We had a fantastic sail back to Georgetown, it was mainly a
broad reach with 15-20 kts but the waves were quite high as well. With bad
weather in the forecast it was a mass exodus of all the boats in the harbour
out of Long Island (about 30 in all) heading back to Georgetown. We decided to
avoid the crowds again and head into Red Shanks. We really enjoy it in here, as
it is far enough away from town so it is quiet yet close enough that you can
dinghy there. The beach here is usually deserted and long enough for a nice
walk, plus it is very scenic.
Known as a good place during a blow,
there were already a lot of boats there when we got in but we were able to find
a well-protected spot in the opening. Once we anchored we were quite pleased
with our location… for about 10 minutes…. Another boat decided to anchor
between us and the boat beside us.. We were not happy about this and the other
boat was determined not to move, meanwhile a big Catamaran came in on the other
side of us and the area filled up very quickly from there. Richard and the boat
in question came to a mutual understanding but it is still very frustrating
when people seem to have no problem being so close especially when they know a
storm is coming. Richard dove on our anchor so we felt comfortable with its
position.
Thankfully the weather hit us around noontime vice the usual middle of
the night! Winds hit about 33 knots but we were quite protected in our
location. We stayed up on deck watching and listening to the radio as there was
a lot of activity over at the main beach with numerous boats dragging, a couple
running into each other, a large barge dragging and lots of dinghy’s getting
away. As we were watching we saw the boat that had anchored to close to us
drag, Richard quickly hailed him on the radio as we could see that they were
down below, by the time he got up and got his engine on he was precariously
close to the rocks. At the same time the cat on the other side let go as well
but he was on deck so reacted right away! By evening the winds had died down
enough that it wasn’t necessary to keep watch on deck so we had a fairly good
night other than both of us keeping one eye on our GPS which we keep by the
bed.
We had planned on leaving on Wednesday or Thursday after the weather
passed but no sooner did it pass than another system was forecast, so we
decided to play it safe and stay put. Sue from KTen and I spent a morning doing
laundry while the guys went to town then we met up with Meant 2B at Cheaters
for lunch and had a great meal together. We had Cracked Chicken which is
actually fried Chicken and it was very good. We all got together on Meant 2B
for Jerk Pork that night and had a fun time. The social aspect of cruising is
really a big part of the lifestyle and a great way to meet so many people. We
have gotten together with KTen and Meant2B for several meals since this time.
I had tried my hand at basket weaving at a class while
Richard was playing Volleyball but found it hard to concentrate with so many
people and so much going on around me. Dawn on Zama Dawn is a beautiful weaver
so she and her Richard led us on a palm gathering info session on the beach
showing us how to gather the materials followed by a weaving session on their
boat. The Richards talked water makers, poked around bilges and checked out the
turtles. We ended up back on their boat that evening for a really fun night of
Mexican Train Dominoes, which was all new to us.
The time just
seems to fly by here, we listen to the radio each morning at 8am to “the Net”
which gives us the weather, tides, info from local businesses, general
announcements to cruisers, then there is a buy sell or trade time followed by a
time for anyone arriving or departing to announce themselves. That finishes by
830-9am so we then run the generator for 40 minutes to charge everything up as
we are making water. We make approximately 6 gallons a day that works out well
for us. We like to do our reading after this while we finish our tea and then
there is always some project to be worked on. At suppertime we run the
generator for another 40 minutes again for charging and more water making.
The rest
of the day flies by with any number of activities. In the cove right beside us
there are quite a few turtles so we have been going over and checking them out.
If we stop our engine and put an anchor out they will come right up to us, they
will let you swim with them or feed them by hand but they only like squid. They
are about 2 feet in diameter and are beautiful, we were also amazed at how fast
they can swim.
Yesterday while sitting in the cockpit we were greeted by a mother and
baby dolphin that swam around the anchorage.
This is
regatta week in Georgetown, which is a huge event and draws boats back to the
area every year it is estimated that there are close to 400 boats here right
now. We had no intention of being here for the event so we really hadn’t being
paying much attention to what was happening. There are lots of events going on
such as sailing races, sports competitions (softball, volleyball, bocce)
scavenger hunts, dinghy events and lots of kids events as well. Last night was
the opening reception with bands, skits conch blowing competition, food etc so
we decided to attend. Unfortunately we are in the middle of a front blowing
through so it is very windy here right now and with the wind comes high waves.
No one wants to be in a dinghy in these conditions so the only way to get to
the events is by a water taxi. It was a slightly damp trip into town as about
12 of us piled into the taxi but we are all used to the windblown look and
walking around town with what’s known as dinghy butt (wet bottoms!) We had a
fun time, the entertainment was great and it was nice to meet up with a lot of
people that we have met along the way. It was also good to see Grant and Donna
and we look forward to trying to get together with them before we leave.
The wind really picked up while we were in town so we were anxious to
get back and settle in for the night on the boat. Windy nights mean a night of
both of us keeping one eye on the gps watching to see if we drag!
Our plan is to
head out as soon as the weather letup.
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