Saturday, March 03, 2007

Georgetown, Grand Exuma Island

Volleyball Beach

GEORGETOWN ANNUAL CRUISERS REGATTA

We left Hog Cay and the Exuma Land and Sea Park on Tuesday, February 27^th. Since the winds were very weak that day, we had an uneventful day motoring to our next anchorage, Rudder Cut Cay, a small private island in the Exuma chain with a pristine beach and caves cut into the rock cliffs. We pulled into the anchorage before sunset with just enough time for Steve to pull out the scissors and give Daniel, Emily and Rachel a Bahamas haircut. Daniel got a nice buzz cut. The girls had about six inches trimmed from their long winter manes. As the sun began to turn mellow yellow and big clumps of blonde hair drifted off the stern of our boat, Daniel pulled out a snorkel tube and began to blow long and loud for the benefit of neighboring boats in the anchorage. Perhaps I should give an explanation for his behavior. There is a tradition among cruisers to blow on a conch shell at sunset. Since we had only been in the Bahamas a week, we had not acquired a conch shell yet. The snorkel tube did not carry the rich tone of the conch shell, but it worked in a pinch. It’s the thought that counts, right Daniel?

We arrived the next day in Georgetown, just in time for the kick-off events of the Annual Cruisers Regatta. As we approached Stocking Harbor, we were given a warm welcome from the crew of “Spoony”, the catamaran cruising family we met last summer in Maine. The kids wasted no time going ashore to Hamburger Beach for a reunion with Hannah, Audrey and Lily. They were invited to a birthday party in progress for another girl and were introduced to many other children.

Later in the afternoon, we rode our dinghy over to Volleyball Beach to sign up for Children’s Day and for one of the first events of the regatta, The Pet Parade. The kids were thrilled when they saw Scupper, a wire-haired dachshund adorably dressed in a sailor outfit for the parade. We had met Scupper and the crew from Alexus back at the marina in Brunswick, Georgia. We didn’t get to stay around on the beach afterwards since it was starting to rain and the wind was getting gusty.

Thursday, March 1^st, we moved our boat over to Kidd Cove in front of the town and after the kids finished their schooling, we went into town to get water and bread and do some general scoping out. The town is small with a few hotels and tourist shops for visitors. They have a park, some schools, a library and several churches. The Exuma Markets, the closest grocery store has most everything an American customer might want, but their prices are very high. We wonder where the Bahamians shop.

That evening Steve helped the kids make small sail boats for the race the next day. They used various plastic containers and found objects around the boat, glue, Walmart bags for sails and lots of tape.

Friday, March 2^nd was the long awaited Children’s Day on Volleyball Beach. Rachel shares her account of that fun filled day:

CHILDREN’S DAY ON VOLLEYBALL BEACH

By Rachel Lamb

March 2^nd, the third day of the Cruiser’s Regatta, was Children’s Day. In the morning we had a GPS hunt. Each team was given a hand held GPS and a clue. The clue had the coordinates for where we were supposed to find the next clue, and we used the GPS to find that place, and so on, and so on, till we got the last clue that told us to go to the refreshment table where we got a big glass of water.

Then we played some team games where Emily won 2^nd place in the girls 11 and under long jump and Daniel’s team won third place in the GPS hunt and the ski race. Next, we went down to a cove near Volleyball Beach to race our little sailboats that we had made the day before. Of course, since ours were small and we had only just made them, we didn’t win anything. Some of the other kids had had more time to create theirs. But it was a lot of fun to see the big catamarans shoot across the harbor, even though most of them flipped over at the last minute. The girls from Spoony (with more than a little help from Dad) made a really cool trimaran out of the back of a chair and won 2^nd place for most innovative and 3^rd place in the crosswind race.

After the awards were given, we went back to our boat for lunch. When we returned, we were separated into teams with A LOT of Bahamian school kids. We had to get points by winning games and by showing team spirit. Unfortunately, my team didn’t do very well with the team spirit thing. I’m not sure why.

One of the games was a pudding-eating contest. We had to eat pudding with our hands tied behind our backs. My team won that game! On the count of three, I heard one huge slurping noise, (gross!) and then somebody on my team yelled, “I’m done!” I think he had eaten one third of it and was wearing the rest on his face.

