Each Drenching Ride Is Unique

George Town   

The harbor has filled up and with that comes the unfortunate, but expected, repercussions of cruisers not following the rules. A seemingly endless parade of boats filed in yesterday seeking protection from the upcoming wind event. Several boats chose the wrong open area and dropped their anchor in the middle of the channel. This morning an inbound supply boat ran aground while avoiding sailboats in its path. The island's shipment of fresh produce sat in the harbor all day, waiting for the evening high tide to float it free. The wind definitely kicked up from the day before. For most of the morning all the dinghies remained tethered to their mothership. Only around noon, did folks begin to stir. We decided to make our trip into town since we were rained out yesterday. We were traveling with the waves as we sped to Lake Victoria, surfed through the tunnel, and tied up at the Exuma Markets dock. We thankfully disposed of our trash and used oil, then began walking a familiar loop. Along the way we stopped to say Hello to Joanne and John (No Limits) and Ruth Ann and Fred (Shooting Star) who were having a great time playing pickleball in the gusty wind. Next door to their court was the farmers market and a few steps down the road was the Shop Rite. We passed through each place and made mental notes for when we return on a grocery run later in the week. For lunch we stopped at the newly-opened Eliyanah's for take-away. We ordered at the counter and ate at the lakeside picnic tables. Barry was finally able to enjoy a burger. Our final stop on land was at Top II Bottom, the West Marine of the Exumas, that claims to have, "EveryTING 4 Everytime." He was able to check off all the items on his list and exited with a smile. Despite carrying his purchases in a Dollar Tree bag, he assured me that his items were more than a dollar each. For a boat, EveryTING always is.  

We wandered over to the straw market, walked around to the waterfront, and made an exploratory sweep of Exuma Market before returning to the dinghy. Our last order of business was to fill up the dinghy's gas tank. We relocated to another dock and Barry carried our almost empty tank up to the pump. I stayed onboard and watched him expertly scale the seawall and pallet steps upon his return. We were then ready to head back across the harbor to Chat N Chill beach for the afternoon jam session. For this trip we would be going right into the wind-driven waves. An ominous chop met us in the tunnel where we quickly got the "getting wet" moment out of the way. It was a wet and bouncy crossing, very similar to the White Water Canyon ride at Kings Dominion which is advertised to put "riders at the mercy of a long journey across powerful waves and torrents ... each drenching ride is unique." The soaked Captain decided to pull into Crossroads and call it a day. He took a shower and then a nap. I went up to the flybridge to start and finish Book 5. I remember reading Sounder in junior high and believe it was my first "dog book." I have kept a copy in my bookcase for all these years and am glad I pulled it out to read again.