Black Point to George Town

02.22.12

Don and Dave on a water run in Black point

Early in the morning before we left Black Point, Dave and Don went on a water run in the dinghy.  The town of Black Point has a community spigot with reverse osmosis (R/O) water.  Cruisers dinghy over with their 5-gallon water jugs and schlep them across the street to the spigot, fill up, then dinghy back to their boats and pour the water into their tanks.  It certainly makes one appreciate and conserve water.  When we are in a port where we need to fill up with diesel, we usually fill up the water tank, too, but the Nassau water, as previously mentioned, was rusty, so a marina does not necessarily provide good water.  Actually we just carefully poured off the clear water that we’d collected in jugs and figured we were fighting anemia with the extra iron from the rusty water.  What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – one of my mottos.

We motored from Black Point to an anchorage near the cut between two cays into the ocean.  Since Allan’s Cay, we’ve traveled on the west side of the Exumas over the shallow Exuma Banks.  From this cut, Galliot Cut, we would enter the ocean into the Exuma Sound.  (In the video, I meant to say the Cut joins the Banks and the Sound.)  The anchorage was pretty windy, but we arose before dawn and motored through the cut at 6:25am, just after the tide had turned and before the wind picked up.  When the wind blows strong and the current is opposed to the wind, the waters in the cut can be quite rough especially because the water funnels through the narrow cut which considerably speeds up the current.  Sometimes there will be a standing wave that one must pass.  The boat does not go over the wave as it would a swell out in the ocean; rather the bow plows through the wave causing green water to pour over the bow and into the cockpit.  The confused seas don’t last for long, but friends say it’s scary for a brief time.  The trick is to try to plan to traverse a cut during slack tide or close to it.  Our planning paid off going out of Galliot Cut as well as into Elizabeth Harbour through Conch Cut north of George Town.  The ocean leg was about six hours, so we hit Conch Cut at slack tide as well. 

On the way down, Dave put out the fishing line and caught a tuna that was about 30 inches.  Not sure what kind, but it was sure delicious that night.  Even Don, who does not like tuna, tried it and said it was not too bad, and that’s a good enough compliment for us!  Dave reeled the tuna up to the boat, gave me the pole and gaffed it to pull it aboard.  I jumped back and forth from the helm to steer a little then to help him get what he needed, too busy to grab the camera.  He sprayed rum in its gills to settle it down then whacked it with the old winch handle.  I thanked the tuna for giving up his life for us.  He was a beauty.  Dave cut up the fish and put the pieces in baggies.  It is enough fish for several meals and we are grateful. 

The ride down was part motor sail and a couple of hours of just sailing, which was lovely.  We made good time.  George Town is a destination for many retirees or semi-retirees mostly from the States and Canada.  It is also a good provisioning stop for those continuing south (or north) like us as there are many services.  Some call it the Mecca of Bahamaian cruising grounds.  I call it a summer camp for retirees.  Every morning there is a cruisers’ net on the radio where the day’s and week’s events are announced.  It happens that this Monday is the opening day of the George Town Regatta that lasts for two weeks.  We will leave soon after it begins but will get to see the opening night festivities, which we hear is a lot of fun. 

George Town sailboat "race"

Today there was a sailboat race in the harbour and we had front row seats.  The course was two laps, but after one lap, one boat announced that they were going to the Chat and Chill for conch salad.  Our friend, Tam, on Ask For, also was sailing about with his new crew.  Such a beautiful boat. 

Ask For out for a spin

Tam and crew on Ask For

Cap'n Tam

The most popular hang out spot in the afternoon is Chat and Chill Beach.  The Chat and Chill is a little restaurant/stand on the beach right next to Volleyball Beach where two nets are set up – one for regulation volleyball and one for novices.  The many picnic tables under the trees are where you’ll find knitters, basket weavers, domino players, and any other sort of game players.  Dave takes his backgammon board there.  It’s a great place to meet new people.  We’ve even met some friends from Annapolis, Fernandina Beach, Nassau and other places we’ve visited.  Even though we’ve just met these people briefly here and there, when we run into them again, it’s always a joyous occasion as if we’re meeting long lost friends.  There truly is a bond between fellow cruisers.

Chat and Chill Beach

In the photo above is a little hut, right of center, where you'll find a heaping bowl of conch salad for $10. The cook tosses the conch waste into the water where a couple of stealthy looking but friendly rays swim and wait. Dave likes petting the rays who feel soft on top. A couple of little girls, braver than I, were even putting their hands under the rays' mouths. So cool.




As chance would have it, Chris Parker, the weather guru arrived in George Town on Sunday.  Chris, who runs the Caribbean Weather Center and gives weather forecasts Monday through Saturday on the SSB from his home in Florida, is giving seminars on various aspects of weather for the low cost of $5.  Dave and I went to the basic weather seminar, and I attended the Bahamas weather seminar this morning.  Understanding weather is crucial for cruising.  Both seminars cleared up many foggy (yuk-yuk!) areas. What luck in timing!

In the maintenance department, after many email exchanges, we decided to buy a “good, used jib box” from Paul, the Freedom guy in Rhode Island.  Don and Jan’s friends from Texas who are coming on Friday hopefully will bring the part with them as we had it mailed to their home.  We hope to find someone who can help us install it here.  We have other minor maintenance that we must do while we’re here as well. 

No time for maintenance right now for I must make an appetizer for the Sundowner get-together at Sand Dollar Beach.  All is good.