Georgetown, the metropolis

Carol, Wayne, Sharon, Sue

Melanie, Peter, Susa, Paul & Paul on a barge picnic

Pot-luck on the beach

January 18, 2011

Georgetown, Exumas

Independence has been here for two weeks, and as we plan on leaving tomorrow morning, I suppose I should review our stay in this more urban environment. Georgetown is the destination for many cruisers, understandably so, as I will explain.

Cruising down the Exuma chain of islands, one encounters "Family Islands" with small settlements, often including a relatively protected harbor for safe anchorage. These settlements offer at least a market (often part of a private dwelling) which is modestly stocked with the arrival, once a week, of the supply boat (also known as the mailboat). The boat which originates from Nassau, often spends the week with stops at the various settlements & islands in it's territory. Refrigeration on these boats is haphazard, if at all functional, and crates & boxes are loaded on deck, below deck and wherever these old, rusty vessels can accommodate cargo.

Obviously, smaller settlements see smaller deliveries less often, and are low priority for the supply boat captain.

In addition to a market, a settlement may have a bar that might serve food, with enough advance notice. There will definitely be at least one church, possibly more. If you don't have a water maker on your boat, you are also on the lookout for water-- decent well water, or R/O (reverse osmosis) water. A pay phone, in the old days, but more often now the search is for internet. So you make do with what you find, & are happy for it.

Then you arrive at Grand Exuma, the bottom of the Exuma chain, and there is bustling Georgetown. There are government buildings, a school, a library, a straw market, many restaurants, gift & household shops, and a well-stocked- honest-to-God supermarket! A major airport (for Bahamas) is miles away, taxis make a living, and you can go out and hear music or go to a sport bar most nights of the week.

Additionally, for the cruiser, there is a huge harbor protected from all wind direction, and a social network established over the years, that caters to the needs and pleasures of a cruiser. Many call it adult camp, due to the excess of organized activities such as beach volleyball, Texas hold-'em poker games, watercolor groups, swimming clinics, fishing seminars, basket-weaving, dances, pot-luck beach dinners, etc., etc.

Of course, the non-organized activities are all those gatherings and outings with fellow cruising friends, so basically you are busier here than most people are at home.

Paul and I absorb it all for a week or two, till we are on overload, then it's time to head on out. We have bid good-bye for now to our buddies, & will fish our way to Rum Cay tomorrow to join up with a whole other set of buddies! Hopefully, most of these continuous winter cold fronts will begin to subside, or at least give us longer breaks between each front, and we will finally spend more time in the water. Let the snorkeling and diving begin! (we have been bundled up in layers of clothes and foul weather jackets for too long-- it makes for a lot more laundry than we are used to)

Next stop: Rum Cay