After all the games were done, we were rewarded with snacks. After that, all the team leaders wanted to round up their teams again. Not so easy. Eventually though (I think after someone mentioned prizes), everybody was in their right places and we played tug-of-war to see who would win over all. My team won third place, Daniel’s team won second, and Emily’s team won first place. Her team got the first pick of prizes on a table. She chose a magnetic Sudoku game.

After that, we went and played with some friends for the rest of the day.

Today, Saturday, we are just catching our breath and taking it easy. Steve has been working on our generator. There seems to be an electrical short, but he did get it started so I can continue working on this log for a bit longer. We’ve just called our Canadian friends from “Second Wave” on the VHF radio. We met them at Lake Worth, Florida and they have two boys. We made plans for a play date on Volleyball Beach after lunch today.

How do I describe the cruising community here in Georgetown? There are around 300-400 boats in the harbor through the winter months. The Cruising Regatta is one of the highlights of the season. There is a Cruiser’s Net on VHF channel 68 every morning at 8:00 am sharing announcements, events and weather information. Need a tool for fixing your Yanmar engine? This is the place to ask for help. We keep our VHF radio tuned to channel 68 most of the day to use as a sort of “coconut telegraph” to communicate with other cruisers. Generally everyone is very friendly and helpful. It is a unique, floating, shifting international neighborhood.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Georgetown, Exumas

FUN WITH FRIENDS ON VOLLEYBALL BEACH

On Sunday, we attended Beach Church on Volleyball Beach. After some singing, a message and a time of fellowship we went to St. Francis Resort nearby for lunch and a meeting with other cruisers who are planning a trip south along the Caribbean chain. We gathered information and exchanged boat cards with the hope of traveling together in the next week or so.

Later in the afternoon, Matthew from Second Wave and his sons Christopher, 11, and Nicholas, 8 visited our boat. Matthew helped Steve address the rather urgent problem of fixing our generator while the five kids had a blast jumping off the boat, swinging from the dinghy davits and playing in the water. I found a place in the shade to read Caribbean Passagemaking – A Cruiser’s Guide, by Les Weatheritt.

In the evening, we invited Matthew, Lynda and the boys to stay for dinner. Lynda and I pooled our resources for a casual meal. Rachel shared some glow bracelets with the kids after dark as they ate and talked on the bow trampoline. We had a wonderful time getting better acquainted with our Canadian friends.

Yesterday, after school in the morning and lunch, the kids and I met Lynda and the boys at Volleyball Beach. Steve and Matthew continued to work on solving the generator puzzle on Tantara. With his background in nuclear power, Matthew has expertise in the area of electronics and was able to fix the short that caused the problem. We are so thankful for his help and the time he spent working with Steve. What a relief to have our power back again! This is just one example of the gracious acts of kindness of the folks anchored around us in Georgetown.

The kids spent all afternoon, making new friends and adding treasures to Fort Hunk-a-Junk near Volleyball Beach. Lynda and I sat on beach chairs and chatted while we watched the Volleyball and Bocce ball tournaments on the beach.

Today, Daniel is running a low fever and has the sniffles. I made Chomparado (the ultimate comfort food) for breakfast. This is hot chocolate oatmeal, something my family used to enjoy in the Philippines when I was a child. I just add a few tablespoons of hot cocoa mix and a handful of chocolate chips to the cooked oatmeal. The wind is gusting around 20 mph and the sky is overcast. It has been a good day to just hang out on our boat, catch up on quiet tasks and get some rest. After several days of fun in the sun, it is nice to have a down day. The Round Stocking Island race that was scheduled for today has been postponed till Friday due to high winds.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Georgetown, Exumas

REGATTA CONCLUSION

I have not added to this log in a whole week. I will try to give a synopsis of our activities since last Tuesday. Daniel struggled with a sinus infection last week, but it didn’t slow him down much. We have enjoyed spending time with our friends from Second Wave. The Cruisers Regatta continued through the week and concluded on Saturday the 10^th.

