Georgetown

We’ve arrived in Georgetown, the largest settlement in the Exuma Cays. It was a bit of a shock when we first arrived. We’ve spent so much time in very secluded places where a “really crowded” anchorage might have 10 boats, and the crowd at the bar might reach 15 or 20 on a busy night. Here in Georgetown there is easily over 350 boats, and a huge crowd of cruisers to go with them.

Dinghies line the beach:

When we went to our first gathering we felt very awkward and uncomfortable. There were so many people. If there was a corner I would have stood quietly in it. But we were on a thin peninsula so no matter where we went we were surrounded.

At night the anchor lights look like a city, and because of the curve of the harbor you can’t see an end to the lights.

LeeAnn playing with the tree swing with the other kids:

The best way to describe Georgetown is “winter camp for Grandma and Grandpa”. Everything is very organized and scheduled. There is:

Dances
Volleyball
Softball
Tennis
Beach Golf
Poker
Trivia
Bachi Ball
Talent shows

As well as:

silly games, we saw one where the ladies had to put a plunger in between their legs and stand on one side of the volleyball court, the men stood on the other side of the court with a roll of toilet paper in between their legs. Then the ladies waddled across the court and stuck the plunger into the hole of the toilet paper. Don’t for get that this is grandma and grandpa… so it’s a little disturbing for us!

Another game was called “coconut harvest”. LeeAnn and I participated in this one. You get together a team of four, each person gets one flipper, and then you get into a little dinghy. The goal is to collect as many coconuts as possible. 700 coconuts were released into a small bay. A lot of the younger crowd participated in this event… and they were vicious. LeeAnn almost had her flipper stolen by another lady, but she fought back hard. When the other person couldn’t getLeeAnn’s flipper she tried to steal the coconuts out of our dinghy! Another team almost sunk our dinghy by pushing the bow under the water, so LeeAnn stole their chicken hat, and ripped a bell off a jester hat that one of their team members was wearing.

After the harvest we performed various relay races such as putting a coconut in between our stomachs and rushing to be the first across the volleyball court.

Our Coconut harvest team:
Chad, LeeAnn, Jay, and Jainie

LeeAnn and I also participated in a sand sculpting competition. My team got second place in the adult division. LeeAnn’s team got first place in the family division.

My teams sculpture:

LeeAnn's Team:

All the events are coordinated by an “event chairmen” and presided over by what I call the “camp counselors” who come complete with clipboards and megaphones.

It’s very easy to knock this place, but the truth is that after you get used to it, it’s pretty fun. We’ve meet some really great people, and had some very fun times. We’ve had campfires with guitars sing-alongs, smores, and hotdogs. There is a small grocery store in town that has a pretty steady supply of fresh meat, veggies, and even mozzarella cheese! Don’t buy the cheese in the bags though, it’s moldy, buy the blocks. Water is free, which is another great advantage.

Internet isn’t as easy to come by, which is why I haven’t posted in so long.

LeeAnn petting a stingray