Dinner & A Movie Aboard SYL

Matt awoke for the usual routine of listening to Chris Parker weather then did a few dinghy trips in for gasoline (for the generator) and jerry cans of water. While he was out, Linda came on the radio to invite us, Storyville and Guiding Light over for spaghetti “lupper” (lunch/supper) around 2:00 and for a movie aboard SYL.

We spent the rest of the time before lupper walking through “town”, taking in the sights and sounds of Staniel Cay. Envision paved one-lane roads turning through small hills with modest but brightly colored houses perched here and there. You can hear the wind blowing through palm trees, the sounds of the ocean and the occasional whine of a golf cart motor (their main mode of transportation) passing by.

The main reason for the trip was to check out the three grocery stores and pick up some freshly-made coconut bread. Each building is a converted small house with its room holding about a dozen shelves (see pictures and prices below). Despite their small footprint, these three stores (the Blue Store, the Pink Store nearly next door to each other and the Isles General Store further down the 2 mile island) were fairly well-stocked with basic staples (e.g. flour, sugar, canned goods) and quite a few luxuries (e.g. ice cream and sodas). Our overall preference is the Blue Store as it seemed to have the most fresh foods, was well organized, and stocked and was within easy walking distance. The biggest delight was how friendly and helpful the proprietors were. In each store we were told that if something wasn’t on the shelf, they would try and find it. Another cruiser told us how the owner of the Blue Store sold her milk from her own personal fridge. Everyday we are reminded just how warm, caring and giving the Bahamian culture is and we are even more grateful for being here.

Soon enough it was time to head to See Yawl Later, where we were greeted by the always delightful Rusty and Linda and a spaghetti feast to rival the best of them. Everyone enjoyed an excellent meal with real plates, settings and cloth napkins in an air conditioned cabin. Real settings alone are impressive but with the A/C we could hardly believe that we were at anchor near a beautiful island instead of their land home.

The meal turned to dessert, a fabulous Sopapilla Cheesecake made by Deana, and then it was on to game time. Out came “Catch Phrase” and the teams were split girls vs. guys. A few practice rounds to get the hang of it and then everyone was shouting clues and trying to avoid the dreaded buzzer. The girls nearly ended up winning with a two game lead but some quick mime work by Troy and creative clue giving by Rusty, Shane and Matt and the boys ended up winning.

The sun was setting and Rusty said it was the perfect time to watch a movie. He set up the projector and we were ready for watching a movie on a 60″ screen that pulled down from the cabin top. Aboard Kaleo we watch movies on our 15″ laptop screen so this was really “going to the movies”. The group’s choice was “Wind” (awesome sailing movie – surprise, surprise) and we all settled into a relaxing evening.

It was such an enjoyable day and we’re both delighted that SYL has joined us in the anchorage.