The Georgetown Saga Begins

Ambler Isle
V and S
Wed 16 Feb 2011 13:57
 
All Alone at Lee Stocking Island
Boats as Far as the Eye can See in Georgetown
23.30N
75.45W
We awoke to another beautiful day.  Sunny, warm, calm.  We dinghied the the two miles across Elizabeth Harbour to the Fish Fry Shacks to visit the weekly farmer's market there.  Frequently cruisers come here during the day for lunch or other events.  At night, the locals take it over. But the farmers had already packed up by the time we got there.  We hopped back in the dinghy and rode under the small bridge to Lake Victoria, the gateway to the small town.   Tying the boat to the dinghy dock behind Exuma Market, we strolled the settlement.  Not much had changed since last trip.  First we went to the Shop Rite grocery to buy a few things.  At Exuma Market, we bought the rest of our shopping list.  Both stores had plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit.  Our first trip to the Bahamas was much different.  After stowing our supplies, we jumped back in the dinghy to tour the harbour and greet old friends.  Our last stop was to the Monument anchorage to see trawler Escargot,  Mick and Mary Steiner, friends from our former hometown of Lake Orion, Michigan.  While there, the predicted cold front kicked up,  rocking the boat side to side.  The sky turned grey.  We climbed back into the dinghy for a cold, wet trip 2 miles back to Amber Isle. Our anchorage at Sand Dollar Bay was much calmer and had no surge.  Amber Isle experienced no rocking motion.  We tucked in for the night, enjoying boat pizza for dinner.  I mistakenly turned on the generator while the microwave oven was running, causing an overload of power demand on the generator.  The electric system promptly shut down!  I thought I'd blown a major breaker and imagined having to lift the anchor to go to the rough side of the harbour to the only marina.   We'd have to order the breaker from Florida and have it air shipped to Georgetown.  This would take at least a week.  I was sick.  Then Valt came back after an inspection of the engine room.  He'd found a broker that was simply thrown.  After resetting the inverter, power was restored.  My wild imagination had proved wrong.  What a relief!   We celebrated by enjoying a movie as the winds howled around us.