For all my hopes of some regular internet connection over the time we've been in Georgetown, I have had less than usual. Other than one day when we sat in J & K Productions for several hours and I posted "Back in Georgetown", that has been it for internet. (J&K is a cute spot by the way - a small, low, green building with a doorway that almost everybody has to duck to get through. A long counter with some plastic chairs and a couple of power bars lines one wall. The middle of the store holds a large copy machine and printer, and the far wall is lined with shelves of convenience store-type groceries. The freezer at one end was being regularly raided for popsicles and the telephone on the desk at the other end was "rented" several times by patrons wishing to make both local and international calls.) We have a Bahamian cell phone but we use our minutes sparingly.

We haven't had any wifi from the boat, and all service was down in town for a couple of days. When we went to St Francis on Sunday it took so long to pull up Hotmail that I didn't even try to send anything. Very frustrating for a place the size of Georgetown.

The wind stayed up enough to make crossing the harbour a wet experience, so we remained on the Stocking Island side for the last couple of days in Georgetown. A brisk walk on the beach felt good one afternoon, and on Sunday we enjoyed a "chat" with "KB" Bowe at Chat'n'Chill (the bar/restaurant at Volleyball Beach) while we downed Kaliks (the "chill") and burgers. That chat was a sample of the remarkable conversations we've had with local folks in so many places. KB studied at University of Chicago - where he probably honed the natural abilities that make him so articulate, well-informed and interested in wide ranging conversations with visitors. His son, now an orthopedic surgeon in Nassau got his MD at Dalhousie Medical School in Halifax, NS after a first degree at McGill in Montreal, and his daughter attends Dal now - studying science. Dalhousie is about a 20 minute walk from our house! KB says most of the Bahamians who go abroad to study - and a great many do - return home to work. Because Canada is part of the Commonwealth, it is an attractive place to study. As in many of the conversations with Bahamians and Americans, US Health Care Reform was on his mind and he (like us) was both pleased that the vote was in favour of it and hopeful that it can be implemented in a way that is truly helpful and not divisive. Those of us who enjoy universal medical coverage have some difficulty understanding opposition to it, but that's a conversation for another day!

Our final evening "out" in Georgetown was aboard Sapphire where we enjoyed Bahamian style Mac'n'Cheese (firm, spicy and cut in squares) along with a tray of goodies supplied by Greg and Jo (Sympatico) and cornbread from the Madcap galley.

Off to Long Island in the morning - and with any luck, a decent connection to the rest of the world!