Ahoy from George Town, Exuma. Marnie departed Marina Hemingway, Havana with slightly adverse weather conditions however over the first twenty four hours things improved considerably and we ended up having a pleasant two and one half day sail up to Staniel Cay. Just as we were leaving Havana we were joined by a pod of about a hundred dolphin frolicking on our bow wave. a going away party for Marnie.
We thought we would be able to clear customs there but got that wrong and so first thing in the morning continued on to George Town. We had planed to get there a couple of weeks later any way for the Family Island Regatta so settled in and enjoyed the show. Sister Tricia decided to drop in with us for a week on the spur of the moment which worked out great. We had fun visiting some of the old haunts around town and walking the beach on Stocking Island. Unfortunately the day she left was the beginning of regatta so she missed all the racing. Zara and I have enjoyed seeing all the Bahamian fishing smacks rigged for racing out on the beautiful azure waters of Elizabeth Harbor. Friends from Bottle Cay surprised us by showing up aboard their beautiful motor vessel Walrus along with other yachties whose paths we had crossed earlier in the season so we have had as much social interaction as desired. Zara was interested in crewing on one of the race boats and ended up on ‘Dream Girl’, a ‘C’ class with skipper David and an all girl crew. They had a blast and it was a good opportunity for Zara to learn something about dingy sailing. I had been trying to get some goat meat for several days to cook up a feast to no avail. Every day I went to pick up my goat only to be told come by tomorrow, my cousin will bring it or it rained so the guy that was going to butcher it didn’t......well to our delight Marcus’s son David flew in for a few days with wife Karina and brother and they had been bow hunting down island......they brought a fresh butchered kid. Zara and I were invited to be guest chef’s aboard Walrus so with a little help in the galley from just about every one, we cooked up a scrumptious epicurean delight. We sat around the table on the fantail of Walrus, nine in all, and enjoyed mass consumption.
Our next destination is Conception Island Land and Sea Park, a beautiful treasure where you anchor off of a crescent beach in crystal clear water and sit in awe of the natural beauty. There is an inlet that leads to a large shallow bay where sea turtles breed and where you can sit and watch them swimming right next to the dingy. There is also a quite extensive reef system that is fun to dive on.....no spear fishing allowed though so we’ll have to catch a mahi on the way there if were going to keep up with our fresh seafood diet. How lucky we are to be able to enjoy these wonders. Wish all of you were here!