cab (mini-van) back in time for the conk shell salad demonstration, swizzle time, and Action Jackson’s amazing performance. Both Claire and Danny earned shirts by playing support roles in AJ’s show. (See photos.) We had a restful sunset dinner and evening that included two of Danny’s Cubans dipped in cognac. We set sail late in the evening heading for Egg Island.

Photos from Day 4: mac.fiveforks.com/windjammer2005/day4

Things did not go as planned for Day 3, but we ended up having a lot of fun. Over night we had sailed from the west side, across the north, and then to the east side of the Bahamas. A strong wind coming from the unusual direction of the east was cooking up some big waves. The Legacy is a very stable ship, so we did not really notice the waves until the launches were put in the water. The crew on board bobbed up and down on the 10 foot waves. There was no way for them to tie up to the side and allow us to safely board for a day on Hoffman’s Cay.

The Captain then ordered a series of elaborate steps involving both a fore and aft anchor to try to position the ship broadside against the wind in an attempt to create a “calm side” for the launches. It took about an hour to get the ship and launches in place. It helped, but the waves still tore at the launches, and some of us were afraid the cleats would be ripped off. The Captain said it was a “no go.” Watching the crew hoist up the launches with the rocking waves was an impressive display. They had to wear special safety gear and take a series of very carefully planned steps to get the ropes and pulleys attached.

That meant a day of sailing on to Nassau, where we would have arrived late that night. It was disappointing not to get to go to Hoffman’s Cay, but in hindsight, it was nice to have a day of sailing that was otherwise not on the schedule.

I declared it a double-dabloon day for the Stonegate Cashin’s. (Our normal ration was one dabloon per.) Translate: More money for the bar. We relaxed on board. Some read. Danny napped. The girls became gymnasts and hair stylists. Kathy and I attended a very interesting photography class. We pulled into Nassau as sunset approached. The crab races and Carnival celebration were just as fun docked in Nassau as they would have been under sail (as originally intended.)

When the Captain and Strokey showed up in their Carnival garb, we had another one of those “well this is different” moments. One of many on this trip.

Photos: mac.fiveforks.com/windjammer2005/day3/

We woke up early with what appeared to be open waters outside of our porthole. I went up top deck for some coffee and saw land ahead. Kathy and I got coffee and breakfast as we approached Bimini. We suddenly took a hard right and kept sailing. Later at the Captain’s Story Time we learned the ships purser had taken the Zodiac to Alice Town on the main island of Bimini with all passports to officially check us in to the Bahamas. We were now headed to a small island called Gun Cay. (See map.)

The two arial photos below show Gun Cay. The small lighthouse is at the southern tip, and Stingray Lagoon where we would all swim, snorkel, and kayak was on the north end. The girls’ purchased snorkel equipment, and our rented adult snorkel equipment was well worth the investment if only for the day at Gun Cay. At times I felt like I had stuck my head into an aquarium in a pet store. Kathy and Nicole spotted many colorful fish on the west reef. Kelly, Claire, and I found starfish and a live conk on the northeast point. I don’t think the cay was any bigger than Stonegate Way.

I enjoyed one long swim following a stingray out into the middle of the lagoon. He would swim along the bottom, and when he would “smell” something, he would suddenly turn around and start digging, puffing sand up through his gills. Little colorful fish would follow him around looking for tidbits in the spouted sand.

We would all sit in the waters edge and wait for stingray to come swimming by. We could reach out and touch them. Wet velvet. At one point about six stingray came all from different directions and converged on Danny. They all met at his feet. I was able to get a photo a few seconds later as they dispersed. (See Day 2 photos.)

The evening was a lot of fun with snacks, swizzle time, dinner, and then the battle of the sexes. The women won, but we men decided it was because women had made up the game. A brief shower cooled us off during the battle, spraying our backsides.

