Black Point- Georgetown

            The past couple of weeks have been a delightful mixture of action-packed adventures and laid-back afternoons on the beach. We traveled slowly southwards from Black Point down to Georgetown Exuma, stopping for a few days at Farmer’s Cay where we attended the a regatta put on annually by the Bahamians. My apologies once again for neglecting to post in so long, it’s just that access to unsecured WIFI is a rarity in the Exumas.

            Black Point was awesome; it was the first place where I really got to know some of the locals. Rachel, Jake, and I volunteered at the educational center reading to kids for a couple of afternoons, and after they were done reading their books we’d go play basketball in the street and give them piggy-back rides and such. All the kids were really friendly and I think that they really benefited from having the undivided attention of a tutor for 45 minutes in the afternoons. I really hope to return to Black Point on our way back north through the Exumas because I will never forget the time I spent there.

            From Black Point sailed down to Farmer’s Cay. The famous First Friday in February Farmer’s Cay Festival (which is nicknamed the 5F for more convenient pronunciation) was two days away and the harbor quickly became filled with over a hundred boats. We went on a dinghy expedition over to a nearby beach with a bunch of other boats one afternoon. We hiked up the hill and explored a very cool cave that I got to go swimming in. After that, we spent some time on the ocean-side beach swimming around in the surf and searching for treasures that had washed ashore.

The 5F was a blast. There were a half dozen C-Class Bahamian sailboats, and watching them as they raced around on the Banks was really exciting. A friend of ours got to crew on the winning boat and he found the whole experience very exciting to participate in. In addition to the races, the festival involved activities such as wet T-shirt contests, men’s butts contests, and of course the consumption of lots of alcohol. I did not partake in any of those events, but rather walked around town with other kids drinking overpriced sodas and dousing people we knew with Silly String. A good time was had by all.

We departed Farmers Cay for Georgetown on February 8^th. After a delightful sail down on Exuma Sound, we anchored for the night by Stocking Island at the section called Hamburger Beach. The area cruisers commonly refer to as Georgetown is actually a large harbor called Elizabeth Harbor that is on Great Exuma Island. On the mainland side of this harbor is the town of Georgetown, and on the east side of the Harbor is Stocking Island. Most boats anchor by Stocking Island, commonly along Hamburger, Monument, Volleyball, or Sand Dollar Beach. Georgetown has been a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for me throughout this trip because every boater I’ve met has promised that I would meet lots of other boat kids there. I was very eager with anticipation as we arrived here.

Every morning on the VHF radio here in Georgetown, boaters get on the Cruiser’s Net and announce activities for the day. Activities include volleyball, bridge, basket weaving, nautical discussions, art, and various other things that change on a daily basis. (If you ask me, the whole scene is remarkably like a daycare for adults.) Every winter, hundreds of boats come to the Georgetown area, and many stay for the duration of the season. The grocery store here is good, you can obtain boat parts in town, and there are always interesting social events to attend, thus making this place heaven for many cruisers. I’d personally rather continue to explore new places, but many boaters are content to call Georgetown home for the winter.

Since we’ve arrived, I’ve met over a dozen boat kids. Most of them are quite a bit younger than me, but I have met a few girls my age. It is so, SO great to finally socialize with a bunch of other kids after going so long without seeing any cruisers under the age of forty. I generally hang out at Volleyball Beach in the afternoons and we play soccer, go on the rope swing, and just sit around and chat. I also have learned basket weaving, which is surprisingly entertaining to do during your down time. I went on a farm tour yesterday on Great Exuma and had a lot of fun. Last night I went to the Valentines Day dance in at Chat’n’Chill. There are lots fun people to meet and there is plenty to do, I like this place!

I am afraid that it might be a while until I can post again, but be assured that I will continue to try my hardest to post ASAP. We might go to Long Island, Exuma for a few days later in the week, but we’re undecided. The Cruiser’s Regatta is in two weeks here at Georgetown and I would really like to be here for that. I’ll try my hardest to post more pictures soon too!

 P.S. Fun Fact: I have not had a honest-to-goodness shower in approximately 46 days, 5 hours, and 20 minutes. (Not that anyone’s counting…) Fortunately, I go swimming on a very regular basis so the grossness factor is relatively minimal. Shampoo is really effective even when used in salt water. But seriously, who would have thought that a 16 year old girl could handle such deprivation of civilized comforts?!