Coconut Challenge

As newbie’s to an event involving over a 1,000 coconuts being dropped in a cove for people in dinghies to recover, we decided to take the safe approach and volunteer to assist in the distribution of coconuts rather than actually competing.

Three bags of 30 coconuts and

one golden coconut ready for distribution

Evidently it helps team spirit to have a unique uniform that no one will copy.

French Canadian Two Time Coconut Challenge

World Champions ready to defend their title

The contestants ready their dinghies.  Note that they are sans engines and paddles, as the only propulsion device allowed is snorkeling fins.  The only other equipment allowed is a bailing bucket, useful for swamping a competitor’s boat. 

The coconuts are released!

And, here come the coconut harvesters.

Many tactics were employed by the four person teams, however the most effective seemed to be having propulsion people at the back of the dinghy and harvesting personal on the front.

Grabbing a golden coconut worth extra points

Many of the teams obviously had not practiced leading to much chaos.

Note, the rules state that a life preserver

must be attached to the contestant.

They look a little smug...

Most of the teams returned with 30 to 50 coconuts per dinghy.

Chris Parker “the weather guy” and his team Parker’s Pickers

WHAT IS THIS!

116 coconuts

Plus, all four of the golden coconuts!

“White people are crazy.”

                 -Anonymous

31st George Town Cruising Regatta

a.k.a., Adult Summer Camp

Regatta activities include: dinghy parade/poker run, infosessions (Chris Parker on weather), pet parade, coconut challenge, bridge, Texas hold’em, big boat race around Stocking Island, softball tournament, small boat races, bocce ball tournament, ultra trivial pursuit, in-harbour races (big boat), golf tournament, tug of war, and a variety of social events.

Did I mention volleyball? They take their volleyball very seriously, and there is a game or two constantly on Volleyball Beach.



Volleyball Beach is a part of Chat ‘N Chill, the unofficial headquarters for the Cruising Regatta.



The dinghy parade was very entertaining. Orange smoke flares will certainly impress the judges.

As well as a very good costume; albeit hard to negotiate the sand with platform shoes.

Everything is very well organized with a volunteer committee chair for each event.

There are events and activities for the little ones.



And, the four-legged cruisers had their day with the pet parade.



Upcoming events include the Coconut Challenge (separate blog posting), and small boat races which include odd sailing dinghies and kayak races.

Yes, that is a bed sheet

Preparing the kayaks for racing

Chat 'N Chill

We ended up spending a week at Emerald Bay and on the second to last day, some of our cruiser friends showed up, including Knot Home. We first met Ken (our crazy Canadian friend) on Sail Away back in the Dismal Swamp.

Bob on Island Moon and Ken on Sail Away

It was time for Serenity to depart; finding the cut into Emerald Bay and the Exuma Sound had calmed down a bit.

After a nice motor sail, we found George Town and Elizabeth Harbour.  Reportedly, there are 284 active cruising boats here.  Next week is the 31^st annual Cruising Regatta.  The skyline at night with all of the anchor lights is quite impressive. 



Our first priority was claiming the mail that we missed in Nassau.  We thought the marina had sent it regular mail to the George Town Market, but it turns out they used DHL.  Our hunt led us to very official looking Police Station and Post Office.



Getting to George Town from our mooring in Gaviota Bay off of Stocking Island is usually a wet dinghy ride across Elizabeth Harbour and then under the bridge into Lake Victoria.



While there, we checked out the local sights.

Wherever we go, Pollie has to checkout the library



Back when we were in the snow planning our great escape, I was looking on Google Earth at the various islands in the Bahamas when I clicked on a picture taken from the Chat ‘N Chill.  “That’s it, I want to go there,” I said as I made that picture my screen saver.

Serenity moored off of the Chat ’N Chill

For your screen saver

 

Resort Living



Serenity found good protection from a prolonged period of strong winds and high seas at the Sandals Emerald Bay Resort and Marina.  The property was reopened in November 2009 after a $15 million upgrade – it shows.  The facilities are very, very nice, however there are some strange twists starting with the marina pricing structure.  They have a 40’ minimum, and the rate for boats 40-59 feet is $2.25 per foot with electricity and water metered (electricity: $.85 kwh, water: $.40 per gallon).  They also provide what they refer to “non-service slips” at a rate of $1.00 per foot per night. At the non-service slips metered water is available, but electricity and cable TV are not. 

OSHA violation

Let me see if I got this straight, you want me to pay 125% more just for the access to electricity I will then have to pay for? Guess where most of the cruisers are? Most cruisers share our belief that when slip fees approach $2.00 per foot, we expect daily maid service with clean sheets and towels. Over $2.00 we expect turn down service and mints on our pillows.

Showers, laundry and Wi-Fi are free, and the facilities are first rate. The marina club house is the best we have ever seen and features great furnishings, wide screen TVs (I got to watch the evening news), and a pool table.

