stocking island

When I found out we were going to the Superbowl Sam said since we are already in Miami the Caribean or other islands aren't very far away so why not extend the trip. I wan't a hard sell and started my Internet research. After looking all over I finally found something that had a vacancy and was in our price range. I thought that would be easier but with less than a month notice it was a bit challenging.

I found a place online called Stocking Island. Best of all I found out that this area is where many cruisers hang out in the winter and the place we would be staying was where quite a few of them would gather in the evenings. While Sam would have preferred being on a boat ours wasn't going to be arriving down there and this could be the next best thing. Besides this place was only accessible by boat and that definitely increased its appeal in Sam's mind.

About a week before we left Sam opened up one of his sailing magazines and the Georgetown regatta was featured - this was right where we would be. He was excited before but this was the true stamp of approval and I was now quite the travel planner.
After the excitement of the Superbowl a bit of relaxation and down time sounded pretty good. Where we stayed was an 8 person resort and you could walk for miles on the beach without seeing anyone else. Being the first one to have footprints in the sand is a pretty incredible thing - especially since I could never ever get out of bed early enough before - now I could head out at 10 and still be the first.


Sam loved the interaction with other sailors but really what he wanted to see when he looked out over the harbor was his boat sitting there. I reminded him that we might have to get a bit better at this anchoring thing when the winds picked up to the 30's one night. When some of the boaters we spoke with talked about taking shifts during the night while at anchor in windy conditions I didn't share quite the same excitement. Sam then cut his losses and pointed out the mooring pin options. Hey he knows when to make a transition and sell me on something new.

Turns out where we were you can actually make it in day trips from Florida - long days but all in daylight hours if all goes well. Now when we say that I am well aware with boating more goes wrong than right but at least it was something I would attempt in hopes I would be one of the lucky ones. Many people we spoke with stay most of the winter and really don't venture much further than Exuma. This only made me look quite adventuresome since even I would want to venture further as long as I could make land in a day or 2.

The vacation was everything that we hoped. Sam got in 2 dives (though I am still a little bitter he didn't catch the lobster he saw for dinner), we snorkeled a bit, walked the beaches, rented a boat and went exploring, and made a quick adjustment to island life. If we had been there on our boat I might not be writing this as Sam would still be there figuring out how to leave for good.

So in reality maybe it was a good idea that we flew down there so we could return back to reality and be a bit more prepared before we head off. Plus we need to figure a way to get our boat down there that doesn't include me going down the Pacific Coast through the Panama canal. Unfortunately for Sam this is going to take a bit of time, planning, and even more importantly a ton of selling on his part. Now one good thing in his favor is that one lady we spoke with mentioned how cheap it was to have her laundry done for her so I might be okay now without my washer and dryer.

So please if you want to take a boat from Seattle to Exuma Island please wait a few years to let Sam know. I don't want to be the only one living in Seattle and I am pretty sure he would be gone without a backward glance.