s/v Kaleo

With plans to move Kaleo around to the anchorage closest to town, we got moving early right after Chris Parker’s weather report at 6:30. The day was framed around several trips into town so we wanted “home” to be closer for easier dinghy runs.

After setting the hook in the main anchorage, we jumped in the dinghy and zoomed over to Regatta Point for a 10 o’clock yoga session. Regatta Point is a dock and set of buildings on the south side of town that serves as the headquarters for the annual Black Point Sailing Regatta. But the other 51 weeks of the year it sits virtually unused. The main building has a large, multi-colored deck jutting out over the dazzling turquoise water which made for a serene morning yoga studio. Amy coached us through some poses like “Crow“, where you crouch with your knees pressed against your elbows, raising your lower body up while balancing on slightly bent arms, supporting your entire weight for as long as possible. Everyone was successful but agreed we’d all be sore from it.

After yoga, we spent time chatting with Amy and Dave of “Crow’s Nest”. Hailing from Colorado and Connecticut, they are a fun young couple who are out here for some of the same reasons we are. They remind us of fun, energetic Austin or Seattle-type people who are at peace with enjoying the world on a relaxed schedule, focusing on experiences, not stuff. We hope to spend more time with them as we continue exploring the islands.

Lorraine was still out of conch today and the Internet connection was dismally slow, so the whole Navy gave DeShmon’s (the other restaurant in town) a try. They had pizza on the menu and we split an italian sausage and cheese with Shane while browsing the net. The group made tentative plans for moving the fleet down to the next island of Farmer’s Cay soon.

On the way back to the boat we stopped by the market to see what fresh produce the mail boat might have brought in. The fresh selection wasn’t huge but we picked up a head of lettuce ($3), a plantain ($1) and eggs ($3). Last night we’d promised to bring some Fellowship Church Kids’ Curriculum DVD’s to Miss Sharon, a missionary at the local church. And while dropping those off, we discovered that kids’ church, called TeamKIDS,would be that evening and they would welcome any help. We planned to return ready to hang with the kids and help out.

After putting away the groceries we snuck in a nap, cleaned up the boat a bit and then had dinner before heading back into town for TeamKIDS. A few rain clouds dotted the horizon as we were leaving but they didn’t seem threatening enough to justify shutting all the hatches, (which we would later regret as Matt had to run back to the boat when the sky opened up and poured down). While walking up the dock we ran into Raymond, whom we’d met in church on Sunday, and he insisted on giving us ride to the church. We hopped aboard his golf cart and were chauffeured to the front door of the church education building while he explained a little history of the island. It’s just another example of how giving and gracious the Bahamian people are in allowing us to weave into their community.

About three dozen kiddos showed up early with enthusiasm and huge hearts for God for TeamKIDS. From Pre-K to 5th grade, the room was quickly filled with giggling and high-energy as games like “Candy Land” and “Connect Four” kept them entertained until it was time to start. First up, Miss Sharon reviewed the lessons they had gone through in previous weeks and then began with the evening’s lesson on “choosing the right friends.” Sampson was the example story and when she asked who knew anything about Sampson, almost every hand shot up. But these kids knew so much more than the simple fact of Sampson being the strongest man in the world. With answers about his marriage to a Philistine, adding that he shouldn’t have been friends with her, and not being able to eat dead animals, these kids knew their bible stories. It certainly helps that they are given Biblical knowledge as a class subject in grade-school.

Using a modern-looking felt board and engaging worksheets, Miss Sharon taught us all about how friends can be an influence on you and what to look for in a good friend. As the lesson ended, the kids were invited to join in together for “popcorn prayer” where everyone closes their eyes, folds their hands and prays about something out loud when they feel led. We were expecting crickets. Maybe a kid or two would speak out in the silence, but it was a heart-warming surprise when they were practically talking over each other, popping prayers throughout the classroom with the sweetest sincerity. Thanking God for “food on their tables, clothes on their back and shoes on their feet”, for “parents and teachers”, for “missionaries in far off lands” and for “protection”. We had lumps in our throats when one young boy said “God, thank you for Meez Chrestie and Mr. Mott, that they came here to us tonight” and another little girl thanked Him for “our special guests.” My entire self smiled and it was all I could do to not burst into happy-tears hearing their voices raised in such powerful prayer.

