Bureaucratic hassles

 Hi everyone,

It's the biggest challenge of my cruise to date. Nope, not the tropical storm. Not navigational challenges. It is trying to get an extension for my cruising permit so I don't get arrested and thrown out of the country. It used to be easy. You would sail into an approved port, hoist the yellow flag, and go ashore to the customs office. There would be forms to fill out and sign, attesting to how many deaths had occurred aboard and whether the bubonic plague was present. After these niceties were dispensed with you would receive the cruising permit, after the payment of a nominal fee.

Those happy and carefree days are now gone. The computer age has been rammed down our throats and I am not happy about it. A good bit of my time during the last several days has been spent on this fruitless exercise. I referred in an earlier post when Britt and I entered the country as to what a challenge it was. Britt was able to eventually figure it out, but only with the aid of a borrowed desktop computer and the better chunk of a day. The people at the Customs office here in Georgetown are of zero help so far, which is really unusual for the Bahamas, where the people are super friendly. Roger Wallace has said he would help me but I don't want to chew up his time. This procedure should not require a degree in computer science. I have heard from a number of other people complaining about this procedure as well. Additionally, the fee for a cruising permit has risen far beyond the rate of inflation, adding insult to injury. Back in 1985 I paid $50. This year? $800!

Enough whining Charlie. The in the harbor race was a ton of fun! We won our class, which was 36 to 39 footers, and were first across the finish line. A blast from the cannon was very cool. Roger Wallace and Susan DiSimone were awesome crew. It has been fun hanging out with them. We will be doing the around the island race on Thursday. Conditions were such that I was able to use my big genoa. The second boat to finish was two seconds behind us. Great fun!

Cheers, Charlie

Regatta time

 Hi everyone,

First, a little bit about the harbor here in Georgetown. This is apparently one of the largest harbors in the Caribbean, according to a recent environmental and development study. And it is a natural harbor with no dredging having been done on the entrances. It is several miles long and roughly a mile wide, with numerous islands and additional bays contained within it. At the moment there are roughly 350 cruising boats at anchor here and it is by no means full. It is rather shallow overall but I can enter much of it with a five and a half foot draft, and much more at high tide. It is easy to see why folks end up here, become comfortable, and don't pull their anchor for months. After using marginal anchorages for so long this place is paradise.

I did sign up for the big boat races at registration this morning. A brain scan should probably be ordered up because the in the harbor race, on Saturday, will be a veritable sh*t show! At least it is scheduled for high tide. It involves at least 25 boats racing around the harbor, trying not to collide with each other, and trying not to hit any of the remaining 225 boats sitting at anchor. Like I said, I should have my noggin examined. I had planned to do it single handed, but I may enlist my friends Roger and Susan as crew. Then there is the around the island race which is scheduled for next Monday. That takes sailors thru the harbor and out the western entrance, followed by a beat to windward, a passage thru the eastern entrance, and return to the area of the start. It's about 20 miles, half on the ocean and half in the harbor. It will have it's challenges but at least the tacking portion will be on the ocean where there is plenty of room. I'll report in after the race!

Best, Charlie

I'm So Vain

 I probly think this song is about me!

Hi everyone!

With apologies to Carly Simon I underwent a real scalping at the local barbershop a few days ago. It had been a good six months since the last haircut and my hair had gotten long and blonde. Those two conditions are rather unusual for someone of my advanced years and I was quite pleased about it. The fact I have hair to cut is really quite remarkable and I don't know anyone my age with naturally blonde hair. So I sidle nervously into the barbershop and await my turn. One of the barbers was finishing up and his customer was not pleased with the result. I should have walked out right there. Instead, I entered the chair and observed the grin on my executioners face. I said I was looking for a very light trim, with removal of perhaps a half inch. As he made preparations he swiveled me away from the mirror and fired up the clippers. My heart sank as a huge shock of hair fell to the floor from the first pass. I was speechless with horror. A couple more passes and I found my voice, saying, "that seems like an awful lot!" He swiveled me around so I could see the damage. At that point I suggested he just clean it up as best as possible and to please not make it any shorter. He tried, but basically failed. Leaving the shop I felt naked and exposed, with my overriding concern to get back to the boat where no one could see me. 

It's been a few days and I can laugh about it now. There have been plenty of comments and some strange looks but I haven't become the pariah I thought I was destined to be.

Best regards, Old Baldy

Contemplation

 Hi everyone!

It seems I have a bit too much time on my hands here in Georgetown! Happily, I have managed to acquire some fresh reading material and I am able to visit with friends on other boats. But I miss the daily travel, the familiar as well as the new anchorages, and the sense of anticipation that accompanies the pulling of the anchor at sunrise. It really is about the journey. I suppose I could sail over to Cat or Long Island, but I have gotten rather comfortable here. I move about in the harbor, going into town for groceries and socialization. There are over 300 boats here now so it is getting a bit more crowded. The cruising regatta starts in a couple weeks and I bet there will be 400 boats then. And in early March I will be visited by both of my sister's and their families. Should be fun!

All the best, Charlie

Beach Church Today

 Hi everyone!

Those who know me will be surprised to hear I just left Sunday church service! My first time in attendance here at the non denominational service held under the casuarina trees on the beach. It is Christian based and has been going on for years in the Georgetown cruising community. Very nice and uplifting. There must have been 60 or ,70 people in attendance. My friend Jacob from the boat Ruby was playing the guitar.

I am on my own again, having said goodbye to my lovely wife a couple of days ago. A long list of boat projects awaits. The day Meg left I used my boat to tow a disabled Brazilian boat to the Marina several miles away. The towing went well but the Marina was scary. Boats propped up by stacks of cinder blocks and pieces of scrap lumber. Lots of wrecked boats that appear to have come to grief on coral reefs. Equipment dripping with rust and so on. A far cry from Point Bay Marina back home. I hope my new Brazilian friends stay is brief!

All the best, Charlie

Georgetown!

 Hi folks!

Lots to report! Storm finally ended, Mary had a birthday, and we are in Georgetown. 

Nice birthday party aboard Bigger Fish, a Hylas 46 with the delightful Hugo and Mimi! We were joined by other friends Jim, Stefan, and Marie. A wonderful ntime was had by all. The wind died down overnight and on the morning of the 16 the we headed out the cut with no problems on the ocean. We ended up motorsailing the entire 40 plus miles to Georgetown due to relatively light winds astern. We could have sailed but would have had to spend the night on the ocean. I won't make that entrance in the dark. Plus, we were picking up Meg on the 17th. Yes, Meg is now aboard! We are anchored off the Chat and Chill bar on Stocking Island at the moment. Had a lovely walk on the ocean beach earlier. Everyone taking a siesta at the moment. Snorkeling.yesterday. Mary and Malachi have met some younger folks. Great times here!

Best, Charlie

Norther

 Hi everyone!

We are in a doozy of a norther at the moment. The initial line squall hit us yesterday morning with winds of probably 40 mph. Accompanied by a deluge of rain and a drop in temperature. Today the wind is a solid 30 and thankfully we are in the lee of the island. We did make it ashore last evening and had a great dinner at the Ocean Cabin, served up by Terry and Ernestine Bain. The wind should die down some overnight. We are invited for drinks at 4 by some of our Canadian friends. Will be a short but brutal row to get there. I did manage to row into town earlier but that was by myself and still really challenging. 

Best, Charlie