Goodbye to George Town

So on May 2nd we decided to pull anchor and say goodbye to George Town and head to Emerald Bay Marina. There was weather coming in and we wanted to move on so that we wouldn’t get stuck for another week there as Dirk’s mom was on board and we wanted to travel and island hop with her. We radioed ahead to another boat that we knew had left that morning to ask about the winds and the sea state as you must travel the Exuma Sound up to a cut into the much more protected banks. He stated that getting out of the cut was a bit rough but once you get out there it was very doable. We prepped the boat and headed out prepared for a short trip north with fishing lines at the ready. We prepared Anke that the cut we would be heading through would be rough but it was okay and not to be frightened. I asked if she would like a Dramamine and she said no she would be fine. We headed to the cut and indeed it got rough with water coming over the bow and the boat rocking and bucking giving everyone a rocky ride. Once we raised the sails and set our course Dirk put the fishing lines out to see if he couldn’t catch dinner. It was only to be a short ride up so we hoped we wouldn’t scare Anke too much as it was a bit rougher than even we like but we would not let on to that fact. It took us a bit to set the sails to get the smoothest roughest ride in the 15 knot winds and 5 to 6 foot seas. Uummmm, not fun but we kept the smiles going for mom’s sake. The seas were too rough for the auto pilot to keep up with it so one of us had to hand steer at all times. While Dirk was on the wheel two lines snapped at the same time signaling fish on. I took over and Dirk ran to the one hand line and began pulling it in as I tried to keep the boat under control, keep mom sitting down and try to keep me standing up. The other line would just have to wait. Dirk managed to get the fish which turned out to be a Mahi Mahi up to the boat but he needed my assistance to get it aboard as he was doing all he could to maintain his balance. I asked his mom to take over the wheel and finally convinced her all she had to do was to hold the wheel in one position and not allow it to go the other direction as the seas and wind were trying to bring us around windward. After trying several times to net the fish in we gave up and tried the gaff again. Our gaff is a bit too short to reach way over the boat and down to the waterline and you don’t want to try and haul the fish on board as we find Mahi are notorious for shaking loose and getting free. Finally after many attempts Dirk was able to gaff it and get it on board wrap it in a shower curtain to try and keep the blood from getting everywhere as I sprayed Brandy into its gills. Finally Anke said, “please take the wheel” So I took over once again as I told Dirk it was time to get the lines in so we could get into the marina and out of this mess. While the battle with the fish was going on the other fish had his opportunity and took it to leave the scene. Just as well at this point I’m thinking. As Dirk is pulling in the lines we realize that we have a line under the boat snagged. It’s not budging and we fear that it is wrapped in the prop. Usually as we catch a fish I will put the boat in neutral till it’s all over before continuing on. Somehow though this one line was in the prop and Dirk needed to go below and cut it free. He went below and changed his shorts as mom says “what is he doing?” I looked at her and said “You don’t want to know” When she saw him tying the line around his waist to keep him attached to the boat I saw her face and she was not a happy camper but there was nothing we could do. It had to be done. I had turned the boat into the wind to stop the forward motion as the sails were still up but in this position we were beating into the waves and it was incredibly uncomfortable so I turned the boat but then we were going too fast for Dirk to be under the boat. I thought we needed to drop the sails but Dirk decided against it so I ended up turning back into the wind and the boat once again began beating into the waves. Now I had to worry about Dirk getting beat in the head by the hull while he was cutting the line off the prop in water over 1000 feet deep. My fun meter is pegged as I’m trying to make sure the boat is under control, mom stays seated and Dirk stays safe. After a couple tries of unwrapping Dirk finally just cut the line loose and climbed back on board. By this time Anke was so stressed she was feeling queasy and ended up losing breakfast. It was time to get the heck outta dodge and get into a sheltered marina. Soon we were tied to a dock and I was trying to give mom a glass of wine to calm her nerves. Once we got settled in Dirk took the fish to the cleaning station and packaged it up for the freezer leaving enough out for dinner as Anke and I hit the showers. Ah, a real shower once again…..Back at the boat Dirk prepared dinner with fresh Mahi and we finally settled mom down with a glass of wine. Mother and son with the catch of the day as she is smiling to be on land once again.

