We left Lee Stocking Island on Friday (January 19th)and headed down to Georgetown. But instead of heading back out the same way we came in, we headed down an "inside passage" and exited another cut, Rat Cay Cut. It is a very narrow cut, and you don't see it until you are almost on top of it. But on the other hand, it runs south to north (exiting) and so does not get the standing waves that most others get, as the water is not running against the wind. So we easily made it through and back into Exuma Sound. There we joined a parade of boats, both sail and motor, heading down to Georgetown. It was an unusually light wind day, so we motor-sailed (with the fishing rod out) the whole way. The sailboat behind us caught a mahi-mahi, and got everyone chatting on the VHF about lure, speed, and all, but that was the lone catch.
In Georgetown we were astonished at the number of boats, comparing it to the boats here in December. More than double the number. But it is a huge harbor, and there was plenty of room to anchor. In the light winds, we chose to anchor off the town, a spot that is usually a lee shore and not too popular. But in the settled weather, it was great to be close to town for re-provisioning. My first stop was to re-fill our propane tank (we carry two, so this was to fill the empty one). Usually the protocol is to leave your tank in the morning and pick it up in mid-afternoon, and this was afternoon, so I expected to have to leave it, possibly until Monday. But as I walked in to the yard (they are filled off the back of a truck), another boater was there, only to find his tank had not been filled. I put mine down, and we went off to find someone. He located the guy, complained about his empty tank, and the guy came out to fill it. I stood by quietly, and when the tank was full, I said "Mine's empty too." (I didn't explain that I had just arrived) And he filled mine too. I think I have a Georgetown Propane fill speed record!
When I went in to pay, a woman looked at a sheet , asked the boat name, and said she didn't have me on the list. I guess they create a list. Anyway, I paid her, and she said "What did you say your boat's name is?" I told her and she said "That parcel (that I had been resting my hand on) is for you." My generator part!!! What a miracle! I had no idea where it was! So life was good.
After that we spent the rest of the day at the grocery store, I got a haircut, and we began the process of storing things away. Saturday was more of the same, with more groceries, wine (it is about the same price as PEI, but hard liquor is about half the price it is at home), and filling the boat up with fuel. So last night we were just about fully loaded, and enjoying fresh fruit and vegetables. Today we went ashore to go for a walk, and buy the last of the forgotten items, then headed across to a more sheltered anchorage, as the wind has returned and it is a bit choppy here.
Tomorrow, if the weather forecast still looks good, we will head out to Long Island, about 50 miles south of here. We will spend a week or so, and then decide where to head next. Its getting a bit remote down there, but the SSB email will still work.