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The Exumas - George Town  John Sullivan's Visit cont.

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John Sullivan’s visit – March 16th  through March 21st - (His account of the week continued)      That evening (and on a number of others) we played Farkle, a simple game of five dice based on rolling combinations of either 1 or 5 and other twists and turns that are too complicated to explain here. The pace is quick, and there's a surprising amount of strategy and skill brought to bear on what is essentially a game of chance. Needless to say, laughter and gentle teasing result, and the game quickly fills an evening. The lesson to be drawn is that something so rudimentary could be so fun. Boating life is like that - a reconnection with basics. Television, videos and recorded music, though they can provide some entertainment, don't involve the same interaction with others. And that is another plus about life aboard: the tight quarters and limited options for amusement focus you on your shipmates. Thus, meals, conversation and just being together assume enhanced significance. This has clearly been a big plus for Annie, Tony and Monica, who are definitely a closer family as a result of this adventure.

A Farkle Game

Wednesday was Monica's birthday, and we celebrated after breakfast with presents, including a hand-made card from Annie that will likely become one of Monica's lifelong keepsakes. Then she was off to connect once again with her group of cruising pals, a collection of teens and pre-teens from across the spectrum, including three from a Seattle family with whom she'd become particularly close. (Chris, the 18-year-old elder, had asked Monica to accompany him to "prom night" on volleyball beach, one of the chaperoned activities the cruising kids enjoyed during the bustling month of March, centered on its renowned regatta of foreign cruisers. Annie allowed Monica to accept, under the condition that she acknowledge it wasn't really a "date"; still, I guess that's a harbinger of things to come, as Monica has grown into quite an attractive young woman, with beautiful features and a personality that will draw many young men to her. I later asked Monica what she had learned about herself as a result of the year aboard, and she responded without hesitating: "self-confidence.")

Monica Frosting her Birthday Cake

Monica seemed sheepish at times about peeling off from us "old farts" to go and hang out with her new friends; I reassured her that she should do what she wanted and that we would connect during the moments in between. This worked out quite well for all, as it gave Annie and me time to talk and reminisce, which gave Tony his freedom to read and relax on his own (when we weren't regaling each other with shared tales of our past in Ridgefield and Gloucester). At night, we generally had plenty of time to catch up with each other and visit as well with the other cruising families that Annie, Tony and Monica had befriended. In particular, the Nofzigers, the Seattle family aboard Tookish (an expression from the "Lord of the Ring" novels that means "time away," Monica informed me) were a pleasant group. We hosted them for dessert and a round of farkle one night, and they reciprocated on another night. (It reminded me of similar evenings long ago in Pueblo, with the Sullivans and Golds....)

John and Tony on the Beach

And so, as you may have deduced by now, my six days unfolded with a kind of pattern: Early to rise (6:30, so Tony could listen to the weather report from an uncannily accurate sailor in the harbor who pieced together the local forecast from a variety of sources); then coffee and breakfast and conversation about how to spend our day. Unless some urgency (laundry, banking or grocery-shopping) required us to take the dinghy into Georgetown, we would generally spend a languorous morning doing "lots of nothing" and then, after lunch, we would shame ourselves into a hike or walk along the beach. Early evening brought the cocktail hour(s), then dinner and cards or dice games. One night, we watched a video I brought - a teen-centered film that only Monica managed to stay awake for throughout. For the most part, the quiet and pleasant rocking of the boat lull you to sleep early (around 10 p.m.)      One day, we hiked up to "the monument," a stone obelisk that sat atop a hill overlooking the harbor. Though the actualmonument wasn't much, the path to it snaked through some intriguing foliage, a dense thicket of shrubs and small trees that the Bahamians call "the bush." One of the resorts had labeled the plants and provided some interesting details about their historic uses in medicine and as food; it made for an interesting circuit, as I had never penetrated what I always presumed was a hostile environment at the interior of the islands. It turns out the plant life was vital to the indigenous people of the Bahamas, the Arawaks and, later, the Seminoles.

The Monument

The Monument

Views from Monument

John/Tony Hiking

Of course, the snorkeling is thrilling. The first time we went out, we were visited by a curious barracuda (Annie said it was attracted to my watch). Though Annie was a bit unnerved (she gets fidgety around harmless lizards, as you know), I was truly fascinated by not only that small shark, but also by the countless multicolored fishes of the Bahamian reefs, some of which I recalled from previous trips in my Boating magazine days. The wonderful thing about snorkeling is how it makes you forget everything else in your life: For several fleeting minutes, your world becomes the "movie" of the underwater world in front of your goggles, the rhythm of your breath going in and out of the snorkle tube the soundtrack to your little adventure. The second time out, we saw a number of rare fish, including a damselfish that might have been an extra in "Finding Nemo," and beautiful triggerfish and parrotfish that are truly among the exotic gems of the reef.      On only one day, we had rain and high winds, enough to keep us belowdecks most of the day, although I did step out onto the bow to take a "sailor's shower" in the soothing rainwater. Freshwater is expensive in the Bahamas - upwards of 50 cents a gallon for potable "reverse osmosis" water; but even the brackish water from town costs something, so conservation is key. There's a "sun shower" aboard Laissez Faire, a kind of large plastic bag with a four- or five-gallon capacity that uses passive solar to heat the water. Everybody took Navy-style showers with it: rinsing quickly, then soaping up, then rinsing off again, all trying to use less than a gallon of water. It's a challenge, though the freshwater feels soothing after all the salty seawater.

John's Favorite Beach

By Sunday night, I realized how quickly the time had passed: I would leave the next morning. Monica made me a batch of her chocolate-chip cookies, and we played a card game I had brought for her birthday. Nevertheless, it was lights out fairly early. Based on the weather report, Tony decided to make a run for Black Point, about 40 miles north and the first stop on their long return home to Florida. So, on Monday morning, just as the sun rose around 6 a.m., we were all aboard the dinghy again for the trip into Georgetown. Once there, I had the usual confusion with the cab driver (the guy who said he'd be there never showed, so Annie ran over to the marina and hailed one from there.) We had a hurried good-bye, and as the cab rounded the dock, I caught a glimpse of Annie, Tony and Monica in the dinghy, heading back to Laissez Faire. I realized then how much I would miss them, but also how much I would savor the memory of my trip to the Bahamas.”

John Blowing the Conch at Sunset

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