Monday, we took some time to explore the trails on Lee Stocking Island. We wandered down to the airstrip, then found the Loyalist trail that took us to Coconut Beach. It was a typically gorgeous Bahamian beach with gorgeous white sand and crystal blue waters. I have pictures, but can't get the uploader to work right now. From there, we climbed Perry's Peak, the highest hill in all of the Exumas at a whopping 123 feet above sea level. It's not very high, but it gave an amazing view! We saw the dark blue waters of Exuma Sound (ocean side) rolling with big waves and huge white caps. We were very happy to not be out there. And on the other side were the calmer turquoise waters of the Exuma banks. So pretty! When we came back by Coconut Beach, we tried to knock coconuts out of the trees so we could eat one, but we had no luck. We did meet a nice couple from a 25' sailboat (and their big, happy dog). They gave us the idea of a Heli-Coil to fix our engine problem. One of these days we'll get up to NAPA to find them, but it's about 2 miles north of town here. After the hike, we were hot, sweaty, and exhausted. So we went for a swim. Of course.
Tuesday, we went on a tour of the Perry Institute for Marine Science. It was very informative. They do quite a bit of research there on fish and coral. Unfortunately, they're really hurting for funds. So if you have expendable income and want to donate it, feel free to visit www.perryinstitute.org/ . They do good things. They were super nice to us (even let us do some laundry!) while we were there. So we're thinking that on our way back up the Exumas, we might stop for a few days and do some volunteer work. With their limited funding, they don't have the resources for all the upkeep, so we might be doing some maintenance. We're pretty handy with hammers and screwdrivers. Seems like the least we could do after they were so helpful.
Wednesday, we started the motor (Yay!!!) and headed out. Instead of going out Adderly Cut where we came in a few days before, we stuck to the inside. It was cloudy and sporadically rainy, so VPR routes probably weren't the wisest decision (you're supposed to have lots of overhead sunlight to clearly see the colors), but we managed just fine. Rat Cay Cut was the next good cut to get out to the Sound, but I was a little uncertain about going out. We had talked to Glenice on the VHF, and they indicated it was still pretty rolly. So we stayed inside. We ran over some pretty shallow waters (4', yikes), but didn't run aground. Go us! Eventually, we were at the end of the inside routes. We had to either stop and anchor or head outside. So we pulled up the main sail and headed toward Soldier Cut. It was exciting! Soldier Cut is narrow and shallow, with rocks on one side and coral on the other. So if you miss the channel, your boat gets smashed in a most unpleasant way. We managed to eyeball the channel and made it through without incident. (Admittedly, it was a little tense for a few minutes.) Zoom!
Then came the fun part! Once we got outside, we were faced with the biggest waves of the trip. (I know I keep saying this, but I do think we keep getting into bigger and bigger seas.) We estimated there could have been 8-footers in there. But they were rollers, and Earendil handled them just fine. Actually, it was a really nice sail down the coast. Gorgeous sunshine, nice breeze, deep blue waters. Pretty sweet. We planned to stop at the Marina at Emerald Bay, but their prices were higher than we thought. Only $1 a foot, but with a 40-foot minimum. $40 for a night? And a 3-night minimum. Nope. we're too poor for that. So we headed on down to Georgetown. About 2 miles from the cut into Elizabeth Harbor, Jim on Amata Marie called us to see how we were doing. He told us where he was anchored and said there was plenty of room. So that's where we went.
It was an odd anchoring experience. We motored past Amata Marie, aiming for shallower water closer to shore. But the water got deeper when we passed them. And deeper. Where we thought about anchoring, it was 15' deep. 15 feet! We're used to anchoring in 6' and being able to see the bottom. So we turned around and went back out to the shallower water. We dropped the anchor, but I realized we were in the channel (unmarked, of course). So we picked up anchor and moved farther in. We managed to drop anchor in 12 feet, but it still seemed so odd.
Yesterday, (after snorkeling for a dropped French press lid in 15' of water) we were ready to get to shore! Cash, groceries, and ice were top items on the to-get list. But the dinghy wouldn't start. What now?! Trevor worked on it, changing out the spark plug, checking the throttle and seals, and draining the carburetor. Finally, he got the thing working. Yay! We think we may have gotten some water in the gas, either from ethanol (damn stupid ethanol is a terrible idea for fuel) or just bad fuel (after getting fuel at Cave Cay, both our engines have acted up - coincidence?). Either way, it was working, so we headed to shore. It's about a mile across the harbor, but we were going with the waves, so it wasn't too splashy. We tied up to the dinghy dock in Lake Victoria and headed to the bank. Yay, cash! We checked out the main grocery store to get an idea of prices. "We can afford this! Yay!" Then we wandered around town, looking for lunch. We got pizza! It was affordable and, while not great, very satisfying. We were told about a J&K Enterprises, where phone calls to the US cost only 15 cents/minute. So we found that and called my mom for her birthday. It was so great to finally talk to my parents! I think we're going to spend quite a bit of time making phone calls while we're in town here.
We bought some much-needed groceries (and ICE!) and grabbed a little bit of water (free here). Then we headed back to the boat. And we got soaked! This time we were going against the waves, and they were bigger than before. So we were splashed, and so were the groceries. Most survived okay, but our sugar got a little damp, and so did our popcorn. But I think we'll be alright. And we'll be going back to the grocery store a few more times, anyway. While we bought a ton of stuff, we still need lots more. It's amazing how low our supplies have gotten.
After getting the boat put back together, we had some drinks aboard Andros with Chris and Kevin. They're super nice. They have a 31' Hunter, and it's pretty awesome. It's only 4 feet longer than our boat, but it seems twice as big. It's very nice. We came back home to some delicious Hamburger Helper (with real hamburger, not out of the can, and fresh onion and peppers). It was such a treat to get real meat and real veggies.
This morning, we needed to come ashore again. But instead of taking the dinghy all the way across, we just brought the whole boat. Our friends on Andros gave us the idea. There's plenty of room to anchor over here, and it's a much shorter dinghy ride in. We'll probably still get a little splashed going out, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. And when we're done, we'll just go back to the more sheltered side of the harbor and anchor again for the night. Trevor made some more phone calls, and now we're enjoying some free internet on a breezy porch overlooking the harbor. Did I mention Georgetown is awesome? Because it is.
We're not sure how long we'll be staying here. We have a lot of restocking to do, and there's quite a bit to explore. And we're in no rush to leave. We're just happy to be here.
You two ARE awesome !! Dad.
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