February 20, 2012

Adult Day Care; that’s what someone on the Cruiser’s Net called the myriad of activities on Volley Ball Beach here in George Town, Stocking Island, Exuma. It’s true – there are a lot of things to do, new things to learn, and a lot of people to share the time with here on the beach. There is a sign hanging in the trees that says “Caution: Adults at Play”.

But to digress. The last blog recounted problems with the windlass, the extinct shim, and broken bolts. We made new shims (thanks to Moe and Polly and a large piece of Starboard on Motivator) and Sean made new bolts. One would not think that finding stainless steel bolts would be so difficult, but they have proved literally impossible to buy “off the shelf” in the limited time available before Kea, Sean, Ethan, and Hunter were to join us. Sean acquired some galvanized bolts at Home Depot and ground down the heads, inserted slots, and had them ready to bring when they arrived. The first afternoon, we got the windlass installed (that is the motor, gear-case, and shaft) from below-deck, and the next morning, we installed the above deck parts (the chain gypsy, the drum, and windlass hold down). We greased it all up, sealed the bolts (to minimize rust until we can get back to the boat yard and pull it all apart), and pressed the deck buttons – up and down, worked fine. We are back in business, and Van’s back will not go out of business.

Although Grandma and Grandpa had visions of sailing to Conception Island (which is too beautiful not to share), it was decided that a long day there and another back just might be too much. Besides, the boys (not to mention the adults) like George Town and the beaches here, especially Volley Ball Beach where there almost always is something going on. So, we stayed put off VB Beach for a bit, then pulled anchor and headed out into the deep water to try our luck at fishing – none! We returned to the harbor and anchored off Monument Beach to be closer to the cocktail hour/bonfire scheduled for that evening, and the next day, returned to anchor off VB Beach, where we remain. Swimming, sunbathing, chatting with fellow cruisers, learning Mexican Dominoes, watching basket-weaving, painting, etc. have kept us occupied. In addition to activities, there is food on the beach – wonderful fresh Conch Salad (made while you watch and as hot – or not – as you want), a pig roast, and the all nourishing grilled cheese sandwich.

Sean tried fishing from the beach, after watching a Bahamian with a hand line having considerable luck. He caught several small fish (we think a Jack of some sort), which he filleted and cooked for the boys. He and Hunter have gone fishing with the dinghy (no luck), and we suspect there may be some more attempts before they depart on Wednesday. The boys seem to be enjoying themselves, especially when Klondike Bars are on the menu, and the adults likewise are pleased to be soaking up the sun and surroundings. So far, no one appears to have soaked up too much, and that always is a worry.

This week, Chris Parker (the weather guru who provides forecasts for cruisers in the Bahamas) is here giving weather lessons, so Grandma and Grandpa are signed up for Weather 101, Weather 102, and GRIB (GRIded Binary) data interpretation. (In addition to listening to Chris every morning at 6:30, we download GRIB files for the larger region and view the data on specialty software to try to understand the patterns and draw our own conclusions. We hope the lessons will help us in that regard.)

Next week, the 32d Cruisers Regatta gets underway and a whole new level of Adult Day Care will commence. We will let you know how the oldsters do.