While we were at Staniel Cay. We learned our way around. We found the 2 grocery stores --- the Blue Store
and the Pink Store.
They have a lot of canned goods, some deep freezers of hard frozen various meat things, and a little fresh produce in the frig. Small dark rooms off someone’s house, lined with sparsely supplied shelves and old freezers. I also found the green post office, open by whim, but the lady at the Blue Store found the lady who works at the Green Post Office for me.
She said the mail boat was late this week, as it’s substituting for someone else, but the mail would go out sometime next week. She took my postcards and money and promised to put stamps on them and send them on one of the mail boats, when I’m not sure. I am truly sure she will send them…curious to see when they arrive. We are going in to town in a few minutes and order bread (freshly baked by order) from the lady at the Yellow Store. Keeps it simple!
Last night we joined friends from 3 other boats at the Thunderball Club. 
The 8 of us were all that were there. They are supposed to have Happy Hour from 4-6 “but the boat didn’t come in so they were out of the cheap rum that is used for the cheap drinks and coconut cream” so the waitress didn’t know if there would be Happy Hour or not. BUT! The manager stepped in and agreed to let us have Happy Hour using half-cheap rum instead and lots of pineapple juice.
While we waited for that managerial decision, we wandered down to the Pirate Trap Beach. I’m not at all sure what this used to be. 
Here is Luke playing pool with Carla. 
This is the table that Sean Connery used (there’s only 1…) when he was here filming Thunderball or Never Say Never Again.
Giggle.. they are calling for the lady who has the laundry tokens on the VHF right now. Somebody wants to do laundry and can’t find her. Wonder what color that building is….
The wind is roaring, but it’s warm, still in the 70’s. We’re doing more chores than planned. A little problem with the generator (that makes electricity for us when we’re not running the engine, along with hot water. Very important for showers!) I think Luke has fixed the problem.
On the 24th we had a great sail for the 7 mile to Black Point. Black Point is the largest (300 people) settlement in the Exumas. It’s another day in paradise….
This settlement has a clinic (pink building) 
There is still a lot of poverty. Newer concrete houses, with the old ones just falling into complete ruins beside them. No place to throw junk, so it’s just left. 
There are also a couple of restaurant and, the best laundermat in the Exumas (10 machines!!!! At a mere $3.50 per load…). The laundermat even has its own dock.
There are a few grocery stores . One restaurant, Loraine’s, also maintains an internet site for the cruisers. It’s free but requests a donation. Here’s Luke, checking e-mails. 
Loraine also has a buffet on Wednesday nights. $17 for conch fritter appetizers, spicy chicken, ribs, grouper fingers, slaw, rice, steamed veggies, and a little square of pound cake for desert. She has the obligatory rum punch drinks, too. I watched her make them -- - a huge 2 gallon jug of something like Tropicana punch, ½ cup of sugar, and a splash of run. just a splash. This is a big cruiser gathering place. She had 22 of us there for dinner, really filling up her restaurant. I think there were 2 seats left. We met with friends Grey & Marian and Joanne & Paul.
We went beach combing with Marian & Joanne on a trash loaded beach, but one that had good sea glass beach with lots of shells, too. I guess the rough water wash up all sorts of garbage, plastic as well as glass. We also found a blow hole. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it moments after this picture was taken of Paul peering into it. 
The next run was to Little Farmers Cay. This is a small community of 55, all descendants of the original woman and her kids who settled this island. 
We walked around the island and found JR’s Woodcarving. Self taught, he uses local wood and chooses his designs around the colors in the wood. I bought a Bahama Mama, a lady with an “onion knot semi-feral” hairdo. 
See those 2 triangles of hair on the left side? If she had 3 triangles of hair she'd have a "full feral" hairdoo.
On our way to the local bar, we passed this …. Any takers? 
There are 20 children in the “All Age School”, grades 1 -9. This is the system in all of the Bahamas except Nassau. If a child wants to go to high school, they must have a relative who lives in Nassau who will take them in so they can go to school there. Many don’t, so their education ends at grade 9. Sad, isn’t it?
We met up with other boater friends on our walk, and ended up at Ocean Cabin bar for a drink.
Next stop, Georgetown. We had a “brisk sail”. Some boaters beside us took pictures of the boat underway. We don’t often get pictures of her actually sailing. 
Georgetown is the mecca for many cruisers. Lots of cruisers leave the USA early in the season, head straight for Georgetown, find a spot to anchor here, and stay for the entire winter. It’s a large settlement, filled with up to 400 boats. We’ve been told there are about 350 boats here right now. There’s a wonderfully large grocery store, stocked with fresh foods and items I haven’t seen in a month! Georgetown also has free water, but only a few 5 gallon jugs at a time. The dinghies line up in the morning, jugs in the dinghy, waiting for their turn to fill up the jugs and tote them back to the boat. We think we can buy internet later at a small marina. One popular beach is Volleyball Beach, named for the nets on the beach. It’s a popular beach, complete with a bar.
Here is where I am right now, working on my e-mails and blog. $10 a day, must be here, but I'm glad to find it, as are many other cruisers.
Here's my spot, the next to last chair on the right.
We are enjoying Georgetown. I see why folks stay here for a while. Luke is at a wireless communications meeting on Volleyball Beach while I work here.
Tomorrow is 1) my 61 birthday! What a way to spend it! and 2) a big sailboat regatta parade of boats plus the associated activities. We'll have more pictures later, I'm sure, especially as we stay here and have internet.
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