George Town was the first time we had gotten off the boat in ten days thanks to the endless stream of windy weather, and it was fantastic to stretch our legs.  Our primary goals were to fuel up the boat and reprovision some fresh vegetables and dairy products.

George Town is a very cruiser-friendly place, much like Vero Beach or Marathon, FL.  The town rings Lake Victoria, so to get to the town dinghy dock, you must dinghy across Elizabeth Harbour (if you are anchored off of Stocking Island) and through a tiny tunnel under a bridge.  Once through the tunnel, the town dinghy dock is to the left.

At the dinghy dock there is a spigot with free RO water; the spigot is near the “no docking” sign and is in pretty constant use. 

The method of trash disposal is one we haven’t seen before.  Parked next to the liquor store is a truck where you put your trash.  It costs $2 for a small bag and $3 for a large bag.  You pay on the honor system and feed your money through the cracked window into the cab.

There are two grocery stores in easy walking distance, Exuma Market and Shop Rite.  Exuma Market is virtually at the head of the dinghy dock and is remarkably well-stocked, particularly with vegetables.  I was giddy with the variety but kept a rein on my enthusiasm for $5 packages of mushrooms and the like.  There are some deals to be had, particularly on “fancy” butter (Plugra, Presidente, Anchor, and  Kerrygold blocks were all around $2.50) and block cheese cut from the wheel.  We also found relatively cheap ($1.64) spaghetti from Turkey, of all places, that is quite good.

Refueling in jerry jugs is also made simple by a dedicated dinghy dock.  When coming under the entrance tunnel, the Shell station is immediately to the right with a rather dilapidated dinghy dock.  You can tie up there, walk a short distance with your jugs, and refuel both diesel and gas.  We ended up making two trips for 35 gallons of diesel and two gallons of gas.

It’s not all work, work, work.  One of the principal social hangouts is a bar/restaurant on Stocking Island called Chat n Chill.  It is surrounded by lovely beaches and is clearly the hub of the social scene.  The Captain and I had conch burgers there one night, and they were absolutely fantastic.

For something different, we were stuck on board for a day due to high winds and rough water.  Fortunately we had done all of the work we needed to do and had played enough to feel happy.  Our next step was to leave the Bahamas and head to our next country, the Turks and Caicos, British West Indies.