26. January 30, 2019: Lee Stocking Island, George Town, and Long Island!

January 30, 2019:

This morning I got a friend request on Facebook from a former coworker, Valerie! It was great to connect again after 28 years. Social media, for all its warts, can really be amazing.

We left our rolly anchorage and sailed with Mariposa to Lee Stocking Island. It was a splendid day for sailing, and we only need to go 14 miles tomorrow to reach The Marina at Emerald Bay (Oh, free laundry and hot showers; yes!). The water is still murky from all the wind, so snorkeling here wasn't very good. We were all tired from last night, so we went to bed early.

January 31, 2019:

We went on a walk with the dogs after a breakfast of coconut bread French toast (are you seeing a pattern? :)) We found a trail that led to the top of Lee Stocking Island, and the view is spectacular!

View from the top of the trail at Lee Stocking Island

We crossed to the Atlantic side, and found a deserted airstrip and buildings. In one there was a big eared bat with a cute face. The groundskeeper came by, and he said the buyer is going to make it into a resort "in a minute or two"; lots of promises like that here in the Bahamas that never come true. We took the Loyalist Trail back. We found a bunch of coconuts, then husked and shelled them on the beach.

John cooked some in the pressure cooker, added rice and vanilla, and cooked it in cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. It made a really good dessert, although the coconut was still chewy. We had Phil and Michelle from Mariposa over for dessert and conversation. Nice couple; they used to own a restaurant in British Columbia.

February 1, 2019:

It's very windy--John saw 33 knots--so I stayed inside. He took the dogs to shore, and they met Phil and their dog Chica for a game of beach frisbee. After lunch we went to the deserted research station with Phil and Michelle, and Steve and Jane from Reflection II. The station lost funding in 2011, and I'm amazed at what was just left--a hyperbaric chamber!--and how much things have deteriorated in eight years due to the weather. Hurricanes don't help matters.

Phil, Michelle and Chica from *Mariposa*

February 2, 2019:

We motored to The Marina at Emerald Bay on Great Exuma. John let me captain the first part of the way. Going through the cut was kind of scary but not too bad, although Teddy did puke twice. John took over before we got to the marina, because I'm NOT at all comfortable with docking As You Wish. First items on our To Do List: Laundry and Showers! When we came back, Nikki had gotten into our hot cocoa mix, and what she didn't eat was all over our light blue cushions! Aargh! At least the cushions cleaned up well.

Cocoa mix and blue ultra suede don’t go well together

I went with Dean and Wendy to the airport where they dropped off their daughter Brittany, and then we stopped at the grocery store. Denise from one of the other boats hosted a Movie Night in the marina's upper room. I think more than 30 people came. Bohemian Rhapsody is the story of Freddy Mercury of Queen. I think the producers and actors did a fantastic job portraying the musician.

February 3, 2019:

I was able to upload more pictures and videos before we left for George Town. I had a migraine, so after we anchored I laid down while John went to town with Dean and Wendy. When he got back he was so excited; he'd just spotted Dan and Kika from Sailing Uma! We had watched their videos before we ever thought we'd be sailing someday too. Dan is from Canada, Kika is from Haiti, and they met in architecture school in the USA. They bought a sailboat for $3000, and spent a year in the yard fixing it up before they ever sailed her. We highly recommend their videos!

Anyways, back to John getting me up and into our dinghy to find Uma. Now, George Town is where many cruisers stay for the entire winter. There are probably 300 boats out here. "How are we going to know which one is Uma?" John knew the general direction they were heading, and he said, "It's a Pearson 36...there!" Sure enough, Uma was on the transom. We pulled up, and forgetting to even introduce ourselves at first, told them how much we admire and appreciate them! Dan and Kika are just as nice in real life as they are on their videos, and invited us to a bonfire/potluck they're having on a beach this Tuesday. We will definitely stay for that!

February 4, 2019 (Monday):

We went into George Town on Great Exuma, and I actually got landsick as I walked around town. Even though I was standing on solid ground, I felt like I was moving. John bought us chocolate mint ice cream bars, and I felt better after eating (Who doesn’t feel better after ice cream?). We walked through a beautiful hotel complex that was about 90% finished, and then left empty for months, if not years. I wonder why?

We also like the pink and white police station!

After lunch on the boat, we went to North Beach and hiked around the Stocking Island Monument. It's a great view from up there too. People have carved messages or the name of their boats in the limestone (? coral? hard sand?) below.

We got our kayaks off the boat, and started paddling towards the marina, but didn't make it that far as we found Sarabi, and I talked with Miranda for quite some time. The current became stronger, so John paddled to our boat and came back with the dinghy so he could tow me. As he was doing so, someone yelled, "I hear that kayaking is great exercise!" Ha ha!