The onsite bar/restaurant and pool did not reopen, but adjacent to the marina is the Grand Isle Resort where marina guest are welcome to enjoy Pallappa Restaurant & Bar. 

But, not the pool and hot tub because it seems previous cruisers are accused of pinching the towels.

While adjacent to the marina property, pedestrian access to the resort property has not been adequately developed. One gets the feeling that you are climbing through gaps in the fence. The villas in the Grand Isle Resort complex are exquisite, but empty.

The coconut telegraph reports that 31 of the villas are in foreclosure. If I were a prospective buyer, I would run, not walk away from the ghost town feel of the common areas.

Further on down the beach are the all inclusive Sandals Resort (children not allowed), and Red Lane Spa. Again, the prices exclude most cruisers. While I am sure that Sandals provides service industry jobs for the local Bahamians, an unintended consequence is that by being all inclusive it has dried up the local businesses. We did find Big D’s Conch House about 3.5 miles down the Queen’s Highway, but most cruisers do not have fold up bikes.

Just off of the Grand Isle Resort property is a small but very popular strip mall that includes a grocery store, liquor store, and a bank with ATM. There used to be a pizzeria/ice cream shop, and the bank is closed except for the ATM, probably a result of the unintended consequences and the nearby ghost town.

It looks like Tuesday or Wednesday will provide us with a good weather window to scoot on down to George Town.

Naked Angel surfing in

One boat tried to leave early in the week, but when they noticed waves breaking over the channel markers, they turned around and came back.

But, in the mean time, this isn’t bad at all.  Serenity’s food and liquor stores have been replenished, we have ridden our bikes every day, Friday night there was a cruiser potluck happy hour, yesterday we got in some reading, and today we may go snorkeling.                    

Sir Baxter

At approximately 23 51.24 N/076 13.42 W lies the Darby Islands.  There is a good anchorage between the Darbys with Little Darby on the Exuma Sound side providing protection from the prevailing winds. 



Just to the west of Little Darby Island lies the much larger Darby Island on the Exuma Bank side.  The owner of Darby Island in the 30’s and 40’s was Sir Baxter, an Englishman and a bit of an eccentric that was a known German sympathizer.  The most prominent feature on Darby Island is the large green house on the hill known as The Castle that he built in 1939. He had a first rate radio room and machine shop where he built beautiful wicker furniture.

He planted over 20,000 coconut palms and imported herds of cattle, sheep and goats.  His labor force was drawn from local workers and was probably the largest employer in the area, but he was known to be rather stingy.

He dredged the channel between the Darbys and built a concrete dock to allow U-boats to enter and tie up.  It is rumored that he would ferry supplies out to U-boats and even gave sanctuary to a few survivors of a U-boat sunk by Allies in the vicinity.

His popularity declined appreciably after the outbreak of World War II and eventually he and his mistress were asked to leave the islands.


At an asking price of $38,000,000, Darby Island can be yours (see: http://www.bahamaslocal.com/property_info/17734/Big_Darby_Island.html )

SOURCE: The Exuma Guide

Stephen J. Pavlidis

Conch Blowing, 101

A proud tradition in the Bahamas is blowing through a conch shell as an integral part of sunset services.  The rest of the services usually include the consumption of adult beverages.

Thank you, Annette

S/V Knot Home

Cave Cay

My favorite Bahamas guidebook always gives a brief description of what you will find ashore.
“There are some very prominent ruins just north of the entrance to the cove on the western shore. From the anchorage you can see the ruins of some pasture walls running down to the edge of the rocks. On the hill above the walls lies a large walled pen about 40’ square.


Since the last edition of this guide, Cave Cay has acquired new owners who have big plans for the cay. The new owners have constructed Cave Cay Marina (see: www.covecay.com) and dredged the inner harbor and there is a lot of new construction going on including marina and resort infrastructure and condos.”

The Exuma Guide

Stephen J. Pavlidis

Cave Cay is basically a private island being developed for cruisers and destination vacationers.

Cave Cay Marina with dredging equipment

The marina store in the picture above is not yet open, but the showers and washers are operational.

Marina showers and laundry building

However, it is washers, no dryers.

 There is a planned restaurant with great views.



Rental cottages are being built.

And, there is even an air strip.

Current amenities are limited to a garden where you are encouraged to pick fresh vegetables, hiking trails, and a couple of great beaches.

Feet in the water, ass in the sand



The marina mascots are Bella, Poncho, and Lobo.

We sincerely hope this place makes a go of it, because it is a great all weather harbor and the place is enchanting.  Construction anywhere is challenging, but in the Bahamas it seems next to impossible considering all of the constraints.  Before you can get something built the elements are working against you.

“…and island history repeated itself for the millionth time as one man attempted to build his dreams out of another man’s nightmare.”

Jimmy Buffett