Reaquainting ourselves with Georgetown
Ambler Isle
V and S
Sat 19 Feb 2011 16:28
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Feb. 18, 2011
Slowly we are meeting Georgetown again. After 9
weeks in the more remote Cays, it seems very busy here. After a one hour
Cruiser's Net every morning on VHF channel 72 the radio goes non-stop as folks
hail their pals, request information, offer advise, sell stuff, advertise
services, on and on and on. Most English, many French. After
some time, it becomes tiring and we shut it off.
We went to see Lee and Charlie aboard Windstar
4. She is the Ham Radio expert and rescue liaison in the area.
Charlie had a winch accident and nearly severed his little finger, necessitating
a flight to Nassau to have it reattached. Makes us realize how vulnerable
we all are to medical emergencies. There is little help available here. A
walk-in clinic nurse takes care of minor ailments, a doctor flies from Nassau on
Friday. Both dispense antibiotics and common meds as needed.
Otherwise we must go to Nassau. As members of D.A.N., we
have air ambulance service. But, for the most part, we are on our
own.
We went ashore to explore the walking trails lead
from the harbour to the Sound (ocean side). Legs
unaccustomed to the sandy climb ached. Other trails wind around
Stocking Island. We meet only a few others along the way.
A number of outings are announced: a free bus ride
to visit Coakley High School for a BBQ fundraiser. A bus trip to the
Horticultural Fair. A trip to a local farm to
pick veggies. One couple invited us to see a Rake and Scrape Band perform
in Mosstown on Sat. I think we will pass. Since this is not a
tourist town, this will be a locals-only event. On a Saturday night these
events can get rowdy. A big disco party is planned around
a big Hatteras in the harbour this evening. Complete with go-go girls, the
Chippendales, pole dancers (with human poles) , and more. The host hopes
to get many dinghies to raft up and to circle around his boat. As a
reward, he will pass out margaritas to every one who passes his swim
platform. His idea is to use flash lights to create the effect of a huge
strobe disco ball. We may not put our dinghy into the raft up, but it
sounds like it would be fun to watch.
A light rain begins. A wedding, planned on
Honeymoon Beach, is spoiled. The DVD swap on Volleyball Beach is
postponed. The bridge, poker, dominoes, and seminars going on at the beach
scatter. Some energetic folks get out and scrub their boats, thankful for
the free boat wash. Although the radar does not show this as a serious
storm, the clouds ring the harbour. It seems to be raining
everywhere. Our plans to visit Nina for the afternoon
are put on hold. Just as suddenly, the sun comes back and all plans
continue. Aboard Nina, a more serious rain begins. A mile
from Amber Isle, we are held captive in our pleasant place to wait out
the storm. We agree to transport folks to shore tomorrow to meet guests at
the airport. Our dinghy is better able to do this than most here.
The disco ball is permanently cancelled. All full moon observations are
cancelled. Finally at 9pm the rain subsides and we dinghy home.
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