Georgetown
Great Exuma Island,
Bahamas
23.30.605N
75.45.490W

185.3 NM
32.4 Hrs.
5.8 Avg
7.9 Max

Current Odom: 7689.7 NM



The dawn finally crept up and erased the cloud to cloud lightening from our view. In spite of the storm, we were still on schedule for a 9-10am approach to Rum Cay. However, once again, as the sun rose higher in the sky, the clouds cleared out, the winds filled in and we debated our situation.

We knew that more bad weather was coming up from the south originating around the Jamaca/Cuba area and was supposed to cross the Bahamas with squalls containing high winds. If we stopped at Rum Cay to rest, we could leave on Saturday morning for Georgetown and make it in a day. The 6:30 am weather report indicated that squalls were still in the area but that the really bad weather would most likely occur on Saturday night. If the weather came in quicker than expected, we’d be stuck at Rum Cay; good holding but exposed to the south and west which is where the weather would be approaching from.

We radioed back to Vagu that we were going to keep on going to Georgetown and expected to arrive about 5pm if we maintained a 6 kt speed. Nigel, a Brit, told us that he had never been to the Bahamas before and was leery to approach the bank on his own. However, he also had guests that were flying into Georgetown on Monday and he had to get there by then. He decided to keep going with us.

We had fairly decent winds as we approached Long Island but as we rounded Santa Maria point (where Columbus lost his ship,) the winds died out and a long line of dark clouds could be seen coming in our direction. We took ourselves about 20 degress off course and scooted along the side of them and only had a light shower to contend with. Vagu opted for an even more conservative course and probably didn’t even get a sprinkle.

As hoped for, we reached our first way point to approach Great Exhuma at 4:30pm. We slowed and waited for Vagu to fall in behind us and then with Dale on the bow, we made our way onto the bank, entered the cut in the reef and transited between the islands. Our original intention was to anchor at one of the outlying islands until the morning, but since we still had good light, we continued on and made the main anchorage at Georgetown by 5:30pm.

Bob & Caren on Toucan Dream (friends and neighbors from our home port) had radioed us earlier in the day and told us where they were anchored, so when we approached, we spotted our sistership and headed for a spot in front of her. Bob had seen us coming in and came flying up in his “dinghy”, a 15’ Boston Whaler. He yelled across that he had 500’ foot of chain out and not to drop our anchor anywhere near his. Of course, this was a joke and we knew it. Unfortunately, Vagu didn’t and veered off at such an acute angle that half the anchorage was drawn to commotion and got quite a chuckle out of it.

Although we wanted to visit some of these islands we missed on our way south, staying safe has been more important to us on our way north. We’ll have to see them on another trip.

Right now, we’re safely anchored in deep sand, surrounded by islands with at least one grocery store and laundromat within dinghy distance. Our only casualty was a little bird (like our last hitch hiker) we found on our forward deck this morning. We’re not sure if he was trying to ride out the storm and drowned or if he flew into our mast mistaking the steaming light for something safe. He was unceremoniously buried at sea.


Photo: Toucan Dream (sistership to Gypsy Palace) at anchor in Georgetown, Great Exuma.