Proverbially Thinking

George Town   

Woohoo! We were pulling up anchor as the George Town Cruisers Net broadcast began at 8:00. By noon we were going to be anchored off Lee Stocking Island and meeting Paradigm Shift for dinner. "Were" is the operative word here. As our anchor came to rest in its cradle, something was wrong. The outer roller was cocked at a disturbing angle. I took the helm as Barry came to the bow to take a look at what I was seeing. We both agreed that it was a major issue that would affect our ability to anchor for the remainder of our stay. The decision was made to turn around and head back to the George Town anchorage. Making a U-turn was not as simple as it should have been. The Inagua Spray was on its way to the Government Dock. The rule of gross tonnage says you let the big guy go first. We pulled to the side and watched as it passed by. It was fully loaded with a draft of nine feet in about nine feet of water. It left a milky trail of disturbed sand in its wake. 

We anchored just north of Chat N Chill beach. Once the bridle was applied and the stress taken off the anchor chain, we could diagnose the problem. We had lost a bolt out of the anchor roller, causing it to sag. We brainstormed and came up with a plan to remove all these important parts without losing them in the water. Barry climbed over the bow rail and sat atop the spare anchor. A dock line was tied around the roller, the cotter pin was secured with a string, and for good measure, I held an inverted umbrella below the anchor to catch anything that may have fallen. We breathed a sigh of relief once all parts, and Barry, were securely on the foredeck. We dropped the dinghy and headed to the Exuma Market dock in Lake Victoria. Surely we could find a 1.5 inch, 3/8-inch flat head bolt at Top II Bottom. Nope. They suggested we try Minn's. Nope. Next option was Brown's Marine, a good 3.5 miles away. We elected to make that trip by dinghy. It was a beautiful day and it was a nice ride. We went under the bridge to Crab Cay and wound our way through the shallows to Brown's. They had the bolt, except it was too long. The super friendly staff had one of the yard workers cut four to size (we replaced the other three old ones as well). 

I waited outside while the work was being completed -- in the warm sunshine and under a palm tree. It could have been much worse. With our bolts in hand, we headed back to Crossroads. We were oh-so-close to the picturesque Man-O-War Sandbar, but the tide timing was off for a visit. Maybe next time.

We had a late lunch and I read as we waited for the sun to get a little less intense. The waves reflected off the rocky face of the shore to our port creating a relaxing white noise. By 3:30, Barry was back in his spot, and we went through the same procedure in reverse. As we finished up, the Inagua Spray fittingly passed alongside us as it exited the harbor. 

The sun was strong today until the very last moment. While not the dinner we were hoping for, the  baked grouper I fixed was pretty tasty. After dinner, the scissors came out and I gave myself a haircut. This may have been a reaction to stress, but we have now been underway for two months and I was getting quite shaggy. As of tonight, I believe we're going to stay here in George Town while a frontal system moves through. Today, I kept thinking of the old Proverb. Maybe its best if I don't plan for a while.