Georgetown

We left Little Farmer’s on Holy Thursday, April 17th and motored to Georgetown. We had to go out the cut at Little Farmer’s (to cross from the Banks side to the Sound (ocean) side. The cuts are tricky with swift currents and if you are headed east on an ebb tide and the wind is coming from the East (as it usually is here), you can get some big standing waves. We timed it right to go at slack tide or as close to slack as you get around here, and made it out safely. We had some 8 foot waves but the boat took it fine. We buried the bow only once. Of course, the wind was southeast that day which is exactly the direction we needed to go so it was another motoring day with just the staysail up. The water is so blue that it reflects on the undersides of the clouds and on birds' wings, making them look blue too.We arrived in Georgetown about 6:00pm and anchored off of Stocking Island. This is a really big harbor with several anchorages. We are right off of the area they call volleyball beach with a little restaurant/bar called Chat N Chill. It has been quite windy most of the time, making it a rough, wet ride in the dinghy. We spent a quiet Easter weekend mostly on the boat due to the wind and the fact that the town was basically closed for the holidays. 

The blue underside of the clouds

Going under the bridge into Lake Victoria to the dinghy dock

S/V ... Is A Rose, 55meters long with 8 meter draft anchored in Georgetown

 

The "garage" on ...Is A Rose where they take the toys out. Dinghy reflected in the hull.

Friends, Paul and Sherry (S/V Tehani) arrived Monday (4/21). Wednesday began the National Family Island Regatta. The regatta is for Bahamians from the various islands. The boats are all Bahamian-made wooden boats with huge canvas sails and booms that protrude way past their sterns. They start each race at anchor and have to pull up the anchor and raise the sails after the gun is fired. The three classes race in Elizabeth Harbour for three days and often come through the area where cruisers' boats are anchored. They came so close to our boat, they had to pull in the boom to avoid hitting our bow. The races are pretty wild with people falling off the boats and boats colliding around marks and the various crews yelling at each other. Greg and Paul (and several dozen other people in their dinghies) would follow them around the race course taking photos. Our favorite, Tida Wave from Staniel Cay, won when all was said and done. 

Unloading the regatta boats

Pulling anchors and raising sails at the start

 

Greg enjoying the regatta from Lagniappe

Hiking out

Near collisions

And collisions

Tida Wave racing right beside our boat

Racing through the anchorage

 

The trophies

We watched the all island high school band and the Nassau Royal police band perform on Saturday before the final race. Greg met and sweet talked Ms. Helen from the pink store on Staniel Cay whose family sponsored the two boats from Staniel Cay, Tida Wave and Lady Muriel.  She said she would save a team t-shirt for him so we had to stop back in Staniel Cay on our way back up the Exuma chain. 

LizAnn's new friends waiting for the band

LizAnn, Greg and Sherry watching the bands

The high school marching group and band

The Nassau Police band at the Georgetown regatta

With their leopard skin pelts

Ms. Helen from Staniel Cay

Greg’s good friends from his Navy days, Carl and Leslie Hauquitz arrived in Georgetown while we were there. They were helping to deliver a boat to back to the U.S. from the Virgin Islands. Carl and Leslie have been cruising the Caribbean on their catamaran for the past 3 years. It was great to see them and have time to visit with them. One night some cruisers organized a dinghy drift where we all rafted up off volleyball beach and then drifted around while we passed around appetizers and drinks for a couple of hours. Great way to meet people.

A small part of the dinghy drift

Greg and Carl in our dinghy

Greg, Carl and Leslie