{"id":1758,"date":"2013-02-20T14:36:44","date_gmt":"2013-02-20T18:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/?p=1758"},"modified":"2013-02-20T14:36:44","modified_gmt":"2013-02-20T18:36:44","slug":"busy-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/?p=1758","title":{"rendered":"Busy Month…"},"content":{"rendered":"

So sorry that it has been so long without an update.\u00a0 It seems like when we have internet we are too busy to post and when we are out in the sticks and have time, we have no internet.\u00a0 Tonight we are anchored at Farmers Cay, again without internet, but I\u2019m hoping to find a connection in the Settlement tomorrow to get this update posted.<\/p>\n

After Brian and Katie left we hung around Georgetown for a few days.<\/p>\n

We met two couples from Detroit area, Don and Linda (from Awe Spray) who we spent lots of time with and Joyce and Bruce on Mandalay. \u00a0Don and Linda spend their winters in the Bahamas and summers in The North Channel where they have a camp (cottage). \u00a0We had lots of laughs while visiting each other’s boats and one great dinner at St. Francis Marina on Stocking Island. \u00a0Bruce (from Mandalay) went to Cook Elementary in Detroit where Jeff went and graduated from Redford High School a few years before we did.\u00a0 It\u2019s a small world.<\/p>\n

\"IMGP1822\"<\/a>Next on the schedule was the arrival of Sarah and Kristi.\u00a0 The girls flew into Georgetown and caught a cab from the airport to town.\u00a0 All went well and we met them at the dinghy dock and headed out to Echo.<\/p>\n

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Although the weather wasn’t the greatest, we had a great week with them. \u00a0The morning they arrived the wind was calm for the first time since we arrived in the Bahamas, very still and very hot.<\/p>\n

Weather down here takes a while to get to understand.\u00a0 The normal winter weather is a brisk trade winds out of the east that blow day and night.\u00a0 As long as the trades keep blowing, you can be sure that there is not any different weather in the near future.\u00a0 When the trades are disturbed and things become calm and beautiful, you can be sure that there is some weather system pushing back the trade winds and changing weather is sure to follow.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0671\"<\/a> \"IMG_0674\"<\/a>We had just enough time that day to head over to Stocking Island for a few beers at Big D’s before the clouds, winds and rain moved in. \u00a0We spent the evening on board then moved down to Volley Ball beach in the morning so we were closer to all the social activities for the day. \u00a0We spent some time at Chat and Chill, one of the beach bars, walked along the beach on the Atlantic side, visited with other cruisers and had dinner.\"IMG_0682\"<\/a> \"IMG_0689\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Stocking Island is hard to describe.\u00a0 When we were there with Sarah and Kristi there were over 200 boats.\u00a0 By the end of February there can be up to 500.\u00a0\u00a0 Although there are some boats passing through, the majority of boats come down, drop the anchor, and stay for months.\u00a0 The activities are endless: volleyball, amateur radio classes, yoga on the beach every morning, non denominational Christian beach church (something not quite kosher there), basket weaving, poker, trivial pursuit, softball, spiritual healing\u2026..\u00a0 You get the idea.\u00a0 It is something between a cruise ship and a senior\u2019s active living home.\u00a0 Although it is fun in small doses, we like to get away too.<\/p>\n

Sunday turned out to be a great day for a sail over to Long Island, it was a beam reach with fairly calm seas. \u00a0Sarah and Kristi did well and were treated with a quick view of dolphins swimming near by. \u00a0We also flew past, “La Toison D’Or” (translation – Golden Fleece) the sailboat featured in the Bahamian Super Bowl commercial.<\/p>\n