For dinner we went to Chat 'N' Chill, and got more than just cheeseburgers. John was talking with some friends at a picnic table while I went inside to order (Great $7 burgers!). As I was ordering, I noticed several beautiful young women who were very made up and in tiny little bikinis and high heels. Not what you usually see in the boating community; sorry to disappoint anyone. I went back to tell John that he should probably pick up our order. As he was in there admiring the scenery, a big guy asked, "Do you like what you see?" John replied, "Well, yes, don't you?" The guy asked,"Do you want to party with them later?" What?? "Ahh, no thank you." He got our burgers and told us what had just happened. One of the men said, "I heard that they're shooting a porno on that yacht over there". John was feeling pretty good, so I had to burst his bubble by saying, "They must be shooting Naughty Nurse in Geriatrics!"

February 5, 2019 (Tuesday):

We listened to George Town's Sailor's Net this morning. Usually someone comes on channel 16 at an appointed time and reminds people to turn to a different set channel. The announcer tells about the weather forecast, local news, any problems to be aware of, and then usually has an open mic time when other boaters can introduce themselves or tell about an event or something they have for sale or need. One guy was trying to form softball teams. A lady announced that there would be a yoga class on the beach.

We dinghied to George Town, and I went to the library. They had a book exchange, and I got four books for my one, as they were bursting at the seams.

We headed over to the party spot around 3, and started picking up trash and collecting wood for the bonfire. Dan and Kika from Sailing Uma arrived with Erica and Davy (from Barefoot Sail and Dive). They were impressed with John's battery powered saw for cutting up wood. Alicia and Harry from JennABird showed up next, and they were really nice too. We brought hotdogs and coconut rice. Many more people showed up, and Nikki got jumped by a beautiful black collie, and that put a damper on things. Nikki was wanting to guard the food table, so we left shortly after signing Dan's shirt and being in the group photo. (If you watch Sailing Uma's video from this time, you'll see John and Dan carrying wood to the fire).

Getting together with Dan and Kika from *Sailing Uma*

Kris, Dan and Kika, and Michelle and Darcy

(What's fun about this last picture is that Michelle and Darcy were there too, but we didn't know it at the time. We'll meet them later on Cat Island).

February 6, 2019:

We left George Town and sailed to Long Island, 38 miles away. It was a bit rough at first, but then turned out to be a really nice sail! I even caught a small barracuda. We anchored in Thompson Bay, about the middle of the island. Chaos arrived, so we invited Dean and Wendy over for a fish dinner.

An “under 30 inches” barracuda for dinner!

February 7, 2019:

We met Dean and Wendy (from Chaos) and walked to a hardware store, grocery store and a gas station which had coconut and mango ice milk bars: yum! Then we met Kris and Craig on Tilt, an Island Packet 420, and saw Joyce and Matt from Duchess again. Hillside Food Supply is one of the best grocery stores we've seen in the Bahamas!

After returning to our boats, and I collected our laundry. We heard Tiny's Hurricane Hole restaurant has washers and dryers.

I had to sneak a peek at the guy’s bathroom too!

At Tiny's Hurricane Hole, the food was great, and the scenery beautiful! They have rental cottages, and very cute bathrooms! However, laundry is $10/load: ouch! I brought our wet clothes home and hung them up to dry on the boat.

Long Island is 80 miles long, but only a half mile wide in places. We dinghied to shore and walked to the other side at a narrow spot. The sand had a pink cast to it, due to some type of coral.

We barely got back to our boat before sunset. We had the leftover fish from last night, so Penelope is happy.

February 8, 2019:

Dean showed me how to set up my Cuban Ring with a cord-like hand line and a rubber bungee cord. Now I have a second fishing line off the back of our boat. After lunch we explored two very small islands in the bay. I found some nice shells, a cool spider, and a boat hook!

Spider at Thompson Bay: a Silver Garden Spider?

We met with several other boaters at Sou' Side Bar & Grill as they had a special: ribs and two sides for $12. Delicious! Dean and Wendy were there, as well as Joyce and Matt from Duchess, Mark and Terry from Spar Trek, and Charlie and Cara (?) from Island Home.

February 9, 2019:

We went to the Farmer's Market at Salt Pond. John bought mango bread and a coconut tart. One lady gave him a native dilly fruit to try: it's very sweet! We got some groceries, took them back to the boat, and joined Dean and Wendy at the dock where they were waiting with a rental car. We're exploring the north part of the island today!

We saw a cave (but it wasn't Hamilton Caves, because they were closed for repairs), the Stella Maris Resort (nice, and with a big marlin, but we didn't stay), and the Christopher Columbus Monument and Lucayan Memorial, commemorating his landing on October 17, 1492, and the peaceful, native people who used to live here. "Shortly after contact, the Spanish kidnapped and enslaved the Lucayans, with the genocide culminating in the complete eradication of Lucayan people from the Bahamas by 1520" (Wikipedia). So sad!

The Christopher Columbus Monument and Lucayan Memorial

Then we drove to Chez Pierre, an "authentically French" restaurant that we'd heard so much about. Here we are on the long drive there:

It turned out that they weren't serving lunch and we were way to early for supper, so we left. We later learned that you're suppose to dinghy up to the restaurant, "as the road is terrible".

