A Visit from Beall

Our friend Jeremy paid us a visit last week.  We'd been getting pretty stir crazy being stuck at the marina for so long and were really, REALLY excited to see him.  Like, literally counting down the days and hours.  Unfortunately for all of us, a massive snowstorm decided to dump a foot of snow in the Baltimore/DC area the same day he was supposed to fly out, so his arrival was delayed by a few days.  Bummer.  But hey, we're used to running on Island Time down here in the Bahamas, and are totally used to the couple two-treehours/days delay with anything.  It gave us time to prepare a proper welcoming for Jeremy, which included a homemade sign and a batch of rum punch.  Both were pretty epic.  I mean, seriously, who gets a welcome like this at home?  Only a couple of sailing gypsy friends with nothing else better to do could dedicate the time and energy into such a grand welcoming party.  You're welcome, Jeremy.

We only had a few days together and wanted to make the most of them.  The wind was still blowing like a banshee, making sailing somewhere out of the question unless we all wanted to be chumming the water with our lunches, so we decided to take advantage of the surrounding resorts – Grand Isle and Sandals Emerald Bay – and have ourselves a nice relaxing time.  We loved the view from Grand Isle's pool, and certainly made the most out of the little palapa huts they had on their beach.  I think we must have spent at least 10 of the 18 days we were in Emerald Bay curled up in a chaise under one of those palapa huts reading a book.  It definitely wasn't the worst place to be stuck at while waiting for weather to improve.

We did another day pass to Sandals, which coincidentally was exactly one week after our first visit. I think the staff there were really confused when we told them that we only had a day pass, especially since we may or may not have wandered back on occasion to grab a drink at the bar in the week since our last visit.  I'm sure they thought we were staying there for the whole week.  Whoops.  Since we were visiting on a Tuesday again, the agenda for the day was the same as the week before – including the infamous water balloon toss, which Matt and I claimed victory the last time around.  This time, Alex and Char beat out a dozen other couples, including Matt & Jeremy, to bring home the prize for Team Foxfire, which was – as predicted – a  bottle of rum.  Hard day at the office, indeed.

To switch it up, we rented a car to make the 25 minute drive to downtown George Town, which actually isn't that much to see.  There's a grocery store, a few dilapidated restaurants, a gas station, a dive shop, and that's about it.  It's crazy to me that hundreds of cruisers rush down to this very spot every year and spend months here.  I don't know how they can do it… there really isn't much to do unless you're really into those super organized cruiser events, which we totally are not.  In fact, we're getting so sick of George Town, we cant wait to leave.  Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.  We did a quick walk down the main drag, then headed down to the water taxi to get a lift across the channel to Stocking Island.  What a ride that was.  If the smell of diesel from the old fishing boat they are now using as a taxi didn't get to you, the reggae rap blaring from the old stereo up front would.  It was a horribly amusing situation.  Our destination was the famous Chat 'n Chill restaurant, which Matt was really excited to show us both. I was sick when he came with Alex & Char the last time, so I really wanted to see what it was all about.  This place that is nothing short of a cruiser's Shangri-La.  A tiki hut bar that also served food, picnic tables lining the beach, hammocks stretched under the trees, volleyball courts and several yard games like bocce and horseshoes all free for anyone to use.  I'm guessing it's the epicenter for those organized cruiser events.  Fun for the day, for sure.  But to spend months at?  With the same people? Might get a little old if you ask me.

Just as soon as it started, it was time for Jeremy to leave.  We tried hard to convince him to stowaway and stay longer.  If it hadn't been for his dog waiting for him at home, we just might have had him convinced to do it.  Not long after he leaves, we'll be headed back north ourselves.  It's about that time to wrap up our time in the Bahamas and make our way back to the Motherland.