Refreshments of Animal Crackers and chilled Capri Suns were a treat for the kiddos as well as ourselves and we left feeling overjoyed and blessed at the opportunity to have been part of TeamKIDS for the night.

Monday brought strong winds which would make for wet dinghy rides and unpleasant sailing so we spent the morning hanging out on the boat. Just before lunch the winds let up so we grabbed the opportunity for a drier dinghy ride and headed into the beach, then made the 2-mile walk into town. The first stop was Lorraine’s for, you guessed it, Internet and her famous cracked conch. She was out of conch as no one had been out fishing due to the choppy sea state and heavy winds so we opted for her take on wings and fries. Another reinforcement that she’s the best chef in town. We stopped by Adderley’s small market store to see if they may have any fresh produce but the mail boat hadn’t yet come this week so headed back to our anchorage to see what the rest of the Navy was up to.

The 2 mile walk (each way) into town from our anchorage on the south side of BP

From our experience, every anchorage has its trade-offs, but Castle Beach has offered some of the best protection we’ve had yet. It’s a crescent-shaped cove with good water depths, two big beaches and protection from heavy wind and waves in every direction except from the west. What we trade for calm nights at anchor and an uncrowded anchorage is a long walk into town and no Internet on the boat. But we really like the anchorage and it makes the 20+ knot winds seem like no big deal.

That evening, Shane hosted everyone in the anchorage for sundowners and snacks aboard his Lagoon 410. We had the chance to finally meet Ted and Mili, of “Morning Glory”, who we’d been emailing with for a few months. They had sailed into the anchorage a few hours earlier and came to Shane’s boat for the gathering. It was a delight to spend some time getting to know them in person and we’re looking forward to more of it. Their catamaran is the same kind as SYL, a Seawind 1000, so another common bond was formed and we’re sure there will be a race or two between them. No sailor can pass up racing against the same type of boat because it has the tendency to highlight your sailing skills.

The VHF crackled to life early Tuesday morning with an open invite to yoga led by Amy, a fellow cruiser aboard Crow’s Nest. The venue of choice for the morning’s session was outside the laundromat, as the owner, a local named Ida, wanted to join. Ida was in the middle of giving haircuts (yes, the laundromat doubles as a hair salon) so we all perused Mary’s garage sale that was set up out front while waiting for the trims finish up. Mary is an American that has lived in Black Point for the last 10 years but is now planning a move to Hawaii to be closer to her son. Only wanting to take what will fit in her luggage, she is selling the rest and her garage sale pops up at various locations throughout town during the week.

The sun shined brightly as half a dozen cruisers and three locals stretched out upon beach towels and yoga mats ready to follow Amy’s form. An hour later we were all feeling a little more inner peace and a little muscle burn too. Lorraine’s was next for some Internet but she was still out of conch so we didn’t stay long. We jumped in the dinghy with Deana, who’d given us a ride in, to zip back towards Castle Beach.

Lunch and naps aboard filled the early afternoon before we walked back into town to help tutor some local children at the church. A sign was posted at Ida’s laundromat inviting cruisers help tutor school children and with our hearts set on giving back to this community that’s given so much to us, we eagerly signed up the crew of “Kaleo” to help.

Gregory and Sharniece, both about 6 years old, came by the church’s educational center after school to work on reading. It quickly became apparent that they were both solid readers and just needed to practice a little pronunciation and stringing words into more fluid sentences with someone. We spent about a couple hours working on sounding out some words and reading books like,”Miss Spider’s New Car” and “The Pig Did A Jig”. We quickly adapted our Texan “cats” and “bats” to Bahamian “cots” and “bots” to help reinforce their British-influenced English. We had a great time with the kiddos and are looking forward to helping out again while we’re here.

Dinghying back to the boat, we stopped by SYL to say goodbye to Linda, who was flying back to Houston in the morning. She is a key witness in a criminal case that has been going on for a few years and the district attorney called out of the blue this week to say it was time to go court. Another bit of dinghying took us to “Pipe Muh Bligh” where the rest of the crew was cooking up their catch from the day’s fishing trip. Lobster and Lionfish were on the menu and it smelled delicious. They were gracious enough to invite us to stay and join the feast but we just didn’t feel right given all the work they had put into snagging their catch while we were in town with the kiddos. So, Matt cooked us up some turkey burgers back on Kaleo and we made it an early evening. Another fine day in earthly paradise.