We sailed down to Black Point Settlement yesterday. It was only a trip of 9 nm and the sail was lovely. The winds were relatively light but from the right direction. We took our time and enjoyed the scenery as we traveled. The anchorage here has a shoal right in the center. There was a bit of a pucker factor coming in as you get really close to shore to stay where the deeper water is found. We were at almost low tide and with a new moon tonight the tides were quite significant. There were very few boats in the harbor. One large cat and 4 monohulls.
We got the dingy off the bow and took a ride into shore to check out the lay of the land. One of the big appeals here is the excellent laundry facilities. Having not done wash other than in the handy Home Depot bucket I was anxious to try them. With the tide out it looked like you would need to be part mountain goat to climb the government docks. We made a mental note of that.
After breakfast this morning we took a ride in to find the laundromat and to determine how it worked (coins, tokens, cash). The tide was up so getting on the dock was not bad. Amazing the tide swing here is about 6 feet. This is the second largest settlement in the Exumas (after Georgetown). It was tiny. They do have a trailer for trash (good will donation) where we deposited a large bag. We went into the grocery which did not have much as the mail boat has not been here in a while. Rumor has it that is was coming today but we haven't seen it yet. There is a post office, and three restaurants/bars.
We made it to the Laundromat which indeed was clean, large and empty, save one woman from a trawler. We talked with her for a bit. Lorraine's (restaurant) which is quite famous in the cruising community was closed, although the sign on the door said open the door was locked. I didn't find the lady who makes bread, (Lorraine's mother) that was disappointing. It's late in the season and with so few boats in the harbor I imagine it's a good time to take a break.
We returned to the boat and got the laundry and headed back to the dock by the laundromat. We had scouted the dock out earlier. Very convenient. The complex which includes the laundry advertised haircuts, showers a, small marine store and lunch. The only part open was the laundromat. We needed tokens to run the washers and dryers so I sent Scott to Deshones to get them. Ida ( the lady who runs the laundry) had told us we needed to go there to get tokens as she was leaving in her golf cart. I loaded the machines and sent Scott for the tokens. It took a bit of doing but he finally did get some. The man who had access to the cash drawer had gone to the dump. The washers were large and oh so wonderful, happiness is an empty laundry bag. Considering how expensive water is here the price was not bad at 3.75 a load. With clean clothes safely tucked into our dry bag we climbed down the considerable distance to the dingy and headed back to Light Reach.
Now or Never (Curtis and Barbara) had come in while we were doing the laundry. We met them at Big Majors and had sundowners on the beach with them. They have circumnavigated and spent years and years cruising raising their 2 children on the boat. Very nice people. They waved us over so we sat and talked with them for a while. We are going to go ashore and go to Happy Hour at Scorpio's with them later.
Tomorrow I hope to see some more of the island especially an ocean side beach.
The picture was taken from the laundromat window. Where else can you do laundry with a view like that?!?!