If you are following our get away to Exuma in the Bahamas a lot has changed in the past 36 hours...
Shortly after posting the article about arriving in Exuma and checking into our sailboat, we began the real adventure. Our first night aboard the sailboat! By about 9:00 pm I had decide it was time that I could settle in and get comfortable for the night. I start by crawling up into the front V-berth - yes crawling! The platform to get onto the bed was almost waist high so it required some effort to actually get into the bed. After about 30 minutes of laying there, I felt as though I was laying in a puddle of sweat and even though I was exhausted I could not fall asleep. It was probably about 85 degrees in the cabin with absolutely no air movement at all. Our sailboat did have 2 small fans, but since there was no breeze outside (no air coming in through any of the hatches) the fans simply pushed the hot air around the cabin. Maybe the main cabin would be a bit cooler to sleep? So I decided to lower the table and convert the main seating area into a bed. Once this had been done I had a great idea...
I should go for a swim to cool off and take in the amazing water around the boat before trying to go back to sleep. It was absolutely surreal as I just floated in the perfectly still salt water. I almost fell asleep floating it was so calm and quiet - I had to keep looking up every so often to make sure the boat was still next to me! I spent about 15 minutes floating and figured I had cooled down enough to head back aboard for the night. It was now just a bit past 10:00 pm.
I managed to lay there for about an hour and a half but could never really fall asleep as I was still extremely hot and uncomfortable. The temperature was not coming down at all. Keep in mind being our first day in the Bahamian sun, I did get a slight sun burn which made my skin just feel like heat was radiating from my body on top of the cabin temperature! It was now just before midnight - and while we were told there were occasional mosquitoes and sand flies (no-see-ums), I decide I didn't care I was going to so sleep outside on the bow of the sailboat in the night air... Sounds like a great idea right!
I headed out to the bow at about midnight. As I slid open the cabin hatch and raised the mosquito net I heard a big splash alongside the boat. At first I though I had knocked something overboard but could not find anything missing. Figuring it was nothing I made my way to the bow and curled up on the bean bag that lived on the bow. A couple minutes later it happened again - a huge splash. I looked up in time to see a circular wave and large area in the water where something had just broke the surface. Now being really curious I sat with my head over the side of the bow staring into the water and within a matter of minutes I saw several large fish swim past the boat. These fish were every bit of 3 feet long and very narrow and skinny - my initial thought was they were barracuda. At least now I felt comfortable as they were probably what kept breaking the surface, I was fine on the boat so I rolled over to go to sleep. Guess what happens next?
Let the rain begin! It is now 12:30 and I am trying to make my way back to the cabin of the boat again. At some point while I was on the bow Ellouise had moved from the bench she was sleeping on (right in front of the fan) over to the table that I had dropped down to make a bed. This was great with me as I could now take the bench right in front of the fan. Unfortunately, I was so beyond tired that I could not sleep at this point. I proceeded to lay there and play on my phone / internet until about 3:30 am when I eventually just passed out.
By 7:00 am I felt like I had just survived the longest night of my life. I probably forgot to mention that it had continued to rain so much through the night that the windows on both sides of the main cabin were dripping on the bench and bed area from about 5:00 am on. Once Ellouise woke up for the day, I told her I did not think I could do another night on the sailboat. I was exhausted and just wanted a shower, a comfortable bed and some air conditioning! So I found us a "houseboat" that was available at a regular resort just a couple minutes away from where our Sailboat was anchored. This houseboat had a fresh water shower, shore power for all electronics, full size bed room, pullout sofa and best of all air conditioning! It might not be as cool or stylish as our sailboat but I booked it and am so happy that I did - best $600 I could have spent. While I wasted a lot of money renting the sailboat, I was totally ok with that as it taught me that if I ever really want to live on a sailboat it would need a lot more space and amenities than I originally thought. Probably saved me a fortune in the future. On a side note we decided to keep the dingy at our new boat so we would have the ability to explore the island and travel back to Georgetown. It was included in the price of the sailboat so we might as well use it.
With the bookings all confirmed to move our lodging we had a couple hours to kill before checking into the new resort / houseboat. This worked perfect, we took the opportunity to spend some time in Georgetown where we could grab lunch and a few adult beverages. If you are ever in Georgetown and want an amazing experience with the locals you have to stop at Sharie's Tropical Spot for drinks and grab food from Sonya's Seafood right next door!! We had a couple Pina Coladas and Daiquiris from Sharie's Tropical Spot and ordered a sauteed shrimp dinner to split from Sonya's Seafood. I have had some amazing food during my travels and I will tell you this shrimp plate at Sonya's was in the top ten... Just the right amount of Shrimp, Vegetables and Rice with Caribbean spices and a sweetness that you just kept wanting more!!!
After heading back to the sailboat we gathered our gear and headed over to St Francis Resort and Marina. Our new houseboat was much like a trailer on the water. It was nice, clean, and simple, but very comfortable. I decided it was a perfect time to grab a shower and a nap. It seemed like just minutes after crawling into the bed and it was time for dinner already. One thing I have found with most resorts is the limited dining options available without a lot of effort to leave the resort. So we decided to go up to The Snappy Turtle (the restaurant) here at the resort for dinner as it was already 7:00 pm. I had Broiled Shrimp and Lobster which was very good and Ellouise had BBQ Pork Ribs that were also very good. We recommend dining here, despite its "rustic" appearance they certainly know how to make a good meal. Tip: if you like Lemonade be sure to order one of their Frozen Lemonade Drinks - You can thank me later!! With dinner complete it was time to head back to the houseboat pull out the laptop and stream a movie before putting a wrap on Day 2.
Day 3, was quiet and uneventful just how vacation should be. We hung out at the resort all day, played a game of Wingspan Asia and a few games of 10 Days in the USA, had a few more frozen lemonades, took the dingy for a nice ride along the shoreline and spent some time walking the long desolate sandy beaches on the Atlantic side of the Island.
As a side note - we learned that in addition to the wild but friendly stingrays that frequent the beaches of Stocking Islands, the abundant starfish, and the turtles of Elizabeth Harbor you will also find Lemon Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Bull Sharks and Barracuda along the shores of the island. I am now even more positive the long skinny fish I saw the first night were Barracuda!
We have one day left of our trip and they are calling for thunderstorms most of the day. But that is ok as I booked this getaway to learn more about sailboats and simply have a few days away from the grind of the real world - so far that has been accomplished!
Be sure to watch for my final post about our time in Exuma and Stocking Island once we return home! Want to share your favorite experiences in the Bahamas? Please comment and share below...
Comments