I wanted to add a little more about our stay in George Town. George Town is a well-known cruising destination, and hundreds of boats anchor there during the winter months. Our cruising guide referenced all sorts of scheduled activities, like yoga and volleyball, set up by the boaters.
Our first night in George Town, I looked out at the sea of anchor lights surrounding us, and realized we hadn’t been anywhere this full of boats anywhere else in the Bahamas. The VHF was a constant chatter of boaters hailing each other to make plans or talk. Our favorites were the two or three boats with children on board who would hail each other to make plans to go to the beach and play after they finished their homeschooling. They were so cute!
Still, George Town was not one of our top destinations in the Bahamas. If we had not visited during the Family Regatta, I think we would have found it quite boring. It was not as lively as we expected. One of our friends told us that there were 1/3 the number of boats there from his previous visit – yet another indication of the effects of the US recession that we’ve seen reflected in many other ways in the Bahamas.
But I’m not sure that we would have liked it better with more boaters. Our favorite destinations on our trip have been those with spectacular natural beauty – the places where we could go hiking or snorkeling or diving. The water in George Town’s Elizabeth Harbour wasn’t as clear as in other parts of the Bahamas, and the 20+ knot winds we endured during our stay made it difficult to do water activities (unless getting soaked in the dinghy counts).
George Town was also where we had to part ways with our friends on Lizard and Moondance, who are continuing on to the Dominican Republic. We wish them well!
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