Georgetown is like a giant RV park for the brave retirees willing to cross the Gulf Stream and pay $50 a case for beer. Because it is the end of the easy sailing across mostly protected waters it is called chicken harbor. They had the 32nd annual Cruisers Regatta week which was just wrapping up as we pulled in. It felt like going to someone elses giant boat party (over 400 boats anchored together. Everyone seems to best freinds with each other and are yakking on the radio all day, "we had the best time last night, come to our boat for breakfast", "After yoga today lets have a meeting of the art club", "could we ride with you in the water taxi for the dinner dance tonight"? They have boat races, volleyball, tug of war, dance parties, art shows, AA meetings, beach church, music festivals, poker games, bridge games, yoga, and more. There are many people who never leave.
We had our boat anchored off Volley Ball Beach on Stocking Island in Georgetown, Great Exuma for 10 days. I wish that I could utter words like that for the rest of my life. The details of the time were another matter entirely. On the first or second day there my back spasmed while brushing my teeth. It never happens when I'm hauling in anchor chain or climbing the mast or cranking in the jib sheet (the rope that tensions the front sail, sailors can't say rope). Normally I can wait out the pain with advil and stretching but not this time. I spent most of the time laying around for days on end reading and napping. Steve had to fend for himself for most things but he was undaunted and managed to get by with poker tournaments at the St. Francis bar, or with his computer at the Chat and Chill, one of the worlds coolest beach bars. Since the laying around wasn't working I hobbled over the the town clinic. Not wanting to squander beer money on a doctor visit I examined the dog-eared fee notice on the light green wall next to the 4 kids in school uniforms watching cartoons on the tube in the corner. Bahamian charge for doctor visit: no charge, foreigner charge for doctor visit: $30. I figured that was only 6 beers so I better do it. The Bahamian nurse did vitals in another room and then sent me back to the cartoon room. Then I visited the Bahamian doctor in her office. I had a whole story ready for my family history and when I started getting the problem and how it is that I got here on a boat, etc. She had some papers in front of her that she was writing in, presumably my "chart". I stood there until she motioned me to sit with a hand sweep without looking up. She asked me about the pain while still writing and I started to go on about it when she asked what I take for pain. I told her Advil. Still writing she said show me the area of pain and I stood up and turned around. I didn't see her look up from her desk but my back was to her and she pushed my back once where I indicated. When I turned around she handed me a paper and said "here". I asked, "what do I do now"? She said, " Go back there", to the cartoon room. In the cartoon room another Bahamian waved for me to follow her to another room, the pharmacy, where she handed me 2 brown envelopes with pills. The envelopes are the prescriptions and it is stamped "Georgetown Clinic, Keep this prescription safe and bring back on your next visit". She then sends me back to the cartoon room and they ask me for $47 for everything. I had forgotten my wallet and I appologized but they said just come back when you can. Steve caught up to me as I was leaving and loaned me the money so I happily paid. It worked too and my back was back to normal in 2 days. Thank you Dr. Bahamas and thank you Lord, now lets get the boat moving again!
We sailed all day on one tack to Long Island 35 miles away. With the sails sheeted in hard we could just make our heading. The boat moved along at 6 knots under puffy little blue green clouds. The area shallow water (10 to 15ft ) we sailed over was horizon to horizon. I never tire of that gorgeous swimming pool blue green as far as the eye can see and the bottom of the low cotton ball clouds reflect the awesome color. We sailed along next to a sand bar that was 5 miles long. There are so many desolate beautiful places here. So many islands and coral patch reefs and very shallow water. It is like a vast desert covered with 3 ft of water. My boat can get into about 10% of it with a 6 ft. draft. It can be dangerous like a desert too. No calling the towboat or the Coast Guard if you get in trouble. There are few navigaton markers or lights or cops to call if you are in trouble. I saw an old shipwreck through the binoculars on the long sand bar. We tucked into a protected harbor at Salt Pond, Long Island where we are waiting for a storm to move through the next two days before continuing.
Our first day on Long Island we walked the 3 miles to town where everything is closed on Sundays. I was a bit concerned as I forgot to drink anything before we left and I was thirsty. We wanted to see the Atlantic on the other side of the island so we asked a cop busy loading a barbeque grill in his cruiser. I said, "Is there a road that goes to the ocean side of the island"?. He says, " yes". I look at Steve, shrug, and ask, "which way"? He points up and down the only road, which we had been walking on and says, " that way or that way". He wasn't being unfriendly but Bahamians aren't big on details for some reason. They also don't go swimming or where shorts. We found the beautiful beach with boulders and reefs and caves in the rock walls. Steve took pictures of the scene and I swam in my underwear. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon and there was only one other couple, some pink skinned tourists. On the way back I found a couple of coconuts which had some liquid in them. I was so thirsty I started banging on them like Tom Hanks in "Castaway". It only made me hot and I wasn't getting enywhere so we started our 1 hour walk back. Just hearing the coconut water sloshing around made me feel a little better.
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