Stocking Island Anchorage, George Town, Exumas

We headed off to the Exumas markets after dragging out the boxes and boxes of food still on the boat to see what we actually needed to buy. This list amounted to just fresh foods so we headed in, unfortunately there were swarms of small flies in the vegetable section of the supermarket and even things like potatoes and onions were a long way past their best. We did manage to get apples though at a reasonable price for the first time since the Canaries.

Stocking Island – on the way to everywhere

We had a bit of a wander in town and called at the ATM again before heading back to the boat. We decided to reanchor at the other side of the channel at the Stocking Island anchorage so we could go to the Chat ‘n’ Chill bar that evening where the sailing crowd apparently congregate. There were more boats over this side – no doubt for the small amount of extra breeze, it was now sweltering at the town anchorage. We jumped in for a snorkel to cool down when we arrived, then did a bit of reading in the afternoon. I decided to do a reccie for the evening and swan ashore for a look round. There were already a few people in the bar and volley ball pitches and other activities available on shore.

Stocking Island anchorage – Chat ‘n’ Chill on shore

  Kevin snorkelling of the boat, Stocking Island

Chat ‘n’ Chill bar

We took the dingy in about 5pm, running it up the beach successfully. Kendal the bar man was friendly and we told him about his namesake in the Lake District, near where we used to live. The owner arrived for his dinner from the grill, he was apparently into Economics and used to live in Chicago and West Kensington before setting up the business back home. Shortly after the crew of another boat arrived, another catamaran from South Africa and we got talking to Lynn. They had also come across the Atlantic last season and headed up the Caribbean but their route was passing the more remote islands of St Helena and Ascension islands. They are debating where to spend the hurricane season and were erring on the side of the Bahamas instead of having to check in and out of each port in the US, which apparently they would need to do. We had a pleasant evening chatting to Lynn and their friend Tom from Florida who was visiting for 4 days. About 7pm they announced they were shutting the bar, I had had only two drinks but Kendal’s rather generous G&T’s were too much for me and I was happy to head back to the boat. We were getting in the dingy when we saw a large stingray gliding through the water literally in the surf of the shore line.

   Jo chilling after an evening at the Chat ‘n’ Chill 

Sting rays on the shore