Georgetown

Bahamas

We can humbly say this is the truth:  Volver knows how to time her arrival for a party.  Humbly, because there is usually a large dose of serendipity involved.  

We arrived in Georgetown just in time for the 61st annual National Family Island Regatta.  Old time Bahamian sloops race around Elizabeth Harbour, and in our case, they raced right through our anchorage:  some of the boats were close enough to touch, and extend an offer of a beer.  The sloops start from anchored position, with all sails down.  They are not allowed any gizmos, not even a passive wind indicator.  


They are shoal draft, with only about 3 feet under the keel, and have very large main sails and small jibs.  They have such a high sail area to displacement area that they employ a great deal of human ballast, who cantilever themselves out over the water on hiking boards.   


Shacks spring up at Regatta park, serving food, drink and music up to the spectators in the Grandstands!  We had many glorious days of watching these beauties sail into the sunset.  The race seems to be the finale of the Bahamian sailing season, and many boats left at its conclusion, most of them heading back to the US.  

Georgetown is a very easy town to like.   We anchored across the town off of Volleyball Beach, Stocking Island.  This is the home of a cruiser's hangout, the Chat and Chill, and also the St. Francis Resort and Marina, which is very welcoming to cruisers.  The Chat and Chill has a Conch Salad bar, where Naldo eviscerates fresh conch 7 days a week, making a ceviche that we indulged in quite regularly.  He leave the conch guts on a nearby step, and people help themselves and feed the 7 adult and 2 baby/toddler? stingrays that sleep in the grass nearby and feed greedily every afternoon.  

First Mate "petting" the ray

We can not comment on the problems of humans destroying the ecosystem by feeding wild animals when we participated.  The only thing we can hope for is that the Chat and Chill lives on forever!

Yeah, I'm cool.  Just hangin' at the Chat and Chill...

Georgetown is surrounded by many beautiful beaches and hiking trails and the sunrises and sunsets last forever and are characterized by a stunning shade of pink that won't quit.  We were able to swim with a wild dolphin, who circled a neighboring boat several days in a row.   

not Jaws

The water was not as crystal clear as one expects in the Bahamas, so the big guy could silently approach and swim right under you when you are still looking for him.  He seemed oblivious to the funny looking people with big floppy feet and masks who were chasing him.  

it's your friendly circling dolphin

Volver spent a week on a mooring ball whilst her crew made a quick dash to Canada to find her a new home.  After a year lived outdoors, we decided to find a place we can do more of this:  Volver will be moving to Victoria, Beautiful British Columbia.  We look forward to new sailing opportunities, and also to our new land life.