Long Island and sad farewell to George Town

Like I mentioned in my last post, George Town really was as far as we though we would venture, but because we had plenty of time we decided on one more destination, Long Island. LI is a one day sail from George Town and is still very laid back, much fewer cruisers go there. It also lies below the Tropic of Cancer, and we are a lot closer to Cuba than Nassau. 
We knew that our new friends Bill and Claire already were there, and we said we would rent a car together for a day and "do the island". When we arrived in Thompson Bay, we called them on the VHF to let them know we had arrived, and were told that the Monday-Night-Cruisers-Sundowners on the beach-Appetizer-Make merry party was happening that evening. So we wasted (of course) no time, dropped the hook, got our happy hour bag together (YES- there is such a thing), lowered the dinghy, and zoomed off towards the beach. We were lucky, as there were some musicians present, and we had wonderful entertainment. These cruiser gatherings are always nice, you get to talk to other people and exchange information and learn new things. 

Long Island received it's name because it's a really long Island (about 90 miles) and generally pretty skinny. We started our day at 8:30 in the morning, we wanted to see all of it in one day. First we started out going south (Thompson Bay is in the middle of the island), as we had booked a guided private tour through the Hamilton caves. But before we got there, we made a quick stop along the road, as we spotted a Wooden Bahamian Skiff being built, right along the road. Bill and Warren were of course terribly interested in the technical aspects of this, I just liked smelling the wood and wood chips. Before long, we noticed an older gentlemen coming over to see us, turns out, he once was one of the few very skilled wooden boat builders on Long Island. Now his son is carrying on the traditions. It takes approx. 5 months to build one of these boat. Well, the very nice gentlemen wanted to talk, and talk, and talk, but we had to move along, as the guide for the caves was expecting us.

Hamilton caves were very nice, our guide showed us around for almost two hours. We learned about different bat species, and all kinds of other interesting tidbits.

Next on the program was  the famous "Dean's Blue Hole". This is where the worlds free dive championships are being held. The hole is 663' deep. It looks gorgeous, the colours are spectacular. We clambered up the hill to get a real good picture. It was worth it :)

We also wanted to visit the Columbus Monument, located at the very northern tip of Long Island. Long Island only has one road going up and down it, so when we passed through Thompson Bay on the way north, we quickly stopped and peeked across the bay to make sure our boats were still bobbing peacefully up and down at anchor. Yep, there they are, on we go. 
Columbus Monument itself is not that spectacular, but the view you get from up there, wow.
To end the day, we went to a lovely beach-front restaurant at a resort, except that we did not see any other guest, we were the only people there! The food was freshly prepared for us, so you need a bit of patience, no fast food here. It was so tasty.

We stayed in Thompson Bay for one week, and then went back to George Town. From there we waited for weather again to make our way back to Nassau, to pick up Rosi (my mom). She will arrive in two days. The adventures we will have with her, more about that in my next post.

On the way to Long Island from George Town, the colour of the water, out of this world. 

Cruisers beach party, complete with music, drinks, apps, and good company....

Cruisers parking lot...

Valentine's Dinner. We invited Bill and Claire over, and I cooked Bahamian Cracked Conch and BBQ-lobster, Claire brought the salads and sides, plus a  couple of bottles of wine later, we had a great evening. Good company and good food...

Bahamian Wooden Skiff, not quite finished yet, but taking shape.

Hamilton Caves ...

Here our guide started to chuckle, I will leave this for your own interpretation...

Dean's Blue Hole. You can see the dive platform they use to free dive...

Columbus Monument...

At the resort where we had supper, nobody around, it's paradise...

Back in George Town: This is what cruisers do in the afternoon, play Dominos!!! We had so much fun. this is on a Trawler, not a sailboat. There is definitely more room on a trawler.

George Town Regatta Cruisers Talent Show: The conch horn blowing contest, always a favourite...

Last day at Chat N'Chills, on the beach...

While sailing back to Nassau, I caught two fish: A Mahi Mahi, and a Skipjack tuna. We first thought it was a Mackerel, but found out it was a tuna!!!

NOT A MACKEREL!!!

Back in Nassau, waiting for my mom to arrive...

Thanks, and see you next post.