Passage to Georgetown

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LESLIE, AND MOMMA CLEO!!! 

Great Guana Cay, to Little Farmers Cay, to Georgetown.  In the last couple days we went lobster hunting again, with none in sight for several miles. Went ashore to find some groceries, and internet a couple times, and moved ourselves roughly 50 miles. We kept running into a couple from another boat called “Stray Cat”.  They are a couple in their mid sixties, and seem to be learning as they go just as we are.  The stitching on their Jib completely tore out at the top of the sail.  Since we have a great industrial sewing machine (“Babe the Blue Ox”) on board to fix our own sails we offered up our services, and they accepted.  Debbie said it would be the greatest anniversary gift ever!  It was their 42^nd anniversary that day, so Tara and I loaded up the 50lb beast of a machine, and went over to see if we could help.  After trying for 20-30 minutes and every thread just breaking as it went through, we gave up.  We were not able to help them out, but she told us she would make cookies for us anyway.  The next day we moved to Little Farmers Cay to get ready for an early morning pass so we could make it to Georgetown in the daylight, and Stray Cat asked if they could shadow us.  They anchored 75 yards away, and followed us out of the cut at 4:30 in the morning.  As the day went on we were sailing, but since Freddie is still hand sewing their sail back together with some really thick string, they had to motor.  The winds were a little inconsistent so they passed us by 9:00, and we tacked back and forth 80% of the day.  Anxious to get there, we dropped down the motors, and motor sailed the last leg.  With the entrance to Elizabeth Harbour close, a couple faster boats were passing us, so we gave them some room.  Only one passed, then it was time to head in.  I told Tara and Dan to reel in the fishing lines, so we can drop the sails and navigate through the coral, and reefs.  Just as Tara started to reel in one, the line took off.  Got one! She didn’t want to lose it so she told me to reel it in, just as Dan’s line took off.  We thought maybe one fish grabbed both lines. or maybe they were just tangled.  So Tara jumped on the wheel, clicked on autopilot (General Sherman), dropped the sails, took her bread out of the oven before it burned, then jumped back on the wheel to keep us away from the approaching boat, and reef lined shore.  It turns out we both had a fish on, and the lines were tangled.  With just a little maneuver they were untangled, and one of the 30+ pound Mahi Mahi was on board.  Dan ran up front to get the net so we could pull in the second one without killing it.  While he was up there, the first one flopped on deck, near the edge of the boat.  I grabbed it, and it slipped out of my hands, so Tara pulled it with the hook into our cockpit.  There was blood everywhere.  Dan returned with the net, and handed it to me while he finished reeling it in.  It was another Mahi. So once we got our hook back, took a couple pictures, then released it.  We told our friends on Stray Cat if we catch a fish they were invited over for dinner.  So as we pulled into the packed anchorage, we decided to squeeze in next to them.  Tara called them on the VHF radio to ask them what time they wanted to eat dinner.  They brought over some rice and beans to go with the catch of the day, and Tara’s freshly baked bread.  Then we finally got those cookies for dessert.

 Old mast used as a power pole

Updating the blog anywhere we can get internet

 This is one of the "treasures" taken from the Exuma Park

 Stretching class is held on the trampoline from 1:00-2:00 daily

 Sunrise

 Naptime

 Blood Bath