Fun Everywhere

In addition to the numerous activities that are available daily, even more activities and events are added during the two weeks of the Georgetown Cruisers' Regatta. Special volleyball, golf, Texas Hold 'Em, Trivial Pursuit, Bridge, and Botche tournaments, plus Red Hot Night No-Talent (with tons of talent) Show, Coconut Race, Scavenger Hunt, Arts and Crafts, Sand Sculpture and Variety Show give everyone a chance to participate. Featured races are the 'Around the Island' race and 'In the Harbor' race.

We teamed with Wayne and Isabelle for the Coconut Race. Using flippers only in a dingy, teams try to load floating coconuts into the dingy. Much like an Easter Egg Hunt, with less precise rules and lots of buckets of water thrown on opponents. Then, back on land, we paired up and placed a coconut belly to belly for a short walk without dropping the coconut; then the coconut was butt to butt for the next short trip. Too much fun!

We were also in the Scavenger Hunt with two other couples. They had kids in the children's division and both kids and parents were both competetive and creative. While some items were easily located, other items were bizarre, including red high heels, red shoelaces, red bowtie, etc. Teams could find items on their boats, ask other cruisers for the items, or even go to town. But, the hunt was on Sunday, so most of the small number of stores are closed on Sunday. Our team tied for third, thanks to our teammates' creativity and red markers!

We've played Texas Hold 'Em twice, with Larry winning the pot the first night we played and making it to the final table the next time. All of these events draw 60 and up participants. So, when you sign up, you're probably in for several hours.

The weather this week has mellowed: less wind and warmer temps. This is the weather everyone says we should have been having all along. We're not complaining; 70 degrees in the daytime is great, especially if you're used to Oklahoma winters. We do enjoy less wind, which means smaller waves and less chop in the Harbor; staying dry and keeping our items dry while we're running around in Lit'l Lap is much more pleasant than arriving soaked.

All items in this pic are Bahamian. We purchased the straw bag and the basket from the lovely ladies who wove them. The lobsters were bought from a local diver. The bread is from a local baker, Mom's Bakery. The papayas, bananas, plantains, coconuts, tomatoes, lima beans (known here as green beans), sweet potatoes, and squash are from the Exuma or Barraterre (very close by) islands. Not pictured, but delicious and available daily, are eggplant, cabbage, onions, bell peppers, and lots of hot peppers. The limes (all citrus fruit) are grown on a farm in Nassau. Producing citrus trees were destroyed in the 1999 Hurricane. The rum is also produced in Nassau.

The Bahamians are so friendly and gracious. They offer their foods and crafts day after day, always showing their gentle personalities and smiling faces. We love shopping with them, but we also enjoy talking to them about their crafts or their recipes. The large squash shown above looks like it's related to the zucchini, but it's so different. I was told to remove the seeds and peel it; then it would be good fried, stewed, boiled like potatoes, or it could be used in bread or made into soup. I cut it up and simmered it in onion and garlic, then added tomatoes and Italian seasonings with the intention of serving it over pasta. After tasting it, we were pleased with the firmness of the squash and decided to have it as soup with, of course, bread. The lobster were also delish. Larry split them open, added lime juice and olive oil, wrapped them in foil, and grilled them 15-20 minutes. Yummy!

We anchor in Elizabeth Harbor between Elizabeth Island and Georgetown, Great Exuma. A walk and swim off Elizabeth Island is our favorite afternoon activity. Here, we are on the Sound (Ocean) side of the island.