Noodin Gets a Visitor 

We had known since January when we were in the Abacos that our son Mathew would be joining us in George Town on March 10th and our travel plans included getting to G-Town a week early to make sure that we didn’t miss Mat’s arrival because we were holed up waiting out crappy weather. It was a good plan well executed because we were here a week early and the day after we got here we got 3 days of howling winds that confined us to the boat. After that, we had another couple of days with winds strong enough that we wouldn’t have traveled. 

The highlight of Mat’s stay was a trip to Long Island. It’s about a 35 mile sail from George Town to Salt Pond, Long Island and we had an awesome sail. The wind was primarily out of the SW which meant that we had smaller seas because we had protection from land in that direction. The sail got off to a great start as Phebe landed our first fish on our hand line. We’re pretty sure it was a “horse eye jack”. Phebe filleted it on the side deck immediately and it was on our plates that evening. 

We got to Long Island just in time to enjoy some more strong winds but once again we were able to find shelter in a cozy bay (Thompson Bay). Our first day in Thompson Bay treated us to the wettest dinghy ride ever and our first experience with hitchhiking in the Bahamas. The hitchhiking was definitely more fun than the dinghy ride. The next day found us renting a car for a bit of land exploration. Mat and I shared the two days of driving with the passengers reminding the driver to stay on the left side of the road. The sign on the windshield was also a good reminder. 

We really put that little Toyota through the ringer. The Queen’s Highway was alright but once you left it you might as well have been on an abandoned Montana logging road. Sights included the Christopher Columbus monument at Cape Santa Maria, Dean’s Blue Hole, and Clarence Town. 

 

The trip back to G-Town provided hit and miss sailing but there were a couple more fish brought to the boat. The first was a barracuda that Mat brought to the boat before it’s sharp teeth severed the line. The second was another jack that Phebe caught just before entering Elizabeth Harbour. 

Mat’s stay was rounded out with snorkeling, beach walks, making and blowing conch shell horns, and just spending time together. It was a great time.