We are very glad we chose Great Harbour Cay as our entry into the Bahamas - we will probably be using this as our entry point for as long as we will be visiting the Bahamas after this.

This island has the unique quality that the "tourists" or non-Bahamian property owners are pretty integrated into the Bahamian community. Often the resort type properties are situated on isolated islands, and there is no interaction with the locals. Here, they are side-by-side, and the North Americans contribute to the settlement by donating to the school or the park. The grocery stores are visited by everyone, so the wealth is spread around better, rather than just going into the pocket of a foreign company.

Our first day in the Bahamas had Ken and I seeking out cracked conch or fritters - even a conch burger would work for us. The restaurant in located at the marina was too expensive for our tastes, so we walked to the Beach Club. Of course, the lady serving us figured we were looking for hamburgers or something of that ilk... and she was out of conch. But the fish burgers were tasty enough!

One of the marina staff passed on the word to a local fisherman that we were looking for conch, so he stopped by the boat. Shortly after that, we had the meat of 6 conch in the fridge, and chatted over a cup of coffee. Wade was interested in Yuengling beer, so for some money and a couple of Yuenglings, we had four lobster tails that he caught fresh for us. It was a good deal all around! Too bad he had engine problems, so we actually got the lobster as day later.

We stayed on the dock a little longer than planned as the forecast was for some miserable squalls and winds. If we are anchored in rough conditions, I don't mind doing that with just Ken on board, but with three of us it could potentially be a little claustrophobic. Staying on the dock let us get out and walk around, plus the showers were appreciated!

We were invited to the Bullock's Harbour tree lighting ceremony/party on Friday night. Joe, the manager of the marina and harbour master offered to give us a ride into town, which we gratefully accepted. We weren't surprised that the ceremony was behind schedule, so we went for a little walk in the settlement. I had seen in it in the daylight when I had gone for a run, but this was Chris and Ken's first chance to see it. It is a pretty big town for an out island community, and generally seems to have a little more money associated with it.

We chatted for about 10 minutes with Inspector James Moss of the Royal Bahamian Police. Once he knew we were Canadian, he kept waiting for us to say "eh". We've kind of had that drilled out of us with the Americans we have been hanging around this past summer! He was a delightful man to chat with. He was dressed in his full uniform as he was waiting for his boss, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, to come in from Nassau to be one of the VIP's for the party. I was impressed that they were bringing in some pretty big brass for this.

We were entertained by local singers, dancers, school performances and attempts at group Christmas carol singing. The sound system was iffy, the organization suspect, but it was typically Bahamian in nature and we had fun with it. All three of us were eyeballing the table were the food was starting to be laid out. The cracked conch I had made for lunch was but a memory, and the cinnamon bread wasn't keeping us feeling full.

The Christmas tree was lit, and the sounds of Ancient Man's "Call the Fire Engine" came blasting out of the sound system. Then we heard the wail of the sirens, and the fire truck arrived, with Santa perched (not too precariously) on the front bumper. To the drum sounds of a Junkanoo beat, he "whined" his way out to the crowd. The kids were just as interested in the drumming as Santa, so he wasn't attacked as one might expect. Presents were handed out as the rest of us got in line for the food. The typical Bahamian fare, with the addition of turkey and ham, was provided, and we enjoyed every bit of it.

We started walking back in the dark to the marina, but fortunately got a ride about half way. To be honest, we found it a little cool out there!

The next day the forecast looked more promising, so we topped up our water and went out to anchor the boat, just around the corner from the entrance of the marina as that is where the best protection was. For dinner we had the lobster tails.... Ooooh baby! We definitely need to get our hands on some more of those!

Today is a quiet day on the hook, with the thought of maybe heading over to a beach, then tomorrow we head off to explore another part of the Barry Islands. Now we are starting to do the cruising we enjoy doing!