OFF 2 C: Week 1 in George Town

We have settled into the George Town way of life. We begin each morning by finishing up breakfast by 8 so that we can listen to the cruisers net on the radio. Each week a cruiser volunteers to run the show, and things such as weather, tides, daily events (volleyball, scrabble, card games, straw crafts, meetings, etc.), upcoming poker, HAM radio, and dinner events, and questions for all cruisers are shared. The program takes anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes and once it is finished, we begin our schoolwork. We generally work on that until about noon. The girls are making great progress, and are quickly absorbing many new concepts, often several grade levels ahead.
Afternoons usually bring a trip to Volleyball Beach. A local hang-out, aptly named for its' volleyball courts, which are in constant use. There are a variety of swings hanging in the trees which the girls and their friends have great fun with. We usually find other cruisers to chat with, some new friends, others that we have previously met. We have also participated in a few fierce games of scrabble and euchre. At other tables are games of dominoes, weaving lessons, and at the beach people wade and swim and play with the friendly stingrays.
As the sun begins to lower in the sky, we head back to Cee Jem. We have dinner, usually play some cards and then read a bit before bed.

Yet, every day is always different.
Sometimes, a trip across the harbour into town allows us to stock up on provisions, and pick up some water. On Wednesday Greg had a particularly grueling trip. The wind has been fairly strong, making the harbour quite choppy. On his return he had a 20lb propane tank, 6 gallons of water, 5 gallons of gas and 3 bags of groceries. Needless to say he was salt-water soaked from his adventure and the dinghy once emptied of supplies needed bailing!
Sometimes, a special gathering is arranged and announced on the morning net. This week we attended a happy hour celebration. At 5, we, and many other dinghies descended on Sand Dollar Beach, snacks and beverages in hand. The girls quickly found a group of kids, and together they ventured along a short path to the ocean-side beach. Just as the sky was getting dusky and the Moms started thinking we should go find them, we heard the group of them laughing and yelling approaching from the trailhead. We can only hope the responsible influence of the older cruising kids rubs off on our girls just a little!
Other days, we arrange to meet up with a family for our own little adventure. Yesterday was such a day. Last week we had the good fortune to meet up with the boat 'Water Musick'. Bill and Becky, along with their children Joey, Ray and Melody set out from Annapolis this fall, and are beginning a multiple year journey, with the hope of circumnavigating. Melody is 9, and has been a fast friend to Jessica and Madeline. Yesterday after lunch we decided to hike to the ocean side of our anchorage and walk along the beach. We began shortly after noon, walked for several hours enjoying the view and company. Once back on the west side of the island, the girls decided they wanted to swim and we did that until dusk. We reconvened on Water Musick about an hour later and enjoyed dinner together. We will miss them once they head further south tomorrow, but will continue to share their travels through their blog.
Sunday Greg's parents arrive for a few weeks, and we are glad to have had a bit of time here to get aquatinted with the area and are looking forward to sharing it with them.