Year after year, the George Town area plays host to a seasonal floating population equivalent to a small village (sometimes 400 boats although the most we had was 163) adding significantly to the 3000 residents fortunate enough to call this place home. (Most of the islands we have visited have been uninhabited or perhaps home to a few hundred people.) Each fall, the first armada of George Town-bound “snowbirds” crosses the Gulf Stream bound for the anchorage to escape the northern winter and to reconnect with cruising friends. For many, George Town is the destination. For others, it’s a convenient place to reprovision groceries, diesel, gasoline and water before moving on. We fell somewhere in the middle.
The center of activity in the town itself follows the shores of Lake Victoria. A mere droplet compared to its African namesake, cruisers dinghy under the very narrow bridge and tie up at the dock where free water is available to all. From there it’s a short walk to Exuma Market, the largest, most well-stocked grocery store we have seen since leaving Miami! And there are cars! And two banks! And a straw market, clothing and souvenir shops, and many restaurants to choose from. You gotta love the names: Peace & Plenty, Frankie Banana’s Tiki Bar, Choppy Waters, and Island Boy.
Our group decided to anchor near the beach at Chat & Chill, a family-friendly beach bar/restaurant with sand volleyball “courts,” rope swings, yoga and water aerobics classes taught by volunteers, even Beach Church on Sunday mornings.
There were other beach options with appealing names like Flip-Flop, Sand Dollar, Starfish, Hamburger, and Honeymoon, each with its own special attraction.
We spent a few days readying the boat for Sarah’s arrival on March 10. Because we had been using the forward bedroom as a storage unit and aptly named catch-all space, this was no easy feat. Finding empty locations for all the contents of said space was impossible, as anyone who lives in a tiny house knows. Added to the challenge was the failure of our water pump just 3 hours before her scheduled arrival. Which meant taking all the newly made beds apart (including the mattresses), moving them to the dining salon, pulling the new spare pump from its hiding place under Sarah’s bed, and installing it under ours. Let me just say, this project was not a candidate for an essay on “Describe Your Favorite Day in the Bahamas.”
But we worked quickly and were almost ready when she arrived by Elvis’water taxi (a.k.a. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride) totally soaked due to the raging Norther that arrived the same day. We had promised her warm weather and sunny days at the beach. She’s a good sport, though, and instead we hiked over to the windward side of the island to fully experience Mother Nature’s awesome power:
It was another few days of very strong wind before we could easily dinghy around. Fortunately, we had this guy frequently pass by the boat, providing loads of entertainment. (For all our Newfound Lake family, I think we should try to rent this equipment, don’t you? After all, we were so successful at mastering the Air Chair!)
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