Chat-n-Chill Beach, Stocking Island
Turning up to George Town for the annual Cruising Regatta felt a little like rafting up to a Carnival Cruise Liner or docking at a family summer camp.
There were announcements every morning at 8 o’clock on VHF channel 72 letting you know the schedule of activities and events for the day, along with general announcements like, “The George Town dumpster is now full. Please keep your garbage on board until it’s been emptied,” or requests like, “If anyone finds a pair of Costa del Mar sunglasses on Volleyball Beach, could you please call Seas the Day on channel 68?”
This would be followed by “Boater’s General” announcements, which included shout outs for parts or advice (like our own plea, “Hey, does anyone know how to clean out a fuel tank?”) and then the Oscar winners’ speeches like, “I’d just like to thank everyone who participated in the scavenger hunt yesterday. It was a big success and we couldn’t have done it without you. Also, thank-you to Joan on Seas the Opportunity for baking the cookies.”
All this organization and radio chatter after weeks of being on our own and practically ignoring our VHF took a little getting used to, but George Town’s busy schedule of events turned out to be just the excuse we needed to procrastinate from cleaning out our fuel tank. So instead of fixing our engine problem upon arrival, we spent the first few days of the Cruising Regatta hanging out on Chat-n-Chill beach, watching the opening day festivities, eating conch and walking up and down George Town’s main street.
Here are some photos from those first few days, before we fled the bad weather and anchored behind Red Shanks Cay.
Opening Night of the Cruising Regatta: The “No Talent Show”
“Above-water Synchronized Swim Team”
The cozy Chat-n-Chill Bar, where you can get BBQ ribs or a stiff rum punch
During the show, I noticed this guy serving up fresh conch salad on the beach and couldn’t resist
AJ was happy to show me his method…”First you hammer a hole in the shell and run a knife along the back…”
“Then you pull out the conch…” (He let me do that part)
“Then you cut off the tail and the skin…”
“…and then his eyes…” (What? Conchs have eyes?!)
“Then you chop it up with some peppers, onions, tomatoes, lime, orange, salt and pepper.” So good!
Kidd Cove anchorage – the nearest anchorage to George Town’s dinghy dock
Elvis Water Taxi comes in handy when the seas are choppy and you have a long way to travel
George Town Water Taxi dock
George Town may be the biggest town in the Exumas, but it’s still small with one main road
The water is as beautiful here as it is in the rest of the Exumas
Storm approaching over Red Shanks Cay – we missed the regatta sailing to hole up here for a few days
Those pictures where very hard to look at Tasha. It was so much fun there last year and of coarse there is a shirt up there from the Canadians.
As for your fuel tank… I had a nasty issue a few years ago… Transfer the fuel to a empty tank… And I hope you don’t have as much as I did. You should polish the fuel to two micron … If possible. Put alcohol into the remaining dregs of the tank and let dry…. Sweep out all the powder that remains when dry. It’s a bio organism that lives in deisel
Apparently emerald bay fuel tanks are contaminated as we had boat after boat with clogged fuel filter coming into Nassau from there. Hope this helped… Take care and I’m very envious.
Cheers
Hey Michael! It’s great to hear from you! Listen, there’s ALWAYS shirt from the Canadians somewhere…in fact, isn’t George Town a Canadian town?!
The fuel problem appears to be solved now, thank goodness. We removed it all, polished it a few times and poured it back in. The test run from Ryan (I’m in the States picking up supplies to go back with) was a success! It’s always great when the hard work actually pays off
Thanks so much for the help!
Tasha
Hey Tash, …not sure if you’ll have time before heading south,…but 2 spots worth grabbing a nite at are Cape Santa Maria, the tip of Long Island…said to be the best beach in the Bahama’s…and Conception Island is a marine sanctuary with killer reefs and fish….the dusk bull shark experience that the anchored boats get to enjoy here is unforgettable!…4 weeks until we start our journey thru the Exumas…pumped.
Thanks so much for that tip, Jay! I hope you catch us up soon…sundowners on Hideaway!
Tasha
Looks like a great time! Why work on the boat when you first arrive when you can party?! We’ve never tasted conch, but I already know I’m gonna have to keep my husband from looking at it before it’s prepared. I’m glad to hear it tastes better than it looks!
Lol. It is definitely delicious! And the crack conch (breaded and fried) is to die for!
Tasha