Hanging out in Hatchet's Bay

Monday 9 February

We are still firmly tied to the dock at Hatchet Bay, and have now become part of the scenery! Bob & Carole on ‘Sea Change’ left to move south last Thursday. They had a deadline to be in Staniel Cay in the Exumas for visits by family and friends. We decided that we’d like to linger a little, and as the weather with its incessant cold fronts seemed set in (now we know why a lot of people we met in Florida do not stir in this direction until April!) it seemed like a good idea to stay tucked into ‘The Safest Harbour in the Bahamas’- particularly as it’s free! Locals and boaters are very friendly; the Water’s Edge Internet Café is the local meeting place and pub; there are a lot of beach hikes and beach combing expeditions; Carl & Evi on ‘Three Belles’, the black schooner moored in the bay, have joined us in some adventures such as the fish fry (snapper with heads attached and staring eyes) at the new restaurant and gift shop owned and run by a graduate of Dalhousie University, N.S., and ‘Double D’s’ 39^th ++ birthday pool party at the lovely Rainbow Inn just down the road. ‘Double D’ is the owner of the Internet Café. Her name is Debbie, but she gets her nickname for another reason!!

What a party! The four of us got a lift there in the back of a pick-up truck. The mix of guests was interesting – from 8 year old guitar playing little boys, to flautists, to every sort of music maker taking part in a fantastic jam session which culminated in the arrival of Lennie Kravitz, great blues and rap singer, who is a local and is producing his latest album on a beach around here. We left as the full moon came up, as we had to hitch-hike the 5 miles or so back to the dock. We gave Carl & Evi a ten minute start, and then followed them up to the road. We got a lift in no time! You may be wondering why a couple of conservative grandparents would be hitching on deserted country roads in a strange land – well, everyone does it here. It is common practice if you want to get from one place to another. DON’T try it at home though! Today we rented a car to visit some of the other little villages and lovely beaches. We had lunch at a nice little restaurant in Governor’s Harbour, ‘The Buccaneer’ – about 25 miles south of here. We have decided that we won’t sail further south this year but will leave our exploration of the Exumas to a future year and different time of the year. We’ll be heading back to Spanish Wells, and then across the 50 mile stretch of Atlantic called the ‘New Providence Channel’ to the delights of the Abacos Islands later this week when the wind and seas calm down, and start blowing from the south.