George Town Frick Takeover
While we always wanted to check out George Town, the primary reason for our visit was to host family on the boat. Since George Town has an international airport and more infrastructure than the rest of the Exumas, it was a natural meeting point to rendezvous with the Frick family.
Since we had never been to George Town before making these plans, it was certainly a risk.
Boat Life 101
There are so many aspects of boat life that are hard to explain to guests before they arrive. The manual heads function differently than regular toilets, water and power must be used sparingly, and sometimes the weather can instantly turn a calm anchorage into a sleepless night. We also don’t have consistent access to specific foods or products.
There’s not always a plan B. Sometimes things get uncomfortable and there’s nothing you can do but wait it out. We were nervous because we wanted our guests to be comfortable but there’s only so much we can control on the water.
Sharing a space as small as our floating home is also not always easy. When things break, because they always do, there’s no plumber, electrician or diesel mechanic to call. There’s a pride that comes with being so self-reliant but there are also days it just sucks. We’ll get into more of this backstory in the next post but for now, let’s get back to our visitors.
While we’ve grown very accustomed to this way of life, it’s nearly impossible to convey the realities on a phone call. Regardless, we were so excited to share our little slice of paradise with them and give them the full boat life experience. They even stashed some boat parts in their luggage for us too!
Frick Family Takeover
The Frick parents decided to spend a few nights at a resort and then transition to the boat for the second half of their eight-day trip. The weather couldn’t have been better for their time in Exuma.
Once they moved aboard, we all sailed 20 miles north to Black Cay, anchoring off a remote island to enjoy some peace and quiet for the weekend. With lots of good bottom structure around, Tom and I jumped in to dive the cut and surrounding reefs. We finally got our first (and last) lobster of the season!
We had to motor our way back to George Town with the wind on our nose to catch their flight. All-in-all, it was still a lovely visit and, most importantly, nobody got seasick!
With 10 days between family visits, we planned to leave George Town in between guests but the weather had other ideas. We had consistent 20-35kts winds for over a week, so we grabbed a mooring in the Red Shanks to wait it out instead.
Next up, Tom’s sister flew down and stayed aboard for five nights. While she got the full boat life experience, she also got to do the touristy activities like eat fresh conch salad on the beach, pet the rays at Chat N' Chill and enjoy fruity drinks at the Coconut Club.
Despite travel delays and an unexpected extra night with us, she finally made it home to New Hampshire.
Boat life is certainly not for everyone. We’re so grateful our families are so supportive and interested in experiencing this way of life. It’s not always easy but the challenges make the good times that much sweeter. We don’t always have ice, veggies, meat or air conditioning, but we do have some of the most beautiful views in the world.
Check out all the trip details with the SeaPeople links below:
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