March 15, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste, Georgetown, Great Exuma

It has been three weeks or more since last I wrote. The time has gone by so quickly. After Pell and Betsy left us in Georgetown we took some time to do a few boat projects and to get to know the Georgetown area a little better. We are meeting some of the cruisers, continuing yoga on the beach, enjoying the weekly dances in addition to our regular activities.

Pat and Bim arrived on March 3rd after a delay caused by snow in Virginia. We had a great time with dear old friends on board. It was good to catch up with Charlottesville news and to spend time together. The 4 of us lived in the same house for 2 years in the late 70s and we easily moved into the space of sharing Namaste together. We relaxed a lot, snorkeled, walked, read, played scrabble, cards and dice games, cooked and spent hours talking politics, children and dreams. We were sorry to see them go after 10 really great days together.

We also watched the first of the two Regatta races together. We viewed the “Around Stocking Island Race” from the top of a hill overlooking both the sound and the harbor sides of the island. The cruisers were not only competing to win first place in the sail race, they were also challenged to a fishing, cooking and photography competition while racing in the regatta. The second of the two regattas was held in the harbor. About 30 boats participated in each. We chose to be spectators as Namaste is set up more for cruising than racing. Racing can be hard on a boat. One of the boats in the regatta blew out a jib sail and two of the boats lost steering. Another ran headlong into one of the spectator boats. We were glad to be sitting on the distant sidelines this time.

We have not moved the boat in 3 weeks and have enjoyed spending some extended time in one place. Beyond enjoying the company of friends I have had some time to paint. I continue to be awed by the beauty of the land and seascape in the Bahamas. We have also been making some new friends. We met a couple who spent 8 years cruising the canals of Europe and also the Mediterranean including time spent in Turkey and Croatia. We just spent the morning with them on Namaste. They told us all about their adventures and how one would equip a boat to travel the canals with all the varied locks, quays, anchorages and other challenges. Susie and Rod spent 6 months in both London and Paris alone. Their courage, spirit of adventure and curiosity about the world is very inspiring. They are both very generous with experienced tips, advice, and knowledge that will serve us well as I am certain an Atlantic crossing is in Namaste’s future. Our meeting has us dreaming about new possibilities in our blue water cruiser.

I have included some pictures of the turquoise colored “internet café”, a great sand sculpture (especially for Pru), the “fleet” at Georgetown and the race around Stocking Island, and the sunset tonight.

We also enjoyed a yet to be explained phenomenon after sunset last night. We were on deck looking for the March 15 shuttle taking off in the southeastern sky. It was twilight time and we could barely make out the light of the shuttle and then the separation of the rockets. I turned to look at the eastern sky, which was quite dark by then and observed a small and yet brilliantly light up “white” cloud. There was much discussion on the cruiser’s net as to the cause of the illumination, from aliens to angels. We will have to go on the Internet later and look it up. None of us in Elizabeth Harbor had ever seen such a thing.

There is not much more news. We are planning to set sail for Long Island on Tuesday. We have some topsides work to do on Namaste and will do that in Thompson Bay. We also lots of beach glass to be collected. Long Island is home to a flock of flamingos. There are also two blue holes and more snorkeling sites there. I will never tire of snorkeling. It is one of the most peaceful and breathtaking activities I have ever experienced.

Peace and love to all