Underway Again #14: Georgetown

 

A view of our boat from Volleyball Beach

 

Boats are anchored quite closely

Georgetown, where we have been for the last two weeks, is on Great Exuma Island which historically was a home for pirates, a refitting base for British men of war and a World War II U.S. Naval Base.   It is on Elizabeth Harbour, a beautiful and sheltered basin which attracts a large collection of cruising boats, some of which spend weeks, months, and sometime the entire winter here.   Presently there are about 300 boats in the various anchorages, most of which are across from Georgetown off Stocking Island (different island from Lee Stocking).  There are countless little bays which are named Monument Beach, Honeymoon Beach, Sand Dollar Beach, etc. 

 

We are anchored just off Volleyball Beach

Dinghies on Volleyball Beach

Experiencing Reconnective Energy

Yoga under the Casuarina trees

 

 

There are different activities all the time- yoga on the beach at 9:00 every morning, volleyball every afternoon, bocce ball, water walk, rug hooking, art on the beach, softball, etc.  








Anyone that has an interest that they want to share is welcome to do so.  We have heard talks on the history of the Bahamas, on various technical issues, on cruising to different parts of the Caribbean, on  different health issues, just to name a few.  We have attended a meeting of the SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association) which we have joined.

SSCA is the largest cruising association in the world.

 



Some get together just to play!

And the food...............In Georgetown there are a variety of restaurants with excellent food.  We have had succulent ribs, conch, shrimp, snapper, mystery delicious fish, chicken etc. etc.  Every Sunday, there has even been a pig roast on Volleyball Beach at Chat & Chills. There is something to please every palate.

 

Some of the musicians are quite talented!

Not only are there things to keep you busy during the day but also at night!  One of the evenings we went to a music jam session at Big D beach where a bonfire was lit after dark. Whoever has an instrument brings it. We even had bagpipes!  Another evening we went to a Valentine's Dance on Volleyball Beach.

 

You can see the sparks from the fire!

Of course Georgetown has its own straw market.

 

Boating is not only fun and games but also one problem after another, one repair after another.    Our latest problem is our dinghy.  Every Sunday there is a non-denominational service called beach church which is held under the casuarina trees on Volleyball Beach. 

 

 On our way there last Sunday, our dinghy started taking on water.   By the time we got to the beach, Roman was in knee deep water.  While I sang in the choir Roman pumped out the dinghy, took off the motor, turned it upside down and discovered that the bottom was coming apart from the inflatable sides.  We got a ride back to our boat after church and appealed on the net for assistance.  A boater came by and brought some glue and took Roman back to repair the bottom.  The next day, after yoga, Roman put the engine back and we got to the boat only to determine that it was leaking again.  If you look at the picture on the right, you can see me exercising.

 

Our friend Harry from Sea Schell helped Roman hoist the dinghy onto our deck and gave him a ride into Georgetown which is a mile away across Elizabeth Harbour. He bought some glue and spent the next two days cleaning the old glue off and applying the new glue which was not what he wanted but what was available. It seemed that everything was fine.

We went snorkeling on the reef in the harbour. Nothing as nice as Thunderball Grotto but look how close I got to a huge turtle. I have not enlarged the photo. I really got that close!!

 




Can you see the fish?  They completely blend into the bottom.

Roman relaxing white waiting for me while I am snorkelling.

These goggles are prescription and worth every penny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underway Again # 13:  To Lee Stocking Island

We left Black Point early Monday morning for Lee Stocking Island but did not get there that day.  We sailed along the inside on Exuma Bank and planned to go out to the Sound through Conch Cut but then decided to go out through Cave Cut instead.  Not a good decision as we got grounded on a sand bank just before the cut.  We had to wait for the tide to come in.  We threw an anchor but it did not hold and the current pulled us closer to even shallower part.   Roman got in the dinghy with the anchor and about 50 feet of chain and dropped the anchor off the dinghy.  He then pointed the bow of the boat in the right direction with the dinghy.  Eventually the water rose and when we tried to steer of the sand banks, we could not steer.  In went the anchor, holding better this time, and down went Roman into the hold under the cockpit to check the steering mechanism.  He worked on it until we noticed the tide dropping again, slowly but surely!  He rigged up his emergency tiller which I never even knew we had and we very slowly steered our way to the Cave Cay anchorage where we dropped anchor for the tenth time today probably and Roman then tried to take a bend out of the rod that went into the hydraulic cylinder.  He could not bang it as that would flatten it so he tried several things and finally rigged up a temporary vise on the bow of the boat.  He certainly is resourceful!  Finally the cylinder was back in place and we could steer again but for how long?



 

The next day we went through Cave Cut with 12 foot waves and on the Sound all the way to Lee Stocking Island the waves were about 4 feet and the wind was right on the nose. That means motoring only - bump, bump, bump.  Not pleasant at all!  Fortunately it was not for long and in a couple of hours, we went through Rudder Cut and anchored  in front of the Perry Institute for Marine Sciences, Caribbean Research Centre.  As one of the six National Undersea Research Centres sponsored by NOAA, the instituted facilitated educational programmes and scientific research .  No one answered when we called for permission to go ashore and to book a tour of the centre. 

