3/19/09 - Return to Black Point, etc.

Our stay in George Town was short, but with a front due this weekend through Wed. expected to bring winds of 25-30 knots, we decided to hustle on north. As always, we told ourselves we'll be back another time to catch all we missed on this trip.

So we find ourselves back at Black Point, enjoying excellent wi-fi at Scorpio's - no two-for-one rum punches this time though...probably a good thing. Enjoyed good conversation with another IP cruiser.

We're pathetic fisher-people. I haven't even mentioned that we occasionally - when crossing in deep water - throw out a hook, because it wasn't worth mentioning. Today a fish took our whole line and we didn't even notice until it was all gone. After Wayne reloaded (?) the reel, we were vigilant about keeping watch. We finally hooked another fish - a 24" barracuda (I know it looks smaller, but Wayne measured it). Unfortunately for us, fortunately for our catch, they aren't good for eating, so we threw him back.

I'm not sure where we'll end up tomorrow - I'm pushing for someplace near Pipe Creek - but we expect to make our way north at a rapid pace; we could be poised to cross to Florida by early next week. Of course, we'll await our weather window for as long as it takes. We don't know how the coming weather front will affect our plans, though - we may have to hunker down for a couple days.

A few more things about George Town: For many cruisers, Elizabeth Harbor is the ultimate Bahamas destination because of its southern location and because George Town has more of everything a cruiser could ask for as far as services (airport, taxis, package delivery, car rental, boat stuff, hair salons, etc.) and provisions than any Bahamas town except Nassau. But more than that, George Town REALLY caters to the cruisers. Hundreds of cruisers call Elizabeth Harbor their winter home and return every year. Every morning at 8 a.m. they have a cruisers' net on the VHF, where cruisers are informed about weather, hear advertising from local businesses, and share information on activities happening that day. Most of those activities take place on the beach, and include volleyball, yoga classes, Scrabble, dominoes, bridge games, beach parties, and so on... the list is endless. We arrived at the end of their annual Regatta week, and that evening they had a variety show. There were various activities for St. Patrick's Day, etc. As solo cruisers only there for a couple days, we didn't participate, but maybe next time we will stay longer and get into it more; I don't know. We like to socialize on a small scale, but don't go so much for large, organized group activities.

A few of the many sailboats in Elizabeth Harbor

What we did do in George Town: walked around town, went to the straw market, stopped at Exuma Markets for a few provisions. On Stocking Island (just across from GT): Visited Hamburger and Volleyball Beaches and had lunch (conchburgers) at Chat 'n' Chill. Crossed the island and walked along the gorgeous beach over there. The temp was hot and we regretted not having time to get in the water, especially since the snorkeling here is supposed to be fabulous. But... can't do it all and we're ok with that. Next time we want to rent a car and explore all of Great Exuma Cay.