Week 16: George Town to Long Island

A short hike to a beautiful beach was one of the final highlights of our time in the Exumas.

Our secluded Elizabeth Island anchorage had more pros than cons: good protection from the wind, comfortable space between the handful of anchored boats, and ease of access to coral reefs for snorkeling… but getting to and especially from George Town was a rough, wet dinghy ride due to stiff winds during most of our stay.

So we were ready to hoist anchor on Wednesday morning to set sail for Long Island, 36 nautical miles away. A number of vessels set out for points east that same morning, trying to make it to the Turcs and Caicos or the Dominican Republic during a brief weather window between cold fronts.

We motorsailed throughout the morning, entertained by expansive vistas of turqouise water and a brief visit from a playful dolphin.

By early afternoon we were anchored in Thompson Bay, and getting the lay of the land. Where to dispose of trash? What’s in stock at the grocery store, and are there any good restaurants by chance?

Anne, a friendly cruiser we met on the dinghy dock gave us some quick pointers (place your garbage in the concrete corral up and to the left, NOT in the blue bin with the “No Boater Trash” sign at the end of the dinghy dock; make a left at the main road to get to the grocery store).

We were pleasantly surprised by the extensive variety of goods available at Hillside Supply. As always, and especially in The Bahamas, it pays to check expiration dates before purchasing.

And we were delighted a couple of hours later by our early dinner at Tiny’s Hurricane Hole, a short dinghy ride away. We’d never had a pizza with pork, brussel sprouts, red onion, and jalapeño, and it was so, so good. Their Tiny’s Rum Punch was also excellent.

On Wednesday, there were maybe 15 or so boats anchored in the spacious anchorage, and one of them was S/V a Rún, a Kaiser gale Force 34, who we had followed into Great Harbour Cay in the dark, wee hours of the morning on Jan. 8.

It was fun to chat with Neil, a single handed sailor, before our paths diverged once again. He departed today, aiming for Puerto Rico.

The morning Cruisers Net at 8:15 provided good tips about the weekly Farmers Market, as well as a fundraiser on Saturday for a local youth sailing club.

Long Island is 80 miles long, and four miles wide at its widest point, and has much to explore. More about that, next week.