Cruisers Regatta

Every year in Georgetown, the Cruisers hold their annual Cruisers Regatta. This is a week long event that consists of sailing races, of course, but also smaller events that everyone can participate in. They are fun, goofy and the first place prize is always a bottle of rum! It is a great time to get involved and get out and meet all the other cruisers. And with over 300 boats here in the harbour, there are lots of people to meet!

The week started off with their annual Variety Show. Unfortunately, this occurred on a very cold and windy night here, so the turn out wasn't as great as expected. This is a talent show, so to speak, although I think it should be called the talentless show. It is a great way to spend the evening and is filled with people singing and various skits making fun of the daily lifestyles and habits of sailors. The locals provide food and drinks and the proceeds go to help fund their island regatta race in April.

The next day, Brad and I both played in the Softball game. Every year, the cruisers get a team together (no skill required) and we practice for about 4 weeks, twice a week. I haven't touched a softball in an ungodly number of years, and as such, was terrible; I was just there to fill their "girl quota". The night of the game, we had a great turnout, and with the proceeds of the concessions going towards the local schools, it looked like it was going to be a successful night.

The only other game we were here for (4 years ago) was really just a fun event. The cruisers were terrible and the Bahamians killed them. But the cruisers made it more about fun and show than the game itself. So, I thought this game would be the same. However, in the first inning, when we had scored 3 runs, it seemed that we may actually have a chance to finally win a game (for the first time ever!) so everyone buckled down and it was a real game. Everyone gave it their best, but we came up just short in the end. But, this was the first year that anyone could remember where we actually had a chance of winning, so everyone was in good spirits. And we got free t-shirts!

Our new boater friends on "Hello Texas"

Our first trip down, we pulled into the harbour right around the start of the regatta and as such, did not participate in many events. This year, however, we have signed up for almost every game. So stay tuned to see how we do!

And, as if this week couldn't get any better, we have our first visitor in on Tuesday. Holly, my friend from college, is coming in from snowy Baltimore to play in the sun and sand with us for the week!!

The Gtown Workout

Coming to Georgetown is always a shock to the system. While we lead a somewhat active lifestyle, we are not against lounging around the boat for half the day after spending the morning at the beach. Once we get to Georgetown, there are so many activities and friends to spend time with that we barely even see the boat!

We definitely stay active here and have in fact been doing so much that we are exhausted by the time the sun sets and are frequently in bed by 8pm (mind you we are up with the sun...so don't judge!) Not only are we exhausted but we are finally realizing that we are no longer in our 20s and exercise comes with a price - pulled muscles, aching muscles that we haven't used in forever and bruises galore.

Regardless, we have joined the cruisers softball team and practice twice a week for a couple hours. We also wormed our way into the competitive beach volleyball group = a "prestigious" group of about 10 men who play 3 on 3 and are very good. Somehow we have been allowed to play and we do that every day for a few hours. Add to that at least an hour on the beach swimming and playing with Koa in the afternoons and before we know it, it's dinnertime and we can both barely keep our eyes open through an entire movie.

On the nights we have sundowners with other boaters, we come back from the beach, do a quick rinse off so we are presentable, grab a snack and some drinks and head over to socialize until just after sunset. On those nights, we don't even bother with dinner - some lite appetizers and a few drinks and we are good for the night.

In our "down time" we work on boat projects, blog, check the weather and explore all the trails on the island with Koa. Brad also participates in poker twice a week - he has to live up to our boat name after all....

So on those few days when we play softball all morning and then decide to skip volleyball and lounge on the beach all afternoon, we love to just relax and soak in the sun and the leisure. And although we stay busy here, we love it and wouldn't have it any other way. So bring on the sun, sand, muscle aches and pains, and bottles of advil - we are here to cram as many good times and memories into our short visit as we can!