We have been in George Town now since last Friday and will probably stay another 4 or 5 days. One reason is to wait for some favourable weather but also the family is enjoying some downtime. It seems that this is the first time since Maine that we are not moving on to some deadline or another. Scott is anxious to get going as usual but with our changed itinerary for the year we have got some time up our sleeve.
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Georgetown is an interesting place. Its a bit of a hub for the cruising set and there would be about 150 boats here just now. Apparently its gets busier as the season progresses with eventually up to twice this number of boats turning up when there is an annual regatta. It looks like a lot of the boats are from mainland USA and Canada and the people cruise the Bahamas during the winter and will head back up North once spring starts. Certainly most of the people we have met are on that kind of timetable. There are not many boats continuing on south. It also seems that most of the other big boats head directly to the Caribbean instead of cruising the Bahamas.
With so many boats here George Town is a bit more of a settlement than other places we have visited since Nassau. George Town is on the east side of Great Exuma island. Stocking Island lies approximately 1NM off the shore and this together with a number of other small Cays provides a well sheltered bay for the yachts with plenty of space. We are well positioned at the moment being in a patch of deeper water in the lee of the island.
So far most of our time has been spent looking around town, lounging on the boat or playing in the water and catching up with other boats we have met along the way. On Sunday one of the local beach bars had a pig roast so we went across to that and gave Beth and introduction to one aspect of the cruising life. The beach bar is just really a shack on the beach but it serves as a gathering point for all the boats. There were dinghies everywhere, kids playing and lots of people relaxing. Really enjoyable afternoon and a change from the boat.
Georgetown itself has shops etc but is like a lot of the settlements we have seen here in that they are suffering from the downturn in the tourism trade from the US. The general appearance is shabby although there are shops which have most of the essentials you may need and with the airport on the island other bits and pieces can be fedex’d in if necessary. There are a few cafes and restaurants but these are also pretty basic and many mentioned in the guide books are closed. One thing you notice is the litter lying around - similar to Bali which spoils the look of the place. Most of the locals while not outwardly friendly are nice enough and helpful. All in all its a good rest stop but think we will be ready to move when the weather turns.
The next part of the journey will be one of our most taxing. We have to travel basically south east into the easterly trades. When we leave George Town we head for the Dominican Republic but will be stopping in at a few of the more isolated islands and Cays. Expect to be out about two to three weeks before making a landfall near a place called Luperon in the DR. There are supposed to be some fantastic spots between here and DR but it can get pretty exposed when the fronts come through. The boat is ready but you always worry about what could let go. Only issue at the moment is the watermaker which is producing water slightly under the ideal quality. Think we will need new membranes for the system but will not manage to get them until we get to Puerto Rico at the earliest.
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