Regatta Days 03/05/13

The 33^rd Annual Georgetown Cruising Regatta began last week and has been going strong.  Over time, we have met numerous cruisers that have been coming to every regatta for over 20 years.  It’s quite the event, offering numerous activities every day for fun (or challenge).  We’ve seen everything from dance parties to competitive sailing races.

I always marvel at some people’s creativity.  One of the favorite events is the Coconut Challenge which has, apparently, grown in fun and popularity every year.  The challenge is a three part event with the first being the collection of over 600 coconuts deposited in the cove.  Every dinghy entered has four participants aboard that can only use their hands, one life seat and two snorkeling fins to propel the boat around the cove gathering the floating coconuts and filling their boat.  Throughout the collection there is a lot of hollering and splashing – OH – and the final piece of equipment aboard every boat was a five gallon pail used primarily to throw water on other contestants!  When all the coconuts are retrieved, all dinghies return to the shore for the count.  There were about 20 boats participating with one boat grabbing 166 coconuts!

The second part of the coconut challenge required each team member to throw two coconuts each over the volleyball net in a span of 10 seconds.  There was a bulls-eye on the other side of the net that provided the means of scoring.  Finally, each team had to catch coconuts in a plastic trash bag.  The coconuts were throw by one team member with their back to the retrieving parties who both had to hold the same trash bag by two sides.  The person throwing was directed by the catching members and fed coconuts by the final player.  It ended up being highly comical as well as dangerous with errant coconuts being thrown every which way.

The night before last we went to the Cruisers vs Bahamian National Team softball game that was one of the most fun events of the season.  With a comical ump provided by the cruisers who swept home base with a toothbrush and introduced every Bahamian player with a flair to the good natured Bahamians who tolerated their limit of two home runs per inning (the score in the first inning was 12 – 0 with no outs!), it was a crazy and fun night.  The weather after the front came through that afternoon turned cold for Bahamian standards and left all of us in the bleachers huddling for warmth – REALLY, it WAS only 61 degrees!!!!  Horror!!

Rob won the golf challenge which took place on the beach.  They had set up a beautiful oceanfront course rivaling even the finest seen on golf TV!  With the holes being from 40 – 60 yards long, the pin was either a large circle, a bucket or a life ring.  Playing golf entirely in the sand adds quite a degree of challenge to the game and the 45 people participating had scores ranging from Rob’s 25 to the maximum of 7 shots per hole.   Another fun activity with the added benefit of a good beach walk and amazing scenery!

As is with most sailing events, the prizes awarded over the past 8 days have consisted mainly of alcohol!  Every first place team wins a Regatta pennant to fly on their rigging and a bottle of RUM . . . second place gets a different color pennant and WINE and third gets another color pennant and two bottles of BEER!  Gotta love the spirit of this lifestyle!

The second sailboat race is today, beginning in the next hour.  The last race went completely around Stocking Island (check out a Georgetown map online to see how the harbor lays out) and ended just before the last major storm hit the area.  Today’s race will be contained within the harbor and promises to provide a lot of viewing pleasure with the course getting quite close to each of the three major anchorages here.  We’re on the outside border of the Kidd Cove anchorage and should have some pretty good viewing!

The regatta will be over in two days and the morning announcements are now beginning to be taken over by plans of boats leaving the harbor in the upcoming weeks.  Georgetown is a common stomping ground for people heading through their cruising adventure from every direction.  Many left during the last window leading to points south, the Caribbean.  A window today saw at least a dozen boats exit heading north back into the Exumas and boats returning to the states.  A rally will leave this week going east to Long Island and progressing up the Far Bahama chain into Eleuthera.  Even other boats are planning treks taking them toward Cuba and the South American coast while many others having been arriving from the south to finish out their journeys that began years before.

The opportunities to meet people, gain and share knowledge and stories are endless here.  We are so enjoying sharing time with new friends and “old”.  We had Rick and his finally-arrived lady friend, Mary, aboard last night for dinner which was a special treat after all our journeying together to reach this point!  Christian and Lorena who we met in No Name Harbor near Miami have been close by this whole journey and were aboard this morning to celebrate Lorena’s 29^th birthday.  We said goodbye this morning to Jim and Irene on Escapaid from our trip down the ICW in Florida as well as Dan and Kathy aboard Majiks who we’ve so enjoyed getting to know over the past couple weeks.

The 3 M's - Moonshadow, Blue Mooe and Majiks.
Saying "so long for now"

Blue Moose, Brian and Sally, headed to the Caribbean last week . . . and the list goes on!  But as you find out in the crazy life we lead, goodbyes are only temporary.  And every goodbye leads to the next “how do you do” and new adventures to be had.  

With that in mind, we set out own sights toward planning our journey back home and are getting more excited every day to know that our dear familiar faces of family and friends await us there and along the way.  And THAT’S what makes this all worthwhile!