We are in Georgetown, Bahamas!

Wild Horses arrived in Georgetown, Bahamas on Tuesday March 24. Although we have been here twice before, the feeling upon arrival is still the same. We are washed over with a feeling of accomplishment and excitement.
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Georgetown is an iconic place where many cruisers gather. For some, it is the furthest south that they will travel. A turnaround point. For others, it is a jumping off point. Some cruisers will continue south to explore the outer Bahamian islands, like the Ragged Islands, Crooked Island, or Long Island. Or, like us, it is a place to pause and re-group before continuing the even longer journey to the Caribbean. Wherever your plans take you after Georgetown, being here is a relief and an inspiration.

Mike and Ocean arrive at Chat n Chill beach

The iconic milestone sign at Chat n Chill beach

The anchorage where Wild Horses will sit for the next ten days

Wild Horses anchored in Georgetown

In Georgetown we can get a few groceries, fuel and marine supplies. We can hike, swim, snorkel and, most importantly, hang out with our fellow cruisers. If the weather was good for continuing our journey south, Georgetown would just be a pit stop for us. We would quickly grab the supplies we need and then take off to our next stop south in the Bahamas. As it turns out, we have another strong weather system passing through the Bahamas that will keep us here in Georgetown until the end of the first week of April. This is definitely not a quick pit stop!
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These strong weather systems have been a pain in our butts this whole season. They have slowed us down as we try to seek decent shelter from the strong winds, keeping us in anchorages far longer than we would normally have stayed. But, wait, is that really a bad thing?  Slowing down?  Having ample time to explore and learn about a new place? Truth be told, the weather hasn’t stopped us from enjoying our time here. Looking back over our time in the Exumas, I would say that lingering in paradise has been a joy😊.

We have seen so many sea creatures in the Exumas and the sea turtles always get our attention

A ghost crab visits us at the beach

A very well hidden hermit crab

Lots of sting rays hang out near the docks. Check out how clear the water is here!!

​In fact, our favourite times were when we could put down the charts and schedules and really play tourist. Or, when a guest arrives, we get to play tourist guide. This was the case when our boat buddies on Tekana (Jean and Dean) had Jean’s sister Sherry visit for the first few weeks of March. It was an amazing time that passed by far too quickly!

Enjoying a beer with our fellow cruisers at Black Point

Ocean checks out the swimming pigs at Staniel Cay

Here is a close up!

But maybe a little too close for Sherry!

Mike in the Oven Rock cave at Farmers Cay

Oh baby! Those are bats hanging around up in that cave!!

​We said good bye to Jean’s sister Sherry on March 17, seeing her off at the Staniel Cay airport. The next day, both Tekana and Wild Horses moved south to Black Point Settlement. The winds were forecasted to be quite strong for several days (surprise!) and the Black Point anchorage has great protection. A bonus during our visit here? The village of Black Point was having its annual regatta. We got to see some great sloop races between the local Black Point teams and the visiting Georgetown teams. It was incredible, especially since the winds were really strong. The talented sailors thrilled us with their skills to manage the heavy winds in small skiffs that featured a huge mainsail that went the whole length of the skiff. Each boat also had an outrigger, which is a long beam on the leeward side of the boat. At least 3 of the 6 crew would sit on the end of the outrigger to try to balance the boat against the wind. Most of the time, this worked beautifully but not all the time. We watched four boats get overwhelmed by wind and pushed right over. And then they sunk! We were shocked at first but quickly learned that this is quite normal for these sailors and the boats handle it all well. Once sunk, the sailors remove the lead from the keel and take the mast off the boat. With the lead weight gone, the boat floats to the surface and is towed to shore. The only damage is to the crew’s pride!

The Bahamian Sloops are in a race amongst the anchored boats

A collision between two sloops

A sunken sloop (middle of the picture)

Crew hanging out on the outrigger of the sloop

The crews return back to dock after the race

Mike and Ocean enjoying the race with a crowd including other cruisers as well as locals

Both the strong wind and the festival ended last Sunday so Tekana and Wild Horses made a plan to head down to Georgetown. This part of the trip is always interesting as it involves taking the boat through a “cut” to the Exuma Sound. For us, the nail-biting part is timing the Cut.  Depending on which Cut you choose, you may have a narrow or a wide passage, and/or a deep or shallow passage. Regardless, all of these cuts are notorious for having strong currents, even more so if you go when there is wind against the current.  This go around we took Dotham Cut, which is just north of Black Point Settlement. Our passage through was easy and before we knew it we were out in the Exuma Sound and enjoying a fabulous sea state and motor sail.

Approaching Dotham Cut just after dawn

Mike checking out our sail shape

And now we will pause until this next strong system passes through. But are we bored waiting to head to Luperon, Dominican Republic? Nope! We have already stocked up our groceries, fuel, and water, dropped off garbage and, most importantly, connected and reconnected with our fellow cruisers. It has been lots of laughs, hikes, beach walks, and, oh yes, a few beers 😉.  We are looking forward to the week ahead in Georgetown!

Fabulous fellow cruisers. This is our favourite part!

Ocean wondering what adventures we will get into today

Whatever the adventure, the crew of Wild Horses will do it together