On Thursday, the 8^th, we watched the Elizabeth Harbor Race in the morning. Those of us sitting in the anchorage could watch the competition from our cockpits and listen to the commentary on the VHF cruisers net. White sails appeared throughout the harbor and they looked so graceful against the Bahamian sky. The weather was highly unstable, with rain showers threatening and gusty winds causing crewmembers to stay on their toes. The boats were to sail around the harbor twice. After most of the boats made it around the first circuit, the wind completely died. This is when the radio commentary became hilarious and very entertaining listening. After waiting for the wind to lift again, the tide changed and boats actually started drifting backwards. When the chairman of the race was asked if there were any regulations for this type of condition, he suggested they put out an anchor to save them from any more regression. On some boats, the crew actually jumped overboard and started paddling and pushing from the stern, hoping for some forward propulsion. Just when the race seemed to be turning into one big joke, the wind teased and flirted with the sails once again. It ended in an exciting finish.

That evening, after some playing and relaxing on Volleyball Beach, Steve suggested we have a cookout and bonfire on Honeymoon Beach, a small secluded beach close to where Tantara was anchored. We invited Matthew, Lynda and their boys from Second Wave to join us. Matthew’s sister and stepdaughter were visiting from Canada, staying with them on their boat. We had a lovely evening with our friends, cooking hamburgers and roasting marshmallows over the bonfire. We didn’t have graham crackers or chocolate, but we did have a package of chocolate chip cookies. So we made cookie sandwiches with our roasted marshmallows in the middle. It was a tasty alternative to the traditional s’mores. We sang songs around the fire, marveled at the brilliant stars and told stories of our past experiences, learning more about each other. It was a beautiful night, one of those memories that we will hold in our minds as a highlight of our time here.

The next morning was the Round Stocking Island Race. This time, the weather conditions were perfect for some stiff competition. Again, we listened on the VHF radio to the commentary, learning about the different boats and crewmembers in the race and watched from our cockpits as the sails flew around the island for the rest of the morning. In the evening, on Volleyball Beach, the race results were announced and awards were given. We turned in early as the post race party began to heat up.

Saturday, the 10^th was the last day of the regatta with the Variety Show being the grand finale in the Georgetown Park that evening. We bought dinner at the concession stand and found a place to sit in the grass. People of all ages contributed to the evening entertainment, from a talented young boy with a juggling act to the hilarious “All Conch Choir”, a group of folks blowing their conch shells, keeping time with the conductor. Two teens, a brother and sister, did a funny skit reenacting the frustrations and complexities of trying to communicate with family back home using a Satellite phone and a laptop. We heard many nautical themed songs and enjoyed the talents of instrumentalists including the violin and guitar. We laughed at the silly songs and dances and wiped tears during the heart tugging ballads. It was a rewarding closure to Regatta week.

Sunday morning, we were still in our PJs when we realized that it was not ten minutes after 8:00, but ten minutes after 9:00 because of daylight savings time. Beach church started at 9:30 and we waded through the parking lot (dinghies lined up along the shore) and clomped through the sand in our Crocks a few minutes late. We had wanted to try attending the Baptist church in Georgetown. But the winds were too high to leave the boat for any length of time and the water in the harbor too choppy for the dinghy ride into town.

In the afternoon on Sunday, we met several other families on the Exuma Sound beach, where the waves are bigger and fun for body surfing. The kids wore themselves out allowing the waves to crash against their bodies, toppling them into the washing machine action of the water. That evening as Daniel examined his collection of bumps, bruises, scrapes and bug bites he said with a sigh, “You know, it hurts to have fun.”

GEORGETOWN BLESSINGS

Monday morning was our first opportunity to visit the Georgetown library since their operating hours were limited to 10 to 12 every weekday. The library has a loose lending policy and a large section of books to trade. We had been saving books to donate, especially children’s books for the Bahamian students. We took in a backpack of books and traded some interesting additions to our ship’s library. We also donated a large bag of children’s clothes to Mom’s Bakery, where Mom sells huge loaves of fresh Bahamian bread from her van three days a week. She wears a large cross around her neck, speaks with a soft lilting accent and blesses her customers with big hugs and a “God bless you, you take care now”. She was happy to receive our donation of clothes and reassured us that they would find a home. Eating her delicious bread has nourished our bodies, and her gracious spirit has warmed our hearts.