Ruth's post, March 3rd

Hey hey,
Today we're sitting in the tv/library room of the Cape Santa Maria resort on Long Island. We're gonna spend some time online and spend some time making music using our computers. I'm drinking a diet coke, the sun is shining bright, the sky super blue with beautiful clouds, but it is still pretty windy, 20-30 knots. We are forced to sit anchored until the wind dies, and only then can we make our move north to our next stop: Cat Island. Our original plan was to sail 30 miles east to Rum Cay, hit up Conception Island which is 17 miles northwest of Rum, and then continue on to Cat, but we are afraid we will get stuck in those places due to the weather. We've been in Long Island for about a month due to weather and my burn situation. We're ansy to get out, but since we want to see all we can while we're down here we've decided going to Cat right away is best. It is a long island and will provide much shelter and protection from wind and rough seas when moving north. From Cat we are going to keep going north/northwest to The Eleuthras, a chain of beautiful islands similar to The Exumas, but shorter in length.
My birthday was very VERY nice! Even though it landed in the middle of a cold front (dark skies, rain, heavy wind) the sun came out exactly on my birthday and it remained sunny for the entire day! Even the day after was cloudy and rainy. I felt special. Jack and I borrowed kayaks from the nearby resort and took them across the bay where we are anchored to check out these big caves on the opposite side. We spent some time at the resort using the internet and calling family. It MADE my birthday to hear my dad play the piano while he, my brother, and mom sang "Happy Birthday" and then "Sto Lat" !!!! (The polish birthday song "may you live 100 years").
Everyone at the resort was very nice and concerned about what had happened to me. We met so many wonderful, outgoing people that day! That night we had dinner there and I ordered Grouper and had ice cream for dessert! Then just as we got up to leave, the staff brought me a BIG piece of chocolate cake and everyone in the room started singing "Happy Birthday!" It turns out, John and Laura-Lee from Alabama (the sweet couple who let us stay with them at their villa the first night when the weather was really bad) bought it for me! They are SOOO NICE!! I had a wonderful time with Jack. We had so many great conversations throughout the day and the night. When we got back to the boat we ate the cake and watched a documentary called "Rush to War."
The best part of my birthday was the cake Jack baked for me! He made it from scratch using ingredients around the boat, and baked it in a pot placed IN A POT on our camping burner! He is so innovative! He put cocoa in the batter and melted sugar and water for the frosting, then on top sprinkled Craisons and small pieces of Starburst that he cut up! We ate a piece everyday for three days straight! MMMM! He also is in the process of writing a song for me using GarageBand, and it has lyrics too! I can't wait to hear it!
We are so EAGER to keep moving! Until that glorious day comes, we'll be reading A LOT, writing music, watching movies, fixing up this n' that on the boat, using the internets, and chillin on the beach. I WOULD write swimming/snorkeling but i can't do that until my back heals up a bit more! Right now I am in a VERY VERY ITCHY phase!!! (which is, of course, a great thing because it means my back is scabbing up)....I am still experiencing some pain but I am much MUCH more bothered by the constant aggravation of THE ITCH AAAALLL OVER. I totally empathize with Jack about his skin problems...I am so lucky that I will recover from this! I can't imagine what i would do with myself if I had to feel this way everyday (like him) with no end in sight! He is on predisone and antihistamines and they barely do a thing for him! Allergists and dermatologists can't figure out what the problem is. One allergist recently theorized that Jack is allergic to himself! The doctor tested this theory by injecting jack with his own blood, and where the injection took place, his skin had a reaction.
We have decided we will leave the boat in the Bahamas and fly back to the states. That way, we can fly down anytime we'd like to vacation on the boat! It will be easier to bring friends and family along with us too! Also, it cuts out a lot of the time and money we would spend getting back to the states or back to the Bahamas. Yay Yay!