Every winter hundreds of cruising vessels arrive in Elizabeth Harbor, Exumas and create a vibrant floating community. The floating community is very important to the local economy. Many businesses cater to the population of cruisers that inhabit the harbor from December - April. Currently there are approximately 10 occupied cruising vessels in the harbor.
One very popular gathering spot is Volleyball Beach and its associated grill/bar the Chat'n'Chill. The image included is of Volleyball Beach from the bow of C'est la Vie. Despite the low number of vessels in the harbor the Chat'n'Chill still hosted its popular Sunday Cookout. Yep you guessed it meat (chicken), peas & rice, slaw, and mac & cheese... it's the island way, Mon. After wrapping up the splicing session (pun intended), we spent the remainder of our Sunday lounging in the beach in the shade of the casuarinas pines. I thought I would be absorbed by my current read, Don't Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk, but the people watching dominated our time on the beach. So diverse and intertwined were the beach goes that midway through the afternoon Anne stated that she felt as if she were in a United Colors of Benetton advertisement. There was a wedding party for a couple, he was Japanese and she was from the States. The swing in the tree behind us was popular with the kids and parents from the US frat boy persuasion to a family from India. Often the children lasted longer that the parents so parents ended up push other people's children as everyone took turns. Statements in swimwear ranged from the self conscious Midwestern mother wearing the built in skirt type suit to the rail thin Italian guy in the short boy shorts, to the random thong lost in voluminous pale cheeks to the must avoid all contact with UV rays body wrap including a balaclava. We enjoyed our day on the beach, but achieved little reading.