We ended up having lunch at Docky's Bonafide Restaurant, Bar and Gift Shop. Although the food was good, it took one and a half hours to get it. Docky also gives guided fishing tours, so Dean may go with him.

February 10, 2019:

Today we rented the car again, and toured the south end of Long Island. We first stopped at an ancient church: St. Mary The Virgin Anglican Church, thought to be built by the Spanish in the 1600s. It is the oldest church in the Bahamas. The roof is gone, but it is still quite intact for being 400 years old in a land of hurricanes!

The alter at St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church

The back of St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church

The side of St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church

We went to several beaches, and one was heaped with trash, the worst I've seen. It was so sad! Most of it was plastic, of course, since it floats and doesn't break down.

Next stop was Dean's Blue Hole. It's the second deepest blue hole in the world! At 202 meters, only the Dragon Hole in the China Sea is deeper (300 meters). There is a monument there to three people who died in 2002. I can understand how, as it drops off very suddenly, and could take people by surprise. We snorkeled around the edge of it, and John saw a 3 foot grouper. I found some sand dollars and a bright green wrasse with yellow eyes! (Sorry, I forgot my GoPro).

We next stopped at the beautiful Flying Fish Marina, and had ice cream. Then we drove to the beach at the very end of the island, and it was gorgeous!

Beach at the south end of Long Island, Bahamas

A stunning beach at the end of Long Island

We stopped in front of St. Peters and St. Paul Catholic Church, a beautiful church in Clarence Town, this one still in operation (it was built in 1946).

A beautiful Catholic church in Clarence Town, Long Island

We heard about the Shrimp Hole, so we had to see it on the way back. It's right behind the church ruins we first stopped at, and it's an underground grotto filled with tiny red shrimp!

We got back to As You Wish just after it started raining. Luckily we only had a few portholes open, and we shut those fast. We called Jessika and Katria tonight: we sure miss our girls! At least from now on, we should be sailing TOWARDS them.

February 11, 2019:

John found a pair of Nikon Marine Binoculars--with compass!--in the water, and they sell new for $500. They'd been in the water for awhile, but they still work! We snorkeled most of the day. Katria said that Montana is down to -20 degrees! That's a 100 degree difference from what it is here! Then Jessika sent us this photo of Oregon:

We're very glad to be in the Bahamas right now! And there are lots of shells here!

February 12, 2019:

We sailed to Calabash Bay on the north end of Long Island. John and I both caught barracudas, but his was 4 feet, and too big to eat. Mine was right at 30", so he's dinner! The bay is still too silty to snorkel. Dean and Wendy invited us with them to the Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort for happy hour. We had virgin pina coladas, and they were very good and only $5. Then we had Dean and Wendy over for barracuda, and they brought potatoes, broccoli and dominoes.

February 13, 2019:

The weather is poopy and the sky ominous, so I worked on organizing pictures most of the day.

We went snorkeling, even though it was silty. John saw a reef shark, but I missed it. We saw lots of big sea stars:

A squall hit late tonight, and I was worried we were going to blow into Chaos, but we didn't. Dean's already had one repair from that this year! (Not from us, but another boat in Bimini).

February 14, 2019:

Happy Valentine's Day! John and I went to the Cape Santa Maria Resort for lunch: Lobster Salad and Chicken Souse with fresh bread, plus a delicious Rum Cake for dessert.

We needed to get some eggs, and we knew there was a store about a mile away. As we walked through the resort, I noticed several bicycles with a sign stating "Guests Only". I said, "Let's use these! It will be faster." John said, "We aren't guests!", but I argued that we had just had a meal there, and we wouldn't be borrowing them for long. I’m such a rebel! Ha ha!

I'm so glad for those bikes: it was closer to two miles to the store, and it was hot. We almost missed the store, because it looked more like someone's house. We asked the owner if she had any eggs. "Not here, but I have some at home. If you'll watch the store, I'll go get you some". And she drove off!

I love the Bahamian people for their kindness and trust. That wouldn't have happened in most places. Soon she was back with our eggs. No one had come by in the short time she was gone, so we didn't have to work very hard at watching her store. (And it was cool to see a banana tree growing in the yard!)

We went snorkeling again, and I saw a bunch of eagle rays glide below me in a deep channel.

We leave Long Island tomorrow.

February 15, 2019:

We went snorkeling this morning before leaving Long Island. I'm glad we did; we saw a huge Southern Stingray!

We'd been back on our boat for awhile when John yelled, "Get the camera! There's a shark by the boat!" I did, but it turned out to be a big barracuda instead.

Then we motored to Conception Island with Chaos, as the wind was so light it didn't fill our beautiful spinnaker for long. We need to visit Conception Island on very calm days, as there isn’t much protection there from wind and waves.

Nikki relaxing in the sun.

Join us in our next blog, "February 15, 2019: Conception Island"!

26. January 30, 2019: Lee Stocking Island, George Town, and Long Island!

27. February 15, 2019: Conception Island, Bahamas!

25. January 18, 2019: The Marina at Emerald Bay to Great Guana Cay