George Town
I awoke at about 2:30 am to the sounds and sights of thunder and lightning, and walked upstairs to check on the boat. Sitting up at the helm I could clearly see our surroundings as if it were daytime due to the amount of lightning, and we seemed to be ok. At 5am I awoke to the sounds of intense howling winds, and once again went top side to check things out. Emma came out of her room saying she could hear the anchor dragging under her, and almost immediately the rest of the creatures emerged aswell. We decided that since the anchor was dragging because of the intense winds, we’d pull it up and set sail so that we’d be away from the rocky shoreline. So there we were, all four kids on the bow pulling up anchor while I was at the helm trying to maneuver the boat in ways that would be most helpful in loosening the anchor. It took the creatures a full hour of tug of war to pull the 125ft of heavy anchor chain up, and finally we were free and sailing off once again.
I tacked back and forth with reefed sails until we reached the cut to enter the waterway leading to George Town. One has to be quite precise with navigation in the cut because of sand bars and rocky shorelines, and thankfully the starboard engine started to power us through. By 11:30am we made the final turn in to the George Town area, and found a good place to anchor and finally relax.
We took the dinghy in, which involves motoring under a little bridge to a lake of sorts called Lake Victoria, where a dinghy dock is provided.
We tied up and walked in to the town to get some groceries, fill propane tanks and mail off the creatures school work.
The grocery store, called Exuma market, had more inventory than we’ve seen in a long time, and it was the typical ridiculous Bahamian prices.
After all was done in town we went back to Tanda Malaika where we reorganized and inventoried all our groceries, after which I took a nap – during my nap I had a phone conversation with my Mom and can’t remember a word of it. I awoke to Jude and Mycah jumping in for a swim, so I joined them and relished the peace and relaxation that accompanies being submersed in the ocean. It’s my happy place.
After dinner we took the dinghy over to our new friends boat, called Uno, and chatted till I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, and brought one of their boys back with us (Aidan’s new friend) for a sleep over on the trampoline.
I look forward to a good nights rest tonight, knowing our anchor is set and we are not going to drag. Till tomorrow, good night to all.
Adventures of a Tribe 