A sextant is a tool that can help you calculate your position.  Our friend David brought a sextant to our boat and taught us how to use it.  You use mirrors on movable arms to bring the sun down to the horizon to get your fix.

Our friend David from s/v Mist teaching us to use a sextant.

Here is me using the sextant.  You use the colored filters to make the sun darker, otherwise it will blind you.

Me using the sextant.

Cole…

When we were at the beach at Warderick Wells we saw the Hutia.  They look like guinea pigs with a rats tail.  The hutia are nocturnal and you can get a little close to them.

The hutias are vegetarians.  Usually rodents become aggressive when they are living in crowded conditions.  Bahama hutias can live close together without getting aggressive.

Bahama Hutia

People used to think they were extinct but really they were alive. They are the only land mammals native to The Bahamas.  Hutias are an endangered species and the reason they are endangered is because the Indians that used to live here ate them.

Their scientific name is Geocaptomys ingrahami.

Cole…

The Exuma Iguanas are among the world’s most endangered lizards and are found nowhere else.  They live on two islands in the Exumas.  We went to the beach on Allen’s Cay and saw the iguanas.  When we pulled up in our dinghy, a bunch of iguanas ran out of the trees towards us.

Iguanas on Allen’s Cay.

The iguanas look like dinosaurs and can live to be 80 years old.  They can weigh up to 24 pounds.

Here is a picture of me on the beach with the iguanas.

Cole with the iguanas.

Exuma Iguana.

They can lay up to 10 eggs in the sand and hatchlings emerge from the nest after 80 days.

Cole…

Everglades 

The Everglades is a vast area of swamps and marshes.  There are a lot of hammocks.  Hammocks are a group of trees that are home to many animals.  There are 3 kinds of mangroves.  A white, a black and a red.  We saw all 3 of them.  We also went on an air boat ride.  They are powered by fans and go pretty fast.

Plume hunters used to come to the Everglades to shoot birds for their feathers to put on lady’s hats.  They do not do it any more.

More than 30 different species of birds have been recorded here.  There are bald eagles, osprey, Roseate Spoonbills, brown pelicans, egrets, herons and many other species.

The Everglades are from Lake Okeechobee to the southern tip of Florida.  Florida gets lots of hurricanes that will destroy some of the Everglades.

We went to an alligator farm.  That is where we took the air boat ride.  We got to hold baby alligators.  Luckily their mouth was taped shut.  Its belly felt like a snake.

Cole holding a baby alligator.

Alligators in the Everglades.

Cole…

There are 4 solar vent fans in our boat but only one of them works.

Vent fan photo from inside the boat.

These vents supply a constant flow of air to keep the boat’s interior dry.

Solar vent fan photo from deck of boat.

We took the one apart that works, removed the battery and put it in one that didn’t work to see if they needed new batteries.

Cole taking the solar vent apart.

It started running so we took the NiMH C-Cell to Batteries Plus to get new ones. The new batteries were $5.00 each and we needed 3 of them.  We found the battery in a catalog but they cost $27.99 each.  We saved $68.99.

New battery.

Old battery.

Tonight we have running vent fans!

Cole…

On the way to Playboy Marina we went to Robo Vault.  It’s a place where they store valuable things.  We saw a Reventon Lamborghini there.  It was 1 of 20 in the world.  It could go 221 miles per hour and was made of carbon fiber.

The storage unit was class V hurricane proof.  They store valuable metals, gems, wine, antiques, fine furnishings, currency, important documents and artwork.  Matt from RoboVault showed us around inside the building.  To get into the secure storage area he had to put his thumb on a biometric thumb pad to open the door.  You can check out their website robovault.com.

We went to a marina where our boat was getting thru hulls and hoses replaced.  They put our boat back in the water, then we went to anchor in Lake Sylvia for the night.

One of the water hoses from the engine to the water heater that was almost worn through.

Our boat hauled out in slings at the boat yard.

Cole…