Paradise Found.

Here we are in paradise…. Finally. We had a rough passage from Ft. Lauderdale to Great Harbor Cay in the Berry Islands where we cleared customs and paid our dues to the Bahamians. The crossing took 23 hours and the winds were 20-25 mph for atleast 10 of those hours which made for some big waves and an uncomfortable ride. To add to the mix a couple of squalls hit during the night BUT it was all worth it once we arrived in the clear blue green water of Great Harbour. After clearing customs we spent the week island hopping, skin diving, reading, sleeping and all kinds of relaxing. Don and I have been trying to live like the natives but our fishing and spearing skills aren’t up to par. I think I’ve caught 4 Barracuda (the ugliest, meanest fish in the Caribbean - who is also not good to eat) and I caught one head…. Yes, just the head. Something ate the rest of the fish before I could pull it in. That was depressing. Don has proved himself quite the hunter as caught us a lobster and a couple of conch. Yummy.
Love,
The mighty hunters….

Good-bye Ft. Lauderdale, friends and family... 

Don started out this trip with a smile.... 

...and this is how he ended it. 

YippEEEE! We made it and boy were we glad. 

After his first night of sailing... Mark got the hang of things and began taking over. 

We're always taking pictures. 

Budha and Pebbles are always VERY happy to get to shore. 

This is the blue hole. It is a huge hole in the interior of an island. Much like a quarry, you can jump or dive 15-20 feet into the bottomless hole. There is also a large grouper that likes to watch you splash around. AND yes we all jumped in. 

Don says hello! 

We were amazed by the color of the sky on this sunset. 

So beautiful. 

We cooked out on the beach after a lovely day of swimming and sunning. 

We had quite a meal, notice the lobster tail. 

Don the mighty hunter with his first conch. 

Yes, friends.... we actually eat this. 

These are some of the very cute locals! 

Here are several pictures of the devestation caused by Hurricane Wilma. When we left more than half the city didn�t have lights but one of the cities priorities was the lights at the sea port so we were able to get a nice picture of Ft. Lauderdale as we left her in our wake.
 

THE BAHAMA'S

Hello friends and family!
We have had an absolutely wonderful first week in the Bahama's. The trip over was a bit hairy but we made it and have had a great time since then. Boy do we look good with a tan! I plan to add pictures tomorrow but thought I'd write a quicky today.
Sunshine Sandi and Darky Don.

Wilma - we survived another.

Hi all,
We are safe and sound. Here are a few pics. More to come when we have some more time. Power has not returned and we are leaving for the Bahamas this afternoon.
Our phone service has been cancelled so we will only be reachable via e-mail. Hope all is well at home!
Love,
The Allens

Chad (my brother) and Kristen (aka Krazy). Thank you both for showing us such a great time and for carting us everywhere. We love you both and hope to see you in the islands!!! 

The best times we have had in Ft. Lauderdale have been around this table in the back of our friends Russ and Jody. We kept our boat in their backyard and they have been wonderful hosts. We enjoyed many a great meal and many wonderful stories around this table. Thank you both VERY MUCH!! 

We stripped Anam Cara down before the storm. 

This is what the boat looked like inside after the hurricane.  

Mark (our first guest) made it here safely and tried some surfing.

Don when he returned from Jeep saving mission. (about a 45 second job, during Wilma) 

Chad getting ready to brave Hurricane Wilma and pull a tree branch off his jeep. Don joined him. 

Pebbles loves Chads Jeep.