This morning we decided we should move the boat forward a bit and try to get out of that ship channel. So Bud started the engine while I went up and pulled the anchor chain in far enough to untie the snubber line. Then I raised the anchor until it was dangling just out of the water while Bud pulled the boat forward. When we got far enough forward I dropped the anchor again. The only problem was the anchor blades were thick with sand and the anchor was hanging backwards from the chain. I thought it might flip when it hit the bottom, but because of the sand on it, it didn't. When Bud backed off on the anchor the boat moved backwards, the anchor wasn't set. So we had to raise it again, only this time I forgot to tell Bud when it lifted off the bottom, so the boat started to blow back in the wind and Bud had to circle around and come back into the spot. Meanwhile, I took one of dinghy paddles and scraped the sand off the anchor and turned the swivel so the anchor was facing correctly. This time it set. We checked it with the viewing bucket on the way in to take Fuzzy to the beach, and it was buried up to the bail again.

Once we were back aboard we got ready to go into Georgetown. We haven't had a real grocery shop since Nassau, and that's been more than a month. We figured we have to make at least two trips with the dinghy to get everything we needed. It was a long ride across, and the closer we got to Georgetown the rougher the harbor was. There were probably two-foot waves as we rounded the point. The dinghy dock we were headed for was in front of the Exuma Market on Lake Victoria. You get to it through a very small cut under a bridge that carries the main street of Georgetown. The photo above is of another dinghy coming into Lake Victoria from the harbor. A lot of the guys pilot their dinghies standing with an extension built onto the outboard control. They use their other hand to hold onto a rope running back from the bow. Standing gives you better visibility to look for shallow water, but mostly it keeps you dry. Anyway, we were not dry when we approached the cut, and it was far rougher than in the photo, because when we came in the tide was running out and the wind was blowing in and there were some nasty standing waves right in front of the bridge. I was still sitting forward on the bow because the boat planes better that way. Bud slowed down quickly (speed limit under the bridge is 3 mph) and I tried to move back, but before I could react one of the standing waves broke over the bow. We had about three inches of water inside the dinghy and the engine stopped. I grabbed a paddle to try to keep us off the wall, another boater in a dinghy right behind us offered a tow, but Bud got the outboard started again immediately and we went the rest of the way into the dock. I had been carrying Fuzzy in my lap, but had to put him down to grab the paddle. Poor Fuzz was standing in water (so were poor Bud and Jill, come to think of it). Anyway, we made it safely and our passports and other papers we'd brought to renew our visas were dry inside the plastic pouch even though our carry-bag was soaked.

When we got to town we walked our trash over to the dumpster for cruisers that's out on the government dock. Next we walked to where immigration was supposed to be according to the guidebook, and then walked back across town to where the folks in that building said it really was. I went in and presented our papers while Bud waited outside with Fuzzy. I didn't have our departure cards, so she couldn't extend our visas. And they expire on Monday, so she said we needed come back with them today. Bud was not at all thrilled to hear about that, not relishing another go at the cut. As long as we were there, Bud went in and got a cartload of groceries.

We loaded up the dinghy, somehow managed to fit us back inside and headed back. The tide was pretty much out, so there were much smaller waves at the cut, but the wind was stronger, so the waves on the harbor were bigger. Plus now we were headed into the wind and waves. By the time we got across the harbor, all of us were soaked again, poor Fuzzy got soaked even sitting on my lap.

We hauled the groceries aboard and unpacked and stowed them. We pull everything out of cardboard boxes and repack those things, because we heard you could get roaches from the cardboard. I spent about 15 minutes going through all of our papers trying to find our departure cards. I finally started going through all the folders of papers I had stored in the aft cabin and found the one I'd set up for the paperwork we got for the country we were in. I'd forgotten about it, because we'd had to use our passports and cruising permit to check in to marinas, so the only things left in it were Fuzzy's papers and our departure cards.

We had a quick bite for lunch, changed our soaked and salty shirts, and set out again. This time we decided to leave Fuzzy behind. Even though he hates being alone on the boat, it seemed kinder than making him take another of those dinghy rides. As it turned out, the ride over wasn't too bad, and now the tide was running in (same direction as the wind) and the cut was no problem at all. It took us about 45 minutes, but we got our visas extended for another 90 days (we'd only asked for another 60) so we are all set. I took a picture of Lake Victoria and what you could see of Georgetown from the second floor open hallway at the immigration office. It's in the gallery.

We went back to the market and bought another cartload of groceries. While I was carrying that down to the dinghy, Bud went to the liquor store and got two cases of beer. We loaded all that stuff in the dinghy, being careful of our papers and the dozen eggs we'd bought. Back we headed. The wind and waves were down a bit, so we were only half drenched by the time we got back. We unloaded and unpacked and repacked and stowed all this stuff.

Now it was time to feed Fuzzy. Bud stowed his beer while I did dishes (not done since the night before our sail) and then we took Fuzzy ashore. At about 8 PM we finally got to sit down for supper. It was the most interesting and most exhausting trip to the grocery store I've ever made!