More Cousins Visit & Enjoy George Town

SYNOPSIS

The laundromat was our hangout for a while, then the grocery store, Exuma Market with its dinghy dock where all the cruisers bring their dinghies for trips ashore. Jan and I enjoy a week together and get some varnishing done on Mystique. We also enjoy our new friendships with a few fellow cruisers and also David & Katherine who we met at church.

One day after church they invite us to hop in their car and we whisk up just north of the now closed 4 Seasons Resort and also drive around the Grand Isle Resort (GIR) where we'll all stay in total luxury during Andy & Jess' wedding. Just beyond the resorts is Steventon town with its long white beach and "Big D's" beach bar, known for outstanding conch fritters and salad. It was a fun and relaxing afternoon with new friends.

Last Wednesday May 20 Jan's cousin Susan Hargleroad and her husband John arrived. We enjoyed their company and having fun together around GT (more details below). They left yesterday so we're back at the laundromat and computer shop uploading pics and writing the blog update!

Next up, Andy & Jess arrive June 6 in advance of their wedding on the 11th and spend a few nights aboard before we go to the GIR. In the mean time we'll firm up boat storage plans for the summer and look into getting the boat hauled and bottom painted over the upcoming months.

JOHN AND SUSAN'S VISIT

Long time family friends Susan and John have been intimately involved in our buying decisions regarding Mystique and the details of her upgrades and cruising story. They long ago named her "Dos Banos" because they wanted to be SURE she had two bathrooms if they were ever going to go cruising with us. We refer to Dos Banos often.

However, as experienced cruise line passengers the reality of the compactness and simplicity of the cruising life started to become apparent. John has a touch of claustrophobia and began sizing up the V berth accommodations, and Susan loves her 20 minute showers at least once a day with no stops in the steady stream of hot water. Life is not like this aboard Dos Banos!!! And there was some concern that we would have enough storage space for the case(s) of Chardonney needed for a week stay.

They arrived by cab from the GT airport and borrowed the VHF radio at Exuma Market to broadcast their arrival to all the cruisers in Elizabeth Harbor by calling "Boat People, Boat People, we are here, where are you?" We were just walking by so intercepted them before John could cause any more commotion in the boating community! Mystique was at the marina dock Tuesday night for her first overnight at dock since last November. We loaded the newly acquired soft luggage aboard, went out and anchored nearby and gave the boat introduction talk. John asked where the muster station was for the lifeboats! And, "When does staff bring the iced G&T's?" "I have to pump this handle to flush this toilet, I mean head, HOW many times?" "Which way to the shuffleboard courts?" And many other hilarious questions.

That night the wind picked up a bit and Mystique rocked and rolled a bit making sleep a bit of a challenge - not too exciting for the first night aboard. The next day we motored Mystique across the harbor to Hamburger Beach on Stocking Is. where David and Katherine and friends met us in their outboard for a picnic lunch. We had a wonderful hike along the windward "Sound" side of the island on the mile-long beach. By the time we returned to our dinghy it was beginning to rain and by evening we had a full-blown summer storm with lightening and lots of wind.

Mystique weathered the storm better than her occupants except Sammy who slept through it all! By 11:00pm or so the storm had passed and the crew was ready for a fairly quiet night sleep, which thankfully it was. The next morning was beautiful and sunny and all our clothes were on the lifelines to dry (pic).

So John and Susan were pretty much ready for a night ashore and booked a room at the nearby St. Francis Resort which straddles the Harbor side and the Sound side of Stocking Island. We joined them for a lovely walk along the pristine beach and for dinner at the resort afterwards. We all had a lovely quiet night with lots of sleep.

Other days were spent on a generator mechanical opportunity (part flown in next day), exploring more beaches by dinghy, enjoying drinks and dinner at Chat 'n Chill, sailing around Stocking Island in light to moderate breezes and having dolphins welcome us back to our anchorage off Chat 'n Chill. By the time Susan and John left us yesterday they admitted to having had some fun time aboard, with some great adventure thrown in for story telling in the years to come.