Georgetown, Exuma Islands - At Last!

As you can see from the title, we have finally arrived in Georgetown! The "weather window" we were waiting for finally opened up. The winds were 10-15 knots which is right where we like them, but the seas were a little rolly with 3-4 foot swells. At first we motored along at 6.5 knots with both engines. Then for extra speed we put up the sails and sped up to 8 knots with sails and both engines, and then Kevin decided to experiment so we turned off the port engine and still managed to get 7.5 knots. Plus we saved a little fuel that way as well.

We entered the Elizabeth Harbor at Georgetown around noon. We weren't sure what to expect, this is a popular destination and many boats come here for the winter and just stay anchored in the harbor for months at a time. But right about now is when they start heading back north, so the harbor isn't too crowded. Currently there are 191 other boats anchored here, but during big events that number can get as high as 300-500. But we found a nice spot to drop anchor where we wouldn't be too close to any other boats. Then we decided to do some exploring.

Georgetown is on Great Exuma Island. The harbor lies to the east of Georgetown and is sheltered by several outlying islands: Stocking Island is the largest (not to be confused with Lee Stocking island where we spend last week), then Elizabeth Island, and Guana, Fowl, and Welk Cays. "Solstice" is anchored off Stocking Island near Volleyball Beach/Black Point. So in order to get into Georgetown we have to cross the harbor in the dinghy. Since we got in on a Sunday we knew most places in town were closed (laundry, grocery, mail, fuel dock) so we opted instead to take a look around Stocking Island.

Right on Volleyball Beach is the Chat N' Chill beach club. This is a great club with bar, full kitchen, and beach activities. The atmosphere is fun and casual, and Sunday is their Pig Roast so it was packed with nearly 100 people. Some were inside at the bar, others laying out by the beach, and still others were at picnic tables in the shade playing bridge and dominoes. And of course there were several volleyball games in progress at the many courts for which the beach is named. We imagine we'll be spending a lot of time there over the next couple of weeks.

Of course Murphy's Law is that we have to break something important our first day in harbor. In this case our dinghy. On the way back from the club we think we broke the propeller thrust hub (protects the engine in case you hit a rock or something) on the outboard. So getting that fixed is the first order of business, luckily it broke here where we can get parts if we need them. Anyway, we are just happy to have a change of scenery!

Where we are:
Lat: N 23 30.887' (for you geography buffs, we have crossed the Tropic of Cancer!)
Long: W 75 45.308'