Georgetown

Our next stop was Georgetown, the mecca of sailors and often the southernmost point of travel in the Bahamas (and as it happens to be, the southernmost point for the Rum Runner this year as well). It is at the southern tip of the Exuma Chain and is the jumping off point for the Turks and Caicos as well as the Jumentos and Ragged Islands. Georgetown is actually in Elizabeth Harbor, which is an 8 mile long natural harbor between the islands of Great Exuma and Stocking Island. This area, often just referred to as Georgetown, is home of 400-500 boats during the cruising year- amazing! And there are several different anchorages to visit within Elizabeth Harbor, including Volleyball Beach, Sand Dollar Beach, Monument Hill, Fish Fry Village, Georgetown, etc.

Our first night there we went to Volleyball Beach and dinghied into the Chat N’ Chill, a popular hangout with cruisers. The Chat N’ Chill is a typical beach bar, where you land your dinghy and walk up the beach to an open-air shack with beautiful views and ice cold beers. We meet up with our friends Scott and Sue and spent an afternoon there, I guess you could say chattin’ and chillin’ (or squat and gobblin’ as we liked to joke). That night we went over to their boat, s/v Enee Marie, for dinner and a round of dominoes- what fun. By the time we got ready to leave (around midnight) we realized that the sushi boat was gone. All that was left of our dinghy was the painter (the line you tie up your dinghy with). Oh dear! So we searched the harbor, a pure act of futility in the middle of the night, and finally resorted to giving up and resuming the search in the morning. Luckily our friends loaned us their dinghy to get home. But you would not believe how much you depend on your dinghy until it is gone; it is like loosing your car, but worse. Without a dinghy we were stranded on the boat, no way for us (or poor Kona) to reach land. Luckily we spotted it with our binoculars the next morning, tied up to a giant yacht, and were able to retrieve it- yeah! It’s a good thing that the cruising community supports and helps one another; otherwise we would have really been up a creek without a dinghy.

After returning the sushi boat (a sweet reunion) we moved over to the anchorage at Monument hill, very picturesque. We spent the afternoon kayaking along the beaches north of Monument Hill, taking in the beauty of the Stocking Island. We love the crystal clear turquoise water of the Bahamas, so clear in fact that as we kayak we can look down at all the reefs and fish below us- wow! And the beaches are bone white and are accented with the dark green of the cassowary trees blowing in the breeze just beyond. Every so often we land our kayaks on the beach for a closer look and to take short walks on these often pristine and untouched beaches. Towards the end of the island we saw a sand castle on the beach that someone must have made earlier in the day. So we pulled up to check it out and discovered the flip-flop shop. The flip-flop shop isn’t really a shop, but is a cabana and bar area built out of drift wood and palm fronds. There is a hammock in one area, a fire pit, and lots of various places to sit and relax. Some cruisers built this place for picnics and parties out of the flotsam and jetsam that washes up on the beach. There are many flip-flops hanging from the cabana, and so we assume that is how it got the name of the flip-flop shop. Very cool!

The next day we decided to take a hike up to the monument on Monument Hill. It was just a short, but very steep, climb thru the palms to get to the top. And once we reached the top we were amazed at the view of Elizabeth Harbor. We still can’t get over how big the harbor is and how many boats there are here. You could see masts as far as the eye could see, tucked into coves or just to the lee of the land. Jay actually climbed onto the monument for a better look and realized that this was probably the highest point in all the Exumas. And from the top you could also look down and see all the reefs in the Exuma Sound. It is just so beautiful to get an aerial view of the islands; we are always surprised at how much you can see. After we hiked back down to the beach we stopped at the Peace and Plenty for a couple of refreshing Kaliks. The Peace and Plenty is a perfect spot to sit and relax, it has tables and benches set up on the beach and a great view out to the harbor. So we took our beers out to the beach, plopped down on a bench, and relaxed from our strenuous hike (well, not that strenuous).

We moved on to the anchorage closest to Georgetown the next day and went into town to check it out. We had lunch at Eddie’s Edgewater and then went to the grocery store for some more supplies. We ran into many people we have meet while cruising the islands and had fun swapping stories. We enjoyed our time in Georgetown, but realized that it was time to keep moving on, to start our trek north to Eluthera and the Abacos. We can’t believe that we are heading back north again, but are looking forward to the upcoming months that we still have here in the Bahamas.

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