On February 20th, we were up before the sun so that we could ride the high tide through Galliot Cut into the Exuma Sound.
We had a 40-mile sail ahead of us to Stocking Island and a brand new cedar plug lure to troll. We were just certain we would stroll into Stocking Island with a freshly caught mahi mahi and within a couple of hours we had a bight! Blake begins to reel it in and can see the green yellow glimmer of its skin; he also saw it disappear when it got off the line. And that was it…the only bite of the day.
We arrived into Elizabeth Harbour, in between Stocking Island and Great Exuma Island around 2:30pm and were astounded by the number of boats anchored. It was overwhelming to go from being the only boat in an anchorage to one of three hundred. This was the first anchorage we had been to where you could not see your anchor in the water. We attributed this to there not being a pump out facility for waste which means it’s going overboard. Needless to say, this anchorage was full of shit and with that decided that we would not be swimming or snorkeling in this harbour.
We dropped the hook off Stocking Island near Sand Dollar Beach. Stocking Island had a couple of small resorts, Chat ‘N’ Chill Restaurant/Bar, and a dozen or so hiking trails. After anchoring we decided to explore the Chat ‘N’ Chill, a private beach where they say, “The Chat is free; pay for the chill.” You could not bring any food or beverages to the beach. Blake got him a Kalik and I got a cranberry juice and we walked around the beach just observing all the people. Then a couple of familiar faces appeared, it was Bob and Tom!
Though we didn’t know them well, or really at all, outside of the short hike to the cave at Oven Rock, there was something comforting about seeing a familiar face amidst all the new ones. We sat, talked, and learned they are from Seattle and are both cheeseburger connoisseurs. According to Bob and Tom, the best cheeseburger they’ve had was from a ski resort in Colorado. We will have to invite them to Crowley, TX sometime to try Nicky D’s or resurrect the Burger Shack at Benbrook Lake Marina. Speaking of the best of the best, Blake and I blackened that wahoo and made fish tacos. I think those were the best fish tacos I have ever eaten. I also think wahoo is my new favorite fish.
The next morning, was our first day to experience what is called the George Town Cruisers Net. Every morning at 8:00am on VHF channel 72 the net operator, in this case, Bill, who, just based on his voice sounded like a muscular, ex-military man who wakes up before the sun to freshly press his clothes. In reality, Bill looked like an old beach hippie with hair to his shoulders. The net lasted about 45 minutes each morning and included things like weather, boater needs/give aways, daily activities on Stocking Island, ride shares to and from the airport, arrivals and departures, and local business announcements. I couldn’t help myself and took a video of Blake announcing our arrival.
We dinghied across Elizabeth Harbour to George Town where you go under a very narrow bridge with strong current to access the dinghy dock. The dinghy dock had a water spigot with drinking water. There is nothing better than just pulling your dinghy up to a fresh water source versus having to carry two 45-pound jerry cans of water. We left the full jerry cans in the dinghy and decided to walk around Lake Victoria, the long way, to the grocery store, so we could scope out what was in walking distance.
When we went in the grocery store a young Bahamian man loudly said he saw us walking on his way to the store, and told us to use our brains and walk the other way next time. I guess he did not consider that we chose to go for a walk before entering the store and this either angered him or gave him an opportunity to attempt to publicly shame us. Not quite the warm welcome we had grown accustom to.
We didn’t find everything we needed at the first grocery store so we headed to the other grocery store and on our way stopped and got some beautiful produce, kale, microgreens, broccoli, and tomatoes from street vendors. You wouldn’t believe it but the next grocery store there was a Bahamian man standing by the grocery carts and was pushing one. He stopped in front of me and I thought he needed to go into the store with his cart so I went to reach for a cart; he then proceeded to loudly shame me for not knowing to take the cart from him. I don’t know where this anger was coming from but both times, I chose not to respond, get my groceries and get the hell out of George Town.
On our way back to the boat, the seas were really choppy, and we were going against the wind. Blake suggested we sit down low and so I sat directly in front of him since he was steering. About 15 seconds later, after we come out from under the narrow passage of the bridge a wave drenches me. I look back at Blake with a look of bewilderment and he’s just laughing, perfectly dry. I still don’t know if he intentionally put me there as a shield but the timing was too good not to laugh. It was a soggy ride back to the boat.
That afternoon, we had learned on the Cruisers Net that there would be a “Treasures of the Bilge” on Stocking Island where boaters would set out things they no longer wanted or needed. We scored a free Abacos cruising guide which Blake totally spoke into existence moments before stumbling across it. The woman giving it away, Genie, shared that if we decide to do the Monument hike to be sure and write out our boat name with rocks and that it’s tradition. Blake also stumbled upon a volleyball game that needed an extra person. He was a little rusty at first, at one point hitting the volleyball into his own face but he warmed up quickly.
That afternoon we took Genie’s recommendation and dinghied over to Monument Beach, gathered up some rocks, spelled out Josephine, and made our way up to the monument, historically used as a navigational beacon. We didn’t realize that the point of writing your name in rock was so you could see it from the monument. To put it in perspective, we used a six point font when we should have used 36 point font. Sorry Josephine.
Tradition continued into the evening and we got a conch shell blowing lesson from Pete on Manitou and Shawnae from Firefly. The tradition is to blow the conch shell at sunset each evening. It’s like an instrument; you can’t just expect to blow it and it make noise.
