New Bight, Cat Island

We left George Town yesterday around 8 am. Winds were light so we motored for the first 20 miles, then put the sails up and motorsailed with one engine. Kevin had three fishing lines out, and he was more hopeful than ever. After talking with Don on Paragon the other day, Kevin had gone to the hardware store in George Town and bought bigger hooks and lures; it seems the reason we weren't catching much was because we were using tiny lures that the fish wouldn't even bother with. So we trolled the three lines behind us as we motored along. We got nothing most of the day, and then just as we approached Cat Island, something bit. Kevin reeled it in and it was an 18 inch barracuda. It was small for a barracuda but still exciting, since it was the first good-sized fish we'd caught. I got out the camera ready to take a picture when Kevin hauled him out of the water. But when he started to put the fish in the net, the fish flopped a few times and was gone. I swear, that fish was just messing with us and must have been holding the hook between his teeth so that he could let go at just the right moment. Plus the damn thing ate half the lure. So no fish dinner for us last night.

Instead, as we motored into the anchorage at New Bight, our friends Larry and Tracy on the sailboat Soulmatie hailed us on the radio. They had left George Town with Paragon the day before us, and the two boats invited us to dinner with them. Since all we had to look forward to was spaghetti, we readily accepted the offer and I quickly baked up a batch of cookies to bring as dessert. Larry made a fantastic chicken piccata served over rice with green beans, while Don and Kim made homemade biscuits and mixed up some drinks. The meal was delicious, and for desert we had cookies and a frozen cool whip and marshmallow concoction that Larry whipped up (no pun intended). Afterward the four of them introduced Kevin and I to dominoes. I had never played the game before; I thought playing dominoes just meant that you set up the tiles on their sides in a fancy pattern and then knocked one over to watch them fall down. (I still think that's a great game, I just don't know how viable it is on a rocking boat). But the "real" dominoes game is also excellent fun; Kevin and I may just go out and get ourselves a set when we are back in the States.

Where we are:
Lat: 24 17.153' N
Long: 75 24.962' W