Great Loop Adventures Aboard Next Chapter: It’s the one that gets away that hurts the most

Tuesday April 11th at first light we got underway. We had a shallow area that we had to cross and it was only an hour past low tide. So Sue manned her position on the bow pulpit on coral head watch. So we tiptoed thru it no problem and entered a deeper channel. No sooner had she come up on to the bridge I said, “hey we are running out of water.” Fortunately I was at a crawl and went out of gear. Bump!

We slid onto a shallow. The good news was the tide was coming up and would pushed us off. So we both went onto the bow sprit and waited. About ten minutes later we slid off and we were back in action. Disaster averted. We passed thru the cut into deep waters so I put out a line to see what we might catch. Well about an hour into the cruise Sue was fighting a Dolphin. It gave us quite a show coming out of the water a couple of times. They are likely one of the prettiest game fish you will ever see in the water. Well as I previously mentioned we were woefully under prepared meaning no gaff hook. So we tired the fish out really good. My mouth was salivating at the thought of fresh Mahi. So I carefully grabbed the leader and eased it out of the water and onto the swim deck. As I walked up the stairs it made one desperate attempt and back into the water it went. We were crushed but hey it was fun trying. On we went to our southernmost milestone Georgetown on Great Exuma Island. For us this was quite an accomplishment. We anchored up right near Chat and Chill on Stocking Island just across the harbor from Georgetown. There is a great boating community here that is very organized.

Each morning on VHF 72 they have a broadcast that covers everything from what is going on socially, requests for help, arrivals and departures, and even a swap and trade. Our buddy boat, Unplugged caught up with us later in the day. The harbor was packed with cruisers. The April count was 278 boats. Well we got right into the swing of things.

Now on an aside Georgetown has a special place in our hearts as we have been there 25 years ago with none other than Steve Shirley and then soon to be fiancée Diane. We can tell you that things have grown tremendously since we were last here. We did manage to find the beach where my best buddy got down one his then one last good knee and proposed. The rest as they say is history. We have some crazy stories from that trip.

We spent a total of five nights in Georgetown. Chat and Chill is a small ramshackle place dotted with coconut palms where you can get a drink and sometimes grab a bite to eat. It is where all the cruisers and their families hang out for the day. We were surprised how many full time cruising families we ran into. Of course Sue could not resist so she went to work organizing an obstacle course for the kids.

She announced it on the Cruisers Network and got over 16 kids to participate. They all had fun although I think Sue had the most fun. There is always a pick up volleyball game going on. If you walk by its almost guaranteed they will ask you to play. Friday night we went to a potluck on Sand Dollar beach where there is a makeshift shack, a couple of picnic tables and a fire pit. It was great to meet so many interesting people.

I was fascinated listening to their stories of how they separated from all the “stuff” on land and embraced the cruising lifestyle. Watching the fire while looking out at the harbor full of mast lights was magical. We did a number of hikes one of which was up Monument Hill where there is the obelisk that used to guide the salt ships into the harbor. It give a 360 degree view. Down below cruisers spell out their boat name with rocks. It is quite a sight. If you zoom in on the attached picture you can see what we are talking about.

Georgetown really embraces the cruising community. They have a big dinghy dock with free potable water. A rarity in the Bahamas. Unfortunately it is within Victoria lake so the water has to be carried out in jerry cans. The grocery store has about everything you could need however you need to get it when you see it. By the time the next supply boat is due in the shelves are picked bare. The town itself is pretty spartan.

There is really no decent place to eat a nice meal. Here it is all about the water and boating. The sand has a pink hue and is never hot to walk on as it is mostly small bits of ground up coral. Although it was difficult to find footsteps on most of the beaches 25 years ago, Georgetown is still a unique place. We loved every minute of out time there and were sad to leave.