Feb 23-27:  George Town Regatta Week

     This week we have been somewhat weather bound with strong East winds.  We have also been getting ready for our three week trip back to Maine. In preparation of that trip, we have found a sitter for Tommie. Frank and Rose from another 30 foot motor-sailor Local Knowledge are going to feed and watch her for us. Part of the deal was that we anchor nearby their boat, so when we saw an opening, we pounced on it. We are in a very secure place with good holding bottom, and lots of friends around. 

Our view of Chat n Chill from our anchorage.

     On Friday we went snorkeling in a blue hole in one of the inner harbors on Stocking Island. The blue holes as they are called are bottomless areas, this one goes somewhere under the island though no one has ever been all the way thru it.  Several years ago they dropped dye into the water and days later it showed up three miles away out on the sound. All we did was swim around the entrance, but the fish that are there are plenty, and some of the biggest fish we have seen yet. As soon as we jumped in the water we were surrounded by fish, probably because people feed the fish here and this is a “No Take” area. It was so calm that we swam around with our plastic covered fish ID sheets and identified many. One fish we saw swim thru was at least 4 feet long, altho we did not get an identification on him.

Stock photos of the internet - above blue wrasse, below a group of grunts

     The GeorgeTown Cruisers Regatta is in full swing this week.  One of the first events was Dinghy Poker. All participants dinghy from bar to bar, back and forth across the harbor, and at each bar, besides having the opportunity to get food and drink, pick a playing card from a deck.  At the end of the day the dinghy with the best hand wins a bottle of rum. We didn’t play that game since our dinghy is not up to speed to keep criss-crossing the harbor.  Most of the dinghies here are hard bottom inflatables, with a 15 or so horsepower outboard.  Pretty fast.  About 5 percent of the fleet uses 5 HP or less.  We are definitely in the minority with a hard dinghy and 3 HP outboard.

     To give folks in Maine some perspective on the size of Elizabeth Harbor, picture the Eggemoggin Reach from Pumpkin Island to the Deer Isle Bridge, put a small town midway down on the mainland side, have the prevailing wind blow from Deer Isle toward the mainland, then anchor 350 good sized cruising boats along the Deer Isle side of the reach. Oh yeah, put sandy beaches most of the way along the Deer Isle side, and figure that even though boats come and go every day, at least 50% of the cruising community stays at anchor for between 1 month and 5 months of the year.  Many never pull their anchor at all for months.  If for some reason they have to take their boat somewhere, they leave their tender on the anchor, thus assuring their “spot” will be safe.

     All that being said, the cruising community is very gracious and giving.  If anyone has an issue with their boat, engine, hull, electrical, equipment, what have you, there are multiple offers of assistance.  Almost every day there is a shout out on the VHF radio of someone praising the fellow boaters who came to their aid.  There is also an amazing availability of spare parts in this harbor. People a very generally ready and willing to “pay forward” and offer the spare part that they brought along to a fellow cruiser in need.  Examples are spare microphone for a certain make/model radio, epoxy and bottom paint for a hull repair, specialized tools for rigging repair, an anchor to replace one lost, dinghies and motors swapped daily.

     Back to the Regatta.  Yesterday, Saturday was the big Talent/Variety show, featuring cruiser’s singing and dancing acts, a Bahamian Kids nine piece marching band, several Bahamian Kids dance acts, tug of wars between cruisers, men and women, and not to be missed, who can blow a conch horn the longest! All conch horns made on the beach here in the harbor. I would say the favorite acts were the Bahamian Kids, they did a great job and are not afraid to perform.

Loaded dinghy dock in George Town - everyone turned out for the variety show.

Just one of the Bahamian dance acts.

The high school marching band.  Impressive selections and sound for a nine piece band!

     Today, we went to Beach Church where Kathy and I sang in the choir again. Of note there were two pans of chocolate brownies and cookies after the service.   Tonite on Exuma Island the cruisers are challenging a local team in a softball game, under the lights.  I’ll bet I can guess the winner of that game. 

     Tomorrow is the In Harbor Big Boat Sailing Race, where I am crewing on a Catalina 34, Wisp in the Wind.  Weather permitting we will race again on Wednesday. That one is “around Stocking and Elizabeth Islands.” In preparation for the races, I went for a long sail in the fatty knees (our dinghy), a nice reach from our anchorage to one end of the harbor, then all the way back to the other end and back to the Willie Dawes.  While I was out sailing someone one one of the boats wanted to confirm that his anemometer was reading 22 knots with gusts to 35!  Our 25 year old dinghy with 45 year old mast stood up just fine.

     Tuesday we are going to do the Scavenger Hunt, which will cover from 0900 Tuesday to 0900 Wednesday.  Rumor has it we will be cleaning the beaches!

     We will be flying home on Thursday, so will miss the end of Regatta Week. We will miss the make your inflatable dinghy sail downwind event, beach golf, the end of the volleyball tournament and of course the closing ceremony and the raffle drawings.  We will be enjoying the cold north at that point.  How refreshing!