A Visitor in Georgetown

Bill repairing the flag halyard

   Drum roll, pleeeeeease . . . I can now officially say that we have rounded a milestone!  We are farther south than we have ever been on our little boat; 58 miles farther to be exact.  This may not seem like much but, when you consider that we only average 5 knots per hour, that starts to mean a little more.  Those miles have also contributed to our current running total of 2,331 nautical miles under the keel.  Not too bad . . .

We are currently sitting in Georgetown doing a little celebrating and along for the ride is my mother.  She's here with us for a week.  We picked her up while in a marina just north of Georgetown proper and after a few days there, we dropped the hook at Sand Dollar Beach just off of Georgetown.

   Despite the unusually cool, squally weather, we've been doing our best to take in the sights and give my mother a true taste of what cruising life is like.  She's witnessed some repairs on the boat, sailed a bit in less than calm seas, toured the city a bit, met many welcoming, friendly cruisers and even been to the beach for a bonfire.

The Emerald Bay Pub and Grill.  These Guys really do have
the best conch fritter in the Bahamas. 

Outside the straw market

   Even for the Bahamas, Georgetown is a pretty interesting, eclectic place to check out.  There is a straw market not too far from the dinghy dock where souvenirs of all kinds can be had.  Straw hats, bags, jewelry, t-shirts, wooden carvings, and even produce are on display in front of ladies eager to help you find just what you're looking for.

 


  The trash drop off is a white truck parked beside one of the two grocery stores in town.  There is a small charge to drop off your trash but, if there is no one to take your fee, you just drop it through the truck's window.  The honor system is often relied upon in the Bahamas.

Trainee's Salon and Styles Seafood

   Looking for fresh fish? . . . Then head to the hair salon, of course.  Trainee's Unisex Beauty Salon also houses Styles Seafood.  Trainee's husband is a fisherman.  He stores the fish in a cooler at her salon and she sells it throughout the day.        

If this looks normal, you don't live in the U.S. . . Notice the
"Keep Left" sticker on the windshield

   If you have a lot of errands to run, renting a car is an option.  Cars can be rented by the day here and are a pretty convenient if you happen to be picking up someone from the airport since the rental center is right across the street from the runway.  These cars do come with a catch or two, though.  You must remember that, since you are driving in what, until very recently, used to be a British territory, you must manage to drive on the left side of the road.  The majority of rental cars here are also made by Suzuki.  So, upon turning the key, the GPS begins to talk to you in Japanese.  Since no one seems to know how to change the settings . . . or speak Japanese . . . The GPS proved to be amusing but, unfortunately, useless.    

Japanese GPS . . . Not helpful . . .

 



   So far, the three of us have been enjoying our stay here. Bill and I both like the area and we feel that my mother is getting to see a pretty complete picture of our life afloat.  When it comes time for her to fly back to the States, I'll actually be going with her. My former college roommate is tying the knot and I'm in the wedding party.  So, I'll be in the states for a little over a week and then fly back  so that Bill and I can continue our journey south.  Hurricane season isn't very far away . . . So a new country is on the horizon.

Beautiful Hibiscus 

   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)