DATE
2 March 2022
Departure point
Rudder Cuy Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
arrival point
George Town, Exumas, Bahamas
distance (NM)
38 NM
Cumulative Mileage (NM)
1,993 NM
Crew on Board
CALLY
Skipper, first mate, chef, entertainment and more; I guess that is solo sailing for you!
MICAH
Handyman extraordinaire from Indiana here to lend a hand between Nassau and George Town!
GENERAL WEATHER OBSERVATIONS
WIND
18 knots, waves of the forward port quarter
CLOUD COVER
Not a cloud in sight!
TEMPERATURE
Balmy for this time of year
PRECIPITATION
Dry, thank goodness!
Log
I had my handy assistant Micah pull and stow the anchor to depart on the final leg of his torment (and mine, as I only want people to have a great experience on board and I never could have predicted how this trip would go). Though this was the only task he was really up to on a sailing day, he made sure to do it well. And it was nice having one less thing to worry about on board for his brief visit!
Conditions were sporty but perfect at the same time. I felt a bit of empathy for the catamarans seen along the way because the sea state meant a monohull could cut through the waves on a heel, but the catamarans were like a bunch of rocking horses over the waves. The wind was strong enough that I held a solid 7 knots almost the entire way to George Town on one tack!
I was grinning from ear to ear at how good Tala felt while sailing. Micah was feeling pretty standard or worse than usual as a 7 knot sail sure does accentuate the creaks and moans of a
boat. But the options were carry on at 7 knots and get it over with sooner or slow down to ease the sounds but draw your torture out over a longer period of time. As Captain, I made the executive decision to get it over with swiftly because either way he would be under stress.
Shortly after pulling out of the cut, we realised that nearly every boat in the entire Exumas (or so it felt) must have decided to use the same weather window as us to get to George Town. It made me feel good about my weather routing and passage planning! There was an absolute FLEET headed south and you could see white sails filled with wind in every direction you looked. It truly felt like a scene from Game of Thrones where the army approaches their target by sea in full formation.
So many boats dropped their sails when entering the cut at George Town, however, it is a long few miles before you are at the main anchorage and the wind was perfect so I left sails up and just kept on going!
The sail got even more comfortable once we were in the cut and the sea state was protected by the sand islands to my port side (a moment that has caused me to coin my new signature phrase, “F*** the Fetch!” since the build-up of small waves over the entire Exuma Sound caused the sea state Tala was cutting through all day; conditions that were immediately calmed by a small, insignificant sand island). Given the improved conditions, Micah even braced himself and came upstairs to sit in the cockpit for the last few miles and keep me company. A big effort if you could see the state of him on passage!
Our target was to anchor near the cruiser’s beach bar called Chat ‘N’ Chill because Micah’s brother, Caleb, and his girlfriend, Jacqueline, on SV Eos were also there! We were very excited to be reunited with Eos and take in the cruiser scene of George Town, a place I describe as ‘Summer Camp for Cruisers’ because people will sail to George Town and spend the entire season there. There is a bar, beach volleyball, picnic tables and
gatherings for every hobby and interest under the sun and hundreds of sailboats.
We dropped our sails in a wide part of the channel immediately before the anchorage and found a perfect spot to anchor, right near the front of the line (I love having no boats in front of me to worry about dragging anchor and running into me, not to mention a short dinghy ride to go ashore). Once settled, we headed into shore to catch up with everyone for a drink and continued the evening after sunset beach drinks back on Eos with food and drinks!
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
– Helen Keller
An entire season in on place on a vessel that is born to travel in a literal ocean of possibilities…to each their own, but a cool stop over none the less.
I can picture you leading the charge to war in Tala, the war cry “F*** The Fetch!” casting fear into the hearts of the “Heathens Of Chat N’ Chill”…thank you for the smile!
Cheers!
I mean I am just pumped that those people got out of their normal life bubble to get to Georgetown. Many will never make it that far! But yes, not my cup of tea long term. Wait until you get to know Luperon though. At least Georgetown is beautiful and beachy and like a summer camp. I will never understand the appeal of Luperon, Dominican Republic.