Monday, April 03, 2006
Long Island
Long Island
We left the day after to go over to Long island, a short 30 mile sail from Georgetown. An island about 1 mile wide and 85 miles long. One road runs the length and you get around by hitchhiking.
Looking at our track, you can see how we changed headings to be able to sail close to the shifting wind. Stopped at Simms, explored for a day then slowly meandered down to Thompson Bay where we are now.
While going to the blue hole that I wrote about in yesterday's letter, we stopped off at a roadside conch bar and found out there was a regatta for junior sailors happening the next day, so we hitched a ride on the appropriate day and were treated to a great event. It was quite windy, but the contest was setup in a protected bay so there were no waves.
It was a blast to see kids (10yrs-16yrs) sailing a variety of watercraft and putting them through their paces. Of much more fun was the locals who were running the event. If you can imagine a BBQ set up next to the dock, then a bar, then huge BBQ's cooking chicken and ribs. At 15:00, a pick-up truck shows up full of monster speakers and soon a dj is cranking out Bahamian tunes, and the party went on into the wee hours of the night, with people from all over the island coming to join the fun.
During the race, chase boats are helping out the kids who get stuck on rocks or flip over. These boas are 18-25ft Boston whalers with monster engines and a center console. They are only driven at top speed with a guy standing up-right in the front, holding onto a rope in one hand, and a beer in the other. Some times it is a kid driving. Remember thought, that these people grow up on the water, and boats are their life.
Today, most of the cruising boats have left the bay and we are chilling for the day. Latter we will go to some beaches that we have not seen yet and see if we can find any sea-beans that drift over on the currents from Africa.
What will we do tomorrow? We will decide that tomorrow......, maybe.....
Ahrrrrrrrrrrr
