Post-Regatta Recovery

As always, view all our pics using the "Flickr" link to the left of the page.

Ah, it’s Sunday, May 1.  The throngs that were here for the Family Island National Regatta are gone and George Town is unbelievably quiet.  It’s like everyone vanished overnight. For the past week, the island and the harbor have been a very lively place with Bahamians and sailing vessels here from all over the Bahamas.  The “Family Islands” are those outer islands beyond Nassau and Freeport.

At the beginning of the week, boats and crews arrive, either using their own motor yachts to tow the boats here from their own islands, or by putting their boats on shipping vessels and off-loading them at the dock.  They start milling about the town and practicing out on the harbor.  The locals build their ‘shacks’ out of plywood and get the electricity and stoves hooked up.  By Saturday’s final races and closing ceremonies the place is jam packed with Bahamians in their colorful clothes, the national bands are here for a parade/concert (catch a video clip on Flickr with the rest of our photos), the shacks are running full-blast with native foods and rum or gin drinks, and there is VERY LOUD music coming from all over the place.  We have anchored across the harbor where we can faintly hear the bass almost a mile away.  One of the drinks is called ‘Sky Juice’.  It is basically coconut water and gin.  Usually it is served with shreds of fresh coconut in the drink.  This is only available during regatta ~ so they say.  Regatta also has basket weaving, dancing onion pealing and other cultural happenins’  It is truly the ‘happening’ of the year!

We watched many of the races either from our own dink or from Kathryn’s skiff which is now up and running.  The first day Jan went out with her while I worked on the internet ashore and they got drenched by two squalls which dropped a total of four inches of rain (yes, I stayed dry).  The rest of the racing was done in beautiful weather, as you can see from the photos.  The regatta seemed busier and livelier than it was when we last saw it two years ago – very successful and exciting.

Prior to regatta, we mostly worked aboard Mystique (see pic 'mechanical opportunity #12 portlight repair) or were entertained aboard other boats or ashore visiting with other boaters or with Kathryn or David.  Besides Scott and Patsy aboard RUM TOT from Boulder, there was another Denver boat with a wonderful couple, Al and Susan aboard TWOCAN.  We also enjoyed a couple from Connecticut, Jinny and Bob aboard THE ABBY.  Kathryn drove us to the far east of the island one day, with a stop at Santanas Beach Bar and Grill near the Tropic of Cancer which serves the most delicious cracked lobster in the world.  Lunch consisted of three fried lobster tails with Bahamian mac and cheese along with the ever-present peas and rice.  And pina coladas!  Then we tested every swimming beach and beach bar for pinas between there and George Town on the way back.  Wonderful day.

Another day, Kathryn took us to the northwest end of the island near Rolleville where we had a buffet lunch (and pina coladas) at the Exuma Point Beach Bar and Grill.  What a spread of delicious seafood.  The owners’ son took us on a tour of the large cave where the naked man used to live (he died three years ago when his US wife came to take him home and he couldn’t stand living where he had to put clothes on every day).  We also enjoyed a wonderful Easter, with the procession of the cross up to the church, the 3 ½ hour service (!), and a lamb dinner.

So you can see that we’ve been having a wonderful time although this is more of a typical 2^nd home vacation experience than a cruising adventure.  We feel a part of the community and we’ve gotten to see more of and learn more about Great Exuma than we have before.  In a day or two, our game plan changes as we’ll weigh anchor and sail NW up the Exuma chain of islands.  We plan to meet up with yet another Colorado boat in Staniel Cay and sail in tandem back to George Town where we'll leave Mystique in the hurricane hole for the summer.

One thing we’ve noticed over the time aboard is the variety of boat names.  Of course, there are the ‘Lady names’, e.g. CaraMia (somebody’s 2 kids?), Anna Marie, etc.   The ‘animal/bird names’, e.g., Toucan Dream, Flying Pig (really), Borrowed Horse, Wild Horse, Twocan, etc.  The dream/star theme is also quite popular: Soul Searching, Dream Weaver, Southern Cross, Orion, Our Dream.   The job theme is also popular: Option 3, Legaleze, Rolls Dock (apparently he was a VP with Rolls Royce), Consulting Time, etc.  The best are those that have absolutely nothing to do with anything. For example, Walk About, Little Toot, Mango (dinghy is the Mangomobile) , We Don’t Care, Lost Marbles, Double Wide.   The best dinghy name, by far, however goes to Row vs. Wade.  Lots of fun hearing these boat names over the VHF radio.  But we’re very proud that Mystique was handed down to us by my Dad who taught all of us to sail!