Waiting for a Weather Window. Again.

We've been back in Georgetown in the southern Exumas for several days now and it looks like we'll be here for another week, waiting for about 3-4 days of gale-force winds to scream through here before we get good weather to sail (we hope) northward again. March has brought unpredictable weather with one cold front after another and little settled weather in between. In the photo below, taken from our cockpit,  you see how nearby catamarans with very shallow drafts have positioned themselves, hugging the beach for protection from the coming gusty wind and waves.

We are grateful to be in Georgetown now, because here are worse places to be stuck in bad weather. Aside from a relatively sheltered anchorage, Georgetown has decent grocery stores, liquor stores, a hardware store, places to do laundry, a little library, restaurants, a cruisers net on the radio each morning (to keep everyone in the loop about weather, local services and events, cruisers arriving or leaving, who can help with cruising problems, etc.) and so on. There are lots of beaches to walk on and cruisers organize all sorts of activities like volleyball, yoga, water aerobics, poker and Trivia nights, beach fires, open mic, etc.

Since we don't have a water maker on Neverland, it's especially useful for us that the grocery store - Exuma Market - has free water on their dock.  The photo below was taken from where we are anchored. Georgetown is about 1.5 miles across the harbor - that tiny group of buildings on the far shore.

So on a day calm enough to get to town by dinghy without getting salt-soaked by big waves, we can fill our four 5-gallon water containers at Exuma Market's dock and dinghy them back to refill our tanks on the boat (we hold about 70 gallons of water and that lasts us about 7 days). Here's Jim filling up on water at the dock.

Another good thing about Georgetown is the number of friends we have here, all hanging out together waiting for better weather to be able to leave. This is Rebecca from Moonlight Serenade. Her buddy Bentley belongs on another boat, but was trying to wrangle treats from Rebecca.

Of the cruiser's activities in Georgetown, volleyball is a favorite. This is Volleyball Beach, home to lots of games almost every afternoon in decent weather...

Here's a shady spot for outdoor dining, meetings, etc, with the volleyball court in the background

Me sitting in that welcome shade.

Cruisers getting together to talk about plans and routes for cruising south and beyond, with the bar/snack bar "Chat 'n Chill" in the background.

 The beach where everyone pulls up their dinghies, and the signpost nearby

There are always lots of people around, especially for the Georgetown Regatta which ended a couple of weeks ago. This year there were 350-400 boats in the harbor. Georgetown is a great place for very gregarious cruisers. Some get here, anchor,  and spend the entire season without moving!!!

Below is a photo of Chat 'n Chill (after closing time - no one around).

A few day ago our friends Dan and Sarah on Borrowed Horse took us by dinghy to a more northern part of the island to go for a long walk (that's Rebecca on the far right).

 This is Beau, Sarah's Bichon Frise.  Beau is a very experienced cruiser!

 Like all dogs, Beau wants to be right in the front with his nose in the wind.

At Monument we climbed up to the highest point, from where you can see the length of Stocking Island running NW to SE, and all the boats anchored off the long string of beaches on the western side of Stocking Island.

 Me and Jim

 Sarah, Dan and Beau on the Atlantic side of Stocking Island

 Dan's trawler "Borrowed Horse" as the sun set a couple of nights ago

 Same sunset, another photo taken from our cockpit

So this week we'll do a lot of boat maintenance, cooking, reading, painting, and visiting with friends. Today, Jim cleaned algae off the boat hull and propeller. Slows ya' down a lot when you finally get moving again if you don't scrape it off. We carry an air tank which is hooked up on deck to a hooka (long hose) for the diver. With a weight belt, fins and mask it's a do-able but tedious job and tiring hanging on to the boat (especially in a current or choppy water) while scraping away gunk. Here's the air tank...

 You have to scrub or scrape off the algae

 While hanging on a line over the side

Got enough photos in, so I think I'll send this now. Cheers!