The day after seeing Grace and Eva off to the airport, we welcomed Jacob to Georgetown. During his visit, the weather shifted to warmer days and the water heated up accordingly. It was a welcome change!
Elizabeth Harbor, off Georgetown, is a 6 nm long harbor comprised of Great Exuma Island on the west and a series of smaller cays to the east. It offers great protection from most wind directions with lots of anchorages and mooring fields. All this makes it a popular spot for cruisers, and many people come year after year, spending their whole season in the area. There were a few mega yachts in the area (over 150’ long, and one even had a helicopter for guests to arrive and depart). Most boats, though, were sailboats about Tilia’s size. There are over 300 boats in the area at peak season! It is fun to experience and very convenient for guests visiting with the international airport nearby, but we agree that we prefer quieter spots with less of a crowd.
We had a great visit with Jacob. Last year, he visited us in the Abacos (northern Bahamas) and got accustomed to moving anchorages every day or two. This year, he got to see a different slice of the cruiser existence. The winds were changeable and high enough that we opted to stay in Elizabeth Harbor, near Georgetown, rather than venture farther afield with him. There was plenty to do and lots of relaxation time at anchor!
We had a sunset on the beach happy hour with other Antares friends, swam off the boat, took a walk over Stocking Cay to the Atlantic side, getting to see large waves break, explored an Art Walk, and had dinner at the local beach bar. One day, when the weather was perfect for a longer dinghy excursion (low winds and calm waters), Jim and Jacob took a 7 mile dinghy trip to the “lazy river.” The excursion was organized over the daily cruiser radio net where information is shared and events coordinated. A few dozen dinghies met at the organizer’s boat and then sped off. The lazy river was an inlet from the sea with a sandbar that channeled the water to create an easy float trip for 20 minutes and then a quick walk over the sandbar to repeat it.
We saw Jacob off after his week’s visit and have a few days before hosting Tom, Anne’s brother. We love time with family and also enjoy the days with just the two of us.