The anchorage at Lee Stocking Island

We went ashore and unfortunately it looked as though the funding sources had dried up because the place was deserted.  The buildings ( and there were many) were all locked up but we saw empty spawning bays, rusting equipment and felt a desolate air of desertion.  What a shame! 

 

We explored the island-many buildings, even paved roads.  We decided to hike over to the other side to look for shells and just to see the other side.

 

The paved road turned into a gravel road.



Then into a path.



Unfortunately none of our pictures worked out except the one of a sailboat on Exuma Sound probably on the way to Georgetown.  See the different blues of the water?  And the sky is yet another blue.

 



On the Exuma Sound shore we met our friends Brenda and Bob who joined us for dinner and told us they had met a caretaker who lived on the island and tried to maintain whatever he could.  However, this is job for more than one man.

 

We even found some coconuts which Roman split with an axe.  With his hammer he broke the coconut and we had it for dessert after dinner.

 

 

 

 

After going out Rudder Cut, the next morning we had a most enjoyable sail  all the way to Georgetown.

 

 

 

Underway Again #12: Black Point

The anchorage at Black Point

 It was a initially a beautiful sail to Black Point but when we changed direction the wind was on the nose and we ended up motoring the rest of the way.  Black Point in Great Guana Cay is the second largest settlement in the Exumas after Georgetown with about 300 people, a lot of whom share the same last name Rolle.  When emancipation was achieved in 1834, one of the plantation owners, Lord Rolle gave all of his former slaves some land as opposed to just setting them free. Most of the slaves just took the last name of their owner as their last name.

Most of the transportation is by golf cart with few cars, actually mostly pickup trucks. 


This is a very friendly place to visit with everyone on the street greeting you with a smile.  There are several very entrepreneurial women on the island.  Ida operates a coin laundry and has several apartments over the laundry to rent as well as several cottages.  Lorraine Rolle (both maiden and married name is Rolle) operates a cafe where she offers lunches and dinners as well as a separate computer room with WiFi where we got caught up on our e-mails and blogs.

 Every morning you see motor boats with about 6-8 young men roaring past the anchored boats at about 7:00 in the morning and then again in the late afternoon.  We were told that the young men are working mainly in construction on neighbouring cays.  What may take us a day to sail from A to B, takes a motor boat less than an hour.  There are several schools on the island and, as in Nassau, all children wear uniforms.  



There is a great dingy dock with ladders to enable you to get in and out of your dinghy easily no matter what the tide..

Wherever you go you see the older women and even men weaving palm leaves into long strips which most sell to Nassau where it is made into straw bags or hats. 

The women are very friendly and it is the culture to greet everyone when you see them.  Thus you will have every little child saying "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" when you pass by.
 

On Tuesday we went to Happy Hour at Scorpios Restaurant and Bar and the rum punches were 3/4 rum ( three kinds poured together) and 1/4 punch.  They packed quite a  punch and I got tipsy quite quickly. 

Nothing like going back to the anchorage in pitch dark trying to determine which boat is yours after a few drinks.  The anchorage was really full, over 60 boats as there was a prediction of a front with high winds on the way.



Maureen hard at work

 



Waiting for laundry

The next day was laundry and internet for most of the day. We even Skyped the kids and saw our precious grandchildren whom we miss very much.

 

 

 

 

Early evening

We went to Lorraine's for her Wednesday night special buffet of ribs, chicken, meatballs, rice and beans, macaroni and cheese cut in squares, coleslaw and cake.  We had a great time playing Mexican dominoes and the  drinks were much more reasonable -more punch and less alcohol. 

Much later

Before heading out this time, we put up one of the solar LED candy canes which our son in law had given us.  Now it was much easier to find our boat!  Thanks Paul.

 

We also met our friends Tom and Chris from Lakeshore Yacht Club who have been living for 6 months on their boat for the past 4 years.  In the summer they go to Alberta where their family lives.  They have sold their home in Toronto and are free spirits.  It was nice to visit with them.  They have done so many countless improvements on their catamaran both cosmetic and functional. 

 

Still no luck at fishing.

 

We were debating whether or not to go to the Farmers Cay Festival but decided to stay in Black Point.  We spent a couple of days on board while the wind howled around us.  The waves and winds were too much to go out in the dinghy unless you wanted a salt water bath within seconds of venturing in the dinghy.  I  finished a 500 piece puzzle and two books while Roman read up on our ham radio which is not transmitting very far or clearly.  On the second night we had a tasty potluck dinner at Kalunamoo where we now played chicken feet dominoes.  That I will teach my grandchildren when we get back.  We got wet going just to the next boat even though we both wore our foul weather jackets.

On Sunday I went to St. Luke's church with Ida and then we went to see her rental cottages  which offer a wonderful panoramic view of Exuma Sound on one side and Exuma bank on the other. 

Exuma Sound

     Exuma Bank
 The beaches are quite different on the two sides.   



Lorraine's granddaughter

That night we watched the Superbowl at Lorraine's where she outdid herself with almost the same menu but with roast turkey and potato salad added.

As you can see, we are healthy and happy.

With Tom & Chris