Black Point, Exumas

From our anchorage off of Oven Rock, we proceeded to the north along the inside of Great Guana Key. We saw the Next Gig, peacefully anchored along the way, and we talked on the vhf for a little catching up since we'd last seen them in Hatchet Bay.

We found a great holding spot in good sand in the cove off Black Point, and merrily hooked into an open wi-fi signal, that failed along with the rest of the Batelco internet in a storm over the week-end.

We had three remoras under the boat at Black Point

Did I mention storm?! It rained and blew, and then blew and rained. We swung facing the east and southeast, then the west (at which time this little cove gets rough!) before it ever came back to its ESE prevail. But, I'm skipping Saturday ...

We went into Black Point and did laundry at a nice laundry, the Rockside Laundermat. This large white building has a dinghy dock so you don't have to tote bags of laundry through town! While the laundry was in, I went to speak or Lorraine's (from Lorraine's Cafe) mom, the local bread baker. I bought a loaf of cinnamon bread, and a loaf of coconut bread. Allen and I are having trouble deciding which we like better!

I got directions to the church for Sunday and realized it wasn't too far from the local town dock.

Sunday was the day of the squally weather. I'd gotten up and changed the oil in the gen-set and took a shower before church. Allen looked at the weather and decided he didn't want to go to church in the rain. I thought I had time...

A little football keep-away

About the time I got to the town dock, the bottom fell out, and by the time I got to the church, I was soaked. I decided I'd go stand in the back or something, and kept going. When I got to the church, it was padlocked shut, with no one anywhere around. Good things for Americans to know before going out in the rain to attend church in the Family Islands: They don't have church when it rains! As was explained to me by a parishioner on Monday, since everyone mostly walks, if it rains, they don't have church. Now I know.

Monday morning we went in to the dock and walked to see the local blow hole. When the waves crash into the rocks on the Sound side, the water goes into a little cave, and then up, and out a blowhole in a geyser-like fashion.

We walked back into town to the local grocery store, run by Mrs. Adderly, whom I'd met on Saturday. She has two of her grandsons, cousins, 14-yr old Eric, and 13-yr old Warren, visiting her for a couple of weeks from Nassau. Allen and I took them, and a 7-yr old Elton from Black Point to Bitter Guana Cay to see the Exuma Iguanas. We looked at Iguanas for awhile, walked the beach, and the teen-agers played with the nerf football in the water while Elton and I explored up the beach aways. We all had a fun morning.

Mrs. Adderly gave me a sapadilly from her tree, trying to convince me that though, if you remember a previous blog where I'd said I'd found a fruit that I didn't like, it was because it was over ripe. Though dubious, I graciously accepted one from her to try in a couple of days when it ripens.

Stratton and Doug are teaching Allen to windsurf

Monday night a fellow on a neighboring sailboat came by on the wind surfer. It was Stratton, a man I'd taken back and forth to Tortugus a few times when he was in his early 20's. What a small world! He plans to teach Allen to windsurf, so we'll stay here another day.

Tuesday, Allen decided he likes windsurfing! Stratton is a great instructor, and in no time at all, Allen was zipping around on a windsurfer. The shallow cove and beach area was a great place to learn, and the wind was just right.

Allen is a pretty quick learner for windsurfing!

Stratton left in the late afternoon, and a short time later sent a text asking if I wanted to use the windsurfer and return it to him in Florida. Wow! What a great offer. I eagerly accepted, and agreed to run north to meet them at Oven Rock with the Whaler in the morning.

In the morning I ran the Whaler to the north to meet Stratton, and pick up the windsurfer and supplies from him.

For the duration of our summer adventure, Allen practiced his windsurfing. He became pretty adept at it.