The last few days, since leaving Spanish Wells have brought experiences we had never imagined.
After seeing Brian off on Friday, we took a short trip to a beautiful, secluded anchorage to be ready for a planned run to the Exumas the next day. After we got settled, Jim gave Anne a quick dinghy ride so she could explore the beach. The only sign of life was a group of dogs on the beach. We weren’t worried about the dogs, because we had read that they were known to be friendly and belonged to the owners of the house up on the hill.
After wandering along the beach for a bit, Anne got closer to the dogs. Although she was at least 250 yards away, they must’ve decided she was too close to the house, and they attacked her. Fortunately, Jim heard the commotion and was able to dinghy to shore. He scared off the dogs so that Anne could get to the dinghy and they could get away from the beach.
After a quick inspection of her wounds, Jim knew we needed to seek medical care. Our choice of a beautiful, secluded anchorage certainly made that more complicated! Jim managed to find a way to dinghy a couple of miles to a landing near a road. There, a couple who had come to see the boats were able to load Anne into the back of their car and bring her to the closest medical clinic.
We spent a couple of days in the remote Eleuthera town of Current, population about 50 people. Anne went daily to the nearby clinic for wound care and dressing changes. Once Anne was able to maneuver well enough to get back on the boat, we brought Tilia to a marina in Nassau. Here, Anne will be able to get any continued medical care she needs, and it will be easy to get off and on the boat.
Anne’s injuries are visibly better day by day. With rest and time, she will be back to normal, with the possible exception of some impressive scars on her legs and hands.
We have so much to be grateful for:
- Jim heard the commotion and was able to get to Anne to help
- The incredible generosity and kindness of the small community we stayed in. Word spread quickly, and people found us a place to stay, brought us food, and drove us back-and-forth for daily doctor visits to the slightly larger town with the medical clinic. They offered food, their homes, their knowledge of doctors we could see in Nassau, and their Internet.
- The competent and kind medical care that Anne has received every step of the way here in the Bahamas. The doctor and nurse at the remote clinic each spent about 2 to 3 hours each day on her wound care.
- The kindness and expertise of Anne’s Hennepin family. With one phone call, she had infectious disease specialists, wound care specialists, and trauma psychologists making sure she was getting the best care she could. They heartily endorsed the treatment Anne received from the medical professionals in the Bahamas.
- The loving kindness from all of our family and friends, who have been reaching out to express their love and support.
We are both determined to learn the important lessons of how to do our best to ensure that we stay safe and not allow this experience to dictate how we interact with the world. We will be in Nassau for a week or two until Anne is able to resume her duties as first mate! We’ve had to cancel a couple of planned visits from family, which is so disappointing, but we hope to be able to have rain checks for next season.
