George Town, Great Exuma Cay, Exuma, Bahamas
KORKZcrew is the blue dot on the map.
Sunrise over Stocking Island
This morning I was lucky enough to participate in my F.I.T. exercise class with my sister Knox who has very generously taken my mom to Sunset Beach for the weekend. It's pretty fun to see my buddy (and our instructor) Fonda LIVE from Wilmington AND my sister in Sunset Beach, and sometimes my college roommate in either Maryland or Florida! I don't know many workouts that let you do THAT, and it's truly motivating to have friends and family in the mix — you not only get a chance to see them, but also have the best imaginable accountability buddies. Plus I'm just grateful that Fonda can keep me from getting cankles 😂if I sit around too long. These classes have saved my sanity for almost two years now, and that's no small feat.
Ron is gathering more information about KORKZcrew's batteries, trying to figure out the best measures to take since we are so far from home. He's trying to determine if it makes sense to replace some or all of them now, or to wait until later in the spring when we're back in the states. Again, we are fortunately NOT incapacitated, but just trying to control what we can while we're in an anchorage in the largest town in the Exuma Cays, where we have access to a good cell signal AND a community of experienced boaters who might have the answers we need. It makes sense to stay put for now and to not get even farther away from "civilization", so to speak, while we weigh the next best steps for KORKZcrew.
Skeet and I enjoyed swimming off the stern this afternoon while Ron took a quick trip into town to take our trash and replenish some groceries. Steve doesn't know quite what to think when we are all in the water and he's still on the boat, and seems to prefer being in the dinghy so he can still be close to us without having to exert himself and actually swim. 😂 He's just the best companion imaginable, and has turned out to be everything Greta had hoped for all those years ago when at age 3, she told her dad she really wanted a dog. Ron told her point blank she could have one when she was 10, thinking he'd put the matter to rest, but from that moment on, the countdown began . . . she's no dummy, and beginning at age 4 she'd say, ok, only 6 more years dad! Etc!! I told Ron he couldn't just think he'd distracted her from the idea with that one comment because now she was 100% locked in, so we started a dog "notebook", and for years we collected information about different breeds based on Greta's criteria: (1) wants to be with us no matter where we are (2) good with children (3) likes the water and (4) doesn't shed. Ok, that last one was MY criteria because I am the world's worst housekeeper, and the last thing I need are tumbleweed hairballs rolling through my home. So around age 8 or 9, enter Knox Barker, my sister, with the brilliant suggestion to consider a labradoodle, which we knew nothing about. Her friend in Greensboro had just gotten a puppy, who I remember visiting, and after that, we were SOLD. I love that Steve is a mini labradoodle, so he's only around 25 pounds and the perfect lap dog. How he got his name is another blog post altogether but I'll spare you that story. It's pretty funny though, I have to admit.
After Ron returned from town, we decided to go on a dinghy cruise and check out all of the other boats at this busy anchorage. It's like people watching but with boats, and I'm just enthralled with seeing all the different types of vessels as well as their countries of origin. What I've noticed before is still true — that the vast majority of cruisers are on sailboats in the 40- to 50 foot range, and a good number of THOSE are catamarans. We rode all around Stocking Island, sneaking back in a cool anchorage tucked in just around the corner from the Chat n' Chill, and then we went to the northernmost point of Stocking. It felt like a nice Sunday drive in spite of the fact that it was actually Saturday. Even saw a starfish along the way!!
Steve enjoyed his first doggie play date this afternoon at the beach right across from where KORKZcrew is anchored, thanks to the efforts of the amazing people who make The Morning Report on VHF channel 72 possible. He apparently had a lovely time and made lots of new friends. 😜
Sunset over Stocking Island
