George Town, Great Exuma Cay, Exuma, Bahamas
KORKZcrew is the blue dot on the map.
This morning it was blowing 20 knots, with the boat rocking back and forth so much that I had to hold onto the bow railings for the majority of Fonda’s exercise class. My mat and towel had to be secured under a chair so they wouldn’t blow away, but I have to say it feels GOOD to workout in a constant albeit heavy breeze! Plus I had the major bonus of being able to see my sister Knox who joined today's workout, which was a HUGE boost to my motivation. It's so cool that these workouts are live and that participants can take them from literally anywhere and still be able to interact. It's a pretty major and unexpected perk of these classes.
Although we've been at the anchorage near Kahari for several days, KORKZcrew was swinging around and rolling to a degree that made us think we should seek out another spot around Stocking that was better protected from the swells. We pulled up anchor and headed a bit north, locating a favorable anchorage near Monument Beach where there was a cute bunch of people doing a water aerobics class — another great byproduct of the Morning Report!
The same friendly couple who own the Great Harbour 47 saw us at the new anchorage, came over to say hello, and invited us over to their boat for drinks later this afternoon - James & Cathy. I am continually impressed by the kindness we've found within the boating community. It's truly refreshing.
Ferry leaving George Town, presumably headed for Nassau. This is how supplies and vehicles get to and from George Town.
It was time to fill KORKZcrew's water tanks again, and we are learning we can go about a week to 10 days before needing to top them up. The best news about refilling the water is that the dock in George Town is conveniently located beside the sushi restaurant, and wouldn't you know it, it was right around lunch time when we got there. Oh darn! First Skeet and I hit the grocery store so we could get some appetizers to take to James and Cathy's boat, and then we got a bag of sushi heaven, I mean takeout, and headed right back to the same anchorage at Monument Beach.
At 4:30, we headed over to James and Cathy's Great Harbour 47, and had an immediate crush on their gorgeous boat. It's only 10 feet longer than ours, but feels 10 times larger, inside and out. It is so spacious and felt more like a full-blown condominium than a boat. KORKZcrew truly suits us, but it was incredibly fun to not only see another Great Harbour, but to also be able to explore its floorplan. Here's a picture of their boat, C-Marie, taken from their blog:
Isn't it to die for?! Here's the layout, also taken from their website:
They were incredibly gracious hosts, and showed us all around their AMAZING home on the water. James told us the story of how they had found it and worked on renovating it off and on for over a year. I believe he has recently retired, and their goal is to complete America's Great Loop.
From Wikipedia:
"The Great Loop is a system of waterways that encompasses the eastern portion of the United States and part of Canada. It is made up of both natural and man-made waterways, including the Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, the Rideau Canal, and the Mississippi and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.[1] The entire loop stretches about 6,000 miles (9,700 km)."
They explained that they'd come to the Bahamas as a side trip, and planned to return to the U.S. in a month or so to continue on their journey. Hearing their story definitely piqued my interest in the Great Loop. They had attended multiple informational meetings about the Loop leading up to their departure, and recommended that if we're interested in one day doing the same, we should join the AGLCA: America's Great Loop Cruisers Association. So I did! (I'm easy that way.) What a cool way to experience the U.S.