Perhaps she wouldn’t recall this day being so bad for her come time to leave and head further north. We would have to travel on the outside one more day before entering the banks and calmer waters. The following day was laundry, shopping, and a nice dinner out in the evening sitting by the pool and overlooking the sound from a restaurant close to the marina. The trip up to Galliot Cay the following day went a lot better as the waves had decreased and Anke could relax a bit. From there we stayed on the inside till we made it to Staniel Cay. That evening at the yacht club there was to be a Cinco de Mayo party so we decided to get dressed and head to town. We ran into several boaters we have met along our travels and enjoyed a buffet of Mexican style dishes. Actually the chips, guacamole, and salsa were the best things to be had that evening but oh well, I didn’t leave hungry. Of course we took mom to see the pigs at Big Majors and actually beached the dinghy this time to get close and personal to them. Here we gave them some food scraps I had been saving for them and as usual they made a pig of themselves……We also took her to snorkel Thunderball Grotto and when she found she had to swim in a cave she was a bit iffy about it. I swear she thinks that Dirk and I are going to kill her yet before she makes it back to Germany. Once Dirk got her into the cave she held onto the wall as she fed the fish boiled rice and had them swimming around her. We both think she had a great time even though snorkeling is a bit rough for her to do seeing as this is only the second time she has done this in her life. Once we got back to the boat we threw the floaties off the boat, tied them to the davits and floated in the calm water reviewing the day’s events. Mornings start early and bed, well bed comes early when you try and fit so much into one day but it’s nice to have your eyes drop before your head hits the pillow. We would take off for points further north the following days but those events will wait until the next decent internet connection which could be who knows when. Seems the blog is getting further and further behind due to internet connections. Could be too that I have gotten a bit lazy but I'm claiming bad internet.That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

George Town Regatta race week

Well here it is May 3rd and we survived the George Town Family Island Regatta. Its a week long event that consist of racing, food, music, and drinking. I think some of the people put more energy into the music and drinking part of it than the racing. Boats come from all of the Bahamas and are designed in the style of the old Bahamian skiffs. Here are the skiffs coming into the harbor on the ferry. Photo compliments of Irina on Auriga

The boats line up and set anchor waiting on the race to begin and when the gun is fired they must pull anchor and sail away. On some of the boats they allow the cruisers to become part of the crew depending on how much ballast they need due to the wind.

Here is Tida Wave that won overall in the A class with one of our cruiser friends on board

Here is the sailing skiff Anna Nicole from Freeport. She most of the time came in last but the crew had fun.

Almost a tangle of boats
On the days we watched there wasn't so much wind and still there were about 11 people on board.

In town the folks built what are called shacks all along the water front the week before. I think if you had enough liquor in your home you could bring it out and call it a bar. The typical Bahamian food of peas and rice, mac and cheese, jerk pork and chicken were easily had and were all very good
Conch fritters and Kalik beer, yum
We did go and walk the shacks sampling the fare and while out walking a friend of ours spotted two celebrities. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell were walking down the street checking things out for themselves. Dirk told me to get a pic of him as he walked by Goldie but instead I walked up and asked her if she would mind having a pic taken with him. Thanks Goldie. Dirk with Goldie Hawn. My hubby looks like a happy camper

On the 29th Dirks mom was due to fly in from Germany and arrive at 8:30 that night. We had the taxi pick us up at the market and traveled the 15 or 20 minutes out to airport just for them to tell us the flight from Miami had been cancelled due to weather. Apparently there were several bad storms along the east coast there and no planes were flying in or out. After a 60.00 taxi ride we headed back to the boat to try and get in touch with the airlines to find out when his mom would be arriving the next day, where she was and where she would be staying. We missed a call from his mom saying all the hotels were booked so her and many others were left to sleep on benches and floors till the next day. After a 24 hour flight from Germany I'm sure the last thing she was excited about was sleeping on a bench. Perhaps I would leave it up to Dirk alone to pick his mom up the next morning as we knew she wasn't a happy camper. The next morning she phoned to let us know her flight and she seemed to be in better spirits so we again got the 60.00 round trip to the airport and picked up a tired but grateful to be here mom. Mom in pink waving and happy to be here.
We took her downtown to watch a race and feed her then it was off to the boat to get her settled in.

Thanks goes out to Big Toot for the use of their big dinghy so we could get mom back without getting too wet. As usual she came bearing gifts and goodies of all the wonderful sweets Dirk and I both love.

Ummmmm........She even brought her grand kitty some treats. We spent the evening catching up and letting her take her first dip in the water and planted a nice drink in her hands.Soon after she was ready for bed and fell into bed at 8pm. After getting a good nights sleep we spent the next day catching up and took her on a hike up to the monument for a glimpse of the view and then over to the beach side for a nice long walk.

Tybee Time on the left with our friends on The Abby sailing out of the harbour and our friends boat Big Toot the trawler.

We ended up at the Sand Bar which is a little shack on the beach that serves some very good Bahama Mama drinks.I noticed while Alvin was filling the glasses with the liquor, Dirk stepped between his mom and the bar as he didn't want her to see just how much was going in. Boy, I am here to say the man does not skimp on his drink and after only one we were all put into a smiling mood. We then headed over to St. Frances resort where we usually play poker several times a week and ordered up some lunch along with a nice rum and pineapple drink. Like we needed it, but hey, Anke's on holiday. After lunch we headed to Volley Ball Beach and sat around talking while Dirk played a little volley ball. Boy, you can really tell that cruising season is just about over. Where once there were 9 players on each team there were only 4 or 5. So many folks have gone and so we think it is time for us also. On Monday the 2nd we decided it was time to head north so we pulled the anchor and headed to Emerald Bay Marina where we had stopped on the way down. We have stories to tell but alas that story will have to wait until the next blog.