After some searching, we still had not found a bike tube so we put it out there on the cruisers net and a boat named Fury responded that they had extra that we could have. They were looking for an unlocked cell phone. We had an extra phone but did not know whether it was locked or unlocked; we bagged up the phone, charger and three cases to give to them. We let them know that it may be locked and wrote our boat name on the bag in case it doesn’t work out, so they can hail us to come pick it up. The bike tube worked and we were back in business!
The next morning, Fury gets on the Crusiers Net, and may I remind you, all the boats in the harbour are tuned in, and says Josephine gave us a locked phone and they can come pick it up and to keep the bike tube. This came through as Josephine made a bad trade and come get your shit. We were now the Elizabeth Harbour thieves. To this day, we have run into boats “that have heard of us.” Anyway, Blake went over to Fury to retrieve the phone and offered them money for the tube which they did not accept. They were kind in person but that message over the net was a bit scathing.
Blake and I hiked all around Stocking Island, without a map or any concern, we spent hours following trails and exploring on foot. There really aren’t any land predators on the islands. The only live snake we saw was when we visited Bob, Tom, and their visiting wives, Karla and Dana, at Kevalli Resort, one of the small resorts on the island. There was a snake in the closet and the owner asked they just leave it be. It was a constrictor, non-venomous, and a free pest exterminator. The resort had established terraces along walking trails that provided stunning 360-degree views. That evening, we all had dinner at Chat ‘N’ Chill and watched the sunset.
A weather window for sailing north to Cat Island was approaching which meant going back to George Town for some more provisioning, water, food, gas, diesel, and to return a book that we checked out from the library, Out Island Doctor, recommended by Kelly Boy. On our way there in the dinghy, a momma dolphin allowed her baby to play with us. It swam under and around the dinghy and would surface really close. We’ve never interacted with a dolphin like this and this was our first time to see a dolphin since Florida.
When we got to the dock, I saw a woman with a couple of bags of tortilla chips. We have not been able to find tortilla chips since we were in Black Point. I beelined it to her and asked her where she found those chips then we buzzed over to that grocery store and loaded up. Easy snacks are hard to come by in the Bahamas. By easy, I mean something that you don’t have to cook or prepare. There were also granny smith apples which I hadn’t seen in over a month. I will say, George Town had the most abundant produce selection compared to other places we had been. We even found gluten free pancake mix!
That evening there was going to be a meet up on the beach for those heading South. We were not heading South but felt like being social and making a few more connections before heading North to Cat Island. While there I finally got a chance to talk to Jillian, from Mug Up, a boat we have crossed paths with numerous times since getting to the Bahamas. I regret not getting to know her sooner, instead of right before we were heading in opposite directions.
At times, this lifestyle can feel very isolating. In retrospect, I realize the importance of forming relationships any chance you get, when anchored. There is comfort in being able to connect with someone who is having a shared experience, especially another woman. I often feel like an outsider in “boat talk,” mainly because I don’t care to talk about repairs or boat specs. I prefer to talk about the how, not the what. There is nothing wrong with the latter, I’m just not interested in, “What do you draft?” or “What do you use for (fill in the blank)?” It feels like a pissing contest most of the time. I enjoyed talking about how Jillian homeschools her three children and I like learning about people.
While there, we met a couple who were boat hitchhikers from the United States. They began travelling together, hitchhiker style, two and half years ago. They had hitched a ride on a boat from Florida to the Bahamas but their ride ended there and they were in search of a boat heading South to the Dominican Republic, their goal destination.
Blake and I saw the captain of the boat they travelled here on; he was nodding off into his food at the Chat ‘N’ Chill bar one afternoon. They said that one of their jobs as crew was to ensure the captain made it back to the boat safely. They were both ready to get out of the Bahamas, mainly because it was so expensive and nearly impossible to work for extra money. The Bahamas is very strict about non-residents working, as they should be. Work is limited.
We talked about how Europeans and Canadians are much more willing to accept hitchhiking crew than Americans. I thought about how, as Americans, we are taught to fear everything that is unfamiliar, including people. We fear new ideas, new products, new vaccines, new people, new ways of living; if it’s new it’s scary. I am by no means immune from this judgmental and fear-based ideology as I had my own reservations about sharing my home with two strangers. I could feel myself sizing them up; even in the questions I was asking them. This is not something I am proud of but it’s something I’m now aware of; how fear fuels judgement and resistance.
On our final day we went back to George Town for more water and wifi at a little coffeeshop nestled into what appeared to be a non-operational motel, next to the library. After repeated visits, the resident cat became very comfortable with us and took turns sitting in our laps.
We took one more walk along Chat ‘N’ Chill beach and got to listen to some live music by our fellow cruisers. When we were back to the boat, Jillian stopped by with a farewell gift of resources and a homemade buffalo chicken dip.
The gesture was so kind and my immediate thought, was, “Shit, is there anything I can give her?” We did have a book but I wish I would have thought to make her and her family some cookies or something. We received a lot in Elizabeth Harbour and it’s hard to receive; like really just receive without making it some kind of transaction. There is something in me that feels like if I receive something, I must give something but sometimes you just receive and what matters more is how you receive it; is it with guilt or gratitude? I want to be someone who receives with sincere and authentic gratitude. Receiving is not a place of inferiority; it’s a place of abundance. Thank you to the cruisers in Elizabeth Harbour for this sweet lesson; it has been received.