Day 2 Photos: mac.fiveforks.com/windjammer2005/day2/

Dad drove us to the airport Thursday evening (thanks Dad!) in what began a 24 hour process to get to sea. Mary Claire got to enjoy an amazingly beautiful sunset flight to Miami. It was her first flight. She was less nervous than Kathy. We saw a vertical rainbow, orange and pink clouds, and towards the end of flight, lightening inside of clouds.

We took a free shuttle to our hotel where we checked in about 10 pm. Walked to dinner to a nearby Burger King. Our first vacation meal of many (better) to come. Woke up for the free buffet. Shuttled back to the airport to pick up two cabs to the Port of Miami. Dropped off our luggage and spent the afternoon at an open-air mall where we had Cuban sandwiches for lunch.

Took a bus back to the port (a small island) where we were processed and climbed aboard. The lady handing out drinks said, “I do not know how old he is” pointing to Danny. “He’s 18,” I said. She handed him a Rum Swizzle. Nicole, Kathy, and I also got swizzles. The little girls got OJ.

Day 1 Photos: mac.fiveforks.com/windjammer2005/day1/

“I don’t have to tell you that the one constant through all the years has been baseball.” — Shoeless Joe / Field of Dreams

The Brookwood vs. Lassiter series was some of the most exciting baseball we have ever played (watched.) We all travelled over to Cobb County to face the number one team in the state hoping for a split that would force a third game. The underdog Brookwood Broncos had a lot of ups and downs throughout the season, but something magical happened in the series. The entire team played near flawless baseball and won the first game. Lassiter was stunned, and the Broncos were determined.

These photos are from the win after the first game. The scoreboard shows the Broncos dominating in hits, winning 5 to 2. They had zero errors to Lassiter’s 3 errors. Elliot pitched an amazing game. You can see Tim yelling with excitement as the team headed into the dugout to change for the next game. You can see the look of determination on Danny’s face who knew he was likely to be pitching.

The Broncos were determined to win the second game. Matt started off well with his typical unhittable movement. But the Lassiter team figured him out in inning three, and they quickly racked up 6 runs. Danny was brought in to put down a hitting addiction. The first batter knocked one out to make the score 7 to 1, but that was the end of Lassiter’s hitting. As Coach Howard would later say, “It was Light’s Out Lassiter.” Coach Albury signalled for the secret knuckle ball, and in his words: “That first one was wicked.” Lassiter just couldn’t hit Danny, and the Broncos fought back but ended up with a 7 to 5 loss.

That set up for the third game, which was no less exciting and came down to the last pitch of the last inning with Broncos on third and second threatening to win. It could have gone either way, but Lassiter’s home field luck won them the series with a 6 to 5 win. If you added up all the hits and runs for the series, Brookwood out scored, and hit, and under errored Lassiter.

Memories from the series:

Danny’s “wicked” knuckle ball made 5 appearances and could not be hit. Danny was the only pitcher to develop a knuckle ball because he could, as pitching Coach Albury explained, switch his mechanics and come back with a fast ball or curve right after the knuckle ball. Most pitchers cannot do that.

Danny had an inning-ending pick-off at third base. He saw the huge lead on his first pitch, and he hoped Coach Albury would call for the pick off. Sure enough, he did, and Danny didn’t even look over to third, knowing the kid would be leading off too far. The throw over nailed him.

Coach Albury, Danny, and a couple of the other pitchers figured out Lassiter’s signs and used it against them by yelling the batter’s name for one kind of pitch and number for another kind of pitch. Lassiter realized this after a couple of innings, so they started using two coaches to signal the pitches. I did not realize all of this was going on, but I did point out to Kathy how strange it looked to see two coaches signalling side-by-side. Danny said, “It was easy to figure out which one was the real signal because the catcher would quit looking when one stopped and the other kept signalling.”

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Google announced the addition of satellite maps to their beta mapping site: maps.google.com. You can now zoom in and out and drag a photo map just like you can a drawn map. In this snapshot, the arrow points to the mound where Danny pitches at Brookwood. Click on this to see the theoretical flight path of a ball hit slightly left of center. Such a ball could actually knock out the window of Danny’s bedroom, which apparently directly faces the field.