Crew list:

Don Boyd (your correspondent)

Joni Crosby (she who is to be obeyed)

Mik the dog (the world famous cruising Pug)

Miles travelled - 0 (nautical miles as measured straight line GPS)

(estimate 20 miles travelled here and there, but not including the dinghy which probably was a lot, maybe as much as twenty or more, maybe less, who knows mon)

* Engine hours -16.0 (almost all charging)
* Sailing hours - 0 (Make me laugh)

• Money spent:

F- Food / beer / ice / snacks on board / provisioning- $271.00

C- UPS / medicine / communication / propane - $170.00

D- Charts / guides / boat parts / - $ 20.00

T- Eating out / drinking out / touring - $92.00

Aprox. total this leg - $553.00

FAVOURITE PRICE SAMPLES (all at George Town):

one litre bottle of Johnny Walker Scotch $ 14.20 / Case of 24 Coke $ 12.00. / One ice cream cone (two scoops) $ 1.50 / one large grapefruit $ 1.50 /

One good size cantaloupe $ 2.95/ Loaf of "Mom's" baked bread $ 2.50 / cost to do a load of laundry at the Exuma Dock Services $ 1.50 wash / $ 1.50 dry ... choose your machines carefully!!!

One Kalik Beer at Two Turtles Bar (a correction for a typo last instalment... sorry 2-T's) $3.00 / Fried chicken and fries at the Two Turtles (lunch) $ 6.00 / day playing Volley Ball ( 15:00 - 17:00 hrs daily) FREE / cost to UPS a 2 lb. parcel home to Montreal $ 31.00 / Cost to send a fax from Exuma markets to Canada - $ 2.50 / Cost to receive a fax FREE!!! / Cost to do email at local island BATELCO offices, $ 4.50 connect to Miami AOL, $ 1.00 each minute. / Average connect time (no pictures) 2 minutes • Average update of web page (also no pictures) 7 minutes

• High temperature this period 35.2 Celsius
• Lowest temperature this period 18.5 Celsius

Straight line distance from PCYC Montreal • 1315 (nautical miles)

Ports visited:

• Kidd Cove, George Town (anchor) • Off Volley Ball Beach, George Town (anchor) •Hole #1 extreme SW corner, George Town (anchor) • Kidd Cove, George Town (anchor) •

Destiny Calls in George Town!!!

George Town is a place that runs a lot like a club. People feel a part of this little town and come back year after year. Some take real honest pride in their promotion of George Town and some make their repeat visits a badge of honour. For the majority, it's a bit like your new home, but with sand in your pants every day.

The local folk are honestly happy that you are here with your boat!! Let me point out that Exuman's are possibly the friendliest people in the world anyway, but the rare feeling of "Hi, how are you... It really is great to see you..." is so rare these days, that when you find it, you remember it. An example of this " glad you're here" attitude is "Mom", of "Mom's Bakery". Every day, except for Sunday, "Mom" van parks near the Dock Services, opposite Exuma Markets full of baked goods. With every purchase you get a hug. If it's been a real big day and it's hot, it may be a "squeeze of the arm", but it's real.

The last time that I can remember this sort of attention to customer detail, was in 1979. I worked at a now debunked Irish Pub in Montreal. "J.P.", the day time bartender, would often forget to put a "swizzle stick" into mixed drinks. Once this was pointed out by the patron after receiving his / her drink, "J.P." (with no concern for his own safety or health) would dip his index finger into the drink and swizzle it for the customer.

Service!!!

Paradise still has it's dangers. There's a place here that all cruisers fear with every fibre of their bodies.

The dinghy tunnel.

There's a lake, Lake Victoria to be exact, with a narrow passage underneath the main road into town, for dinghies to pass through. Inside there's a great dock to tie up to, I believe provided by the Exuma Markets, from where the travelling yachtsman can enjoy the many things George Town has to offer.

The problem is, you must survive the "Bridge".

The "Bridge" is the the nasty stretch of water in the Bahamas some days, even though it is only ten feet by twenty feet. When the tide and wind are right, it is pure dinghy hell!!! Waves the size (from a dinghy's perspective any way) of mountains!!!!! Of course there is almost no way to stay dry on some days, even in 12 foot Whalers, since the short Satan chop puts salt down your drawers like being dunked into the school fountain during recess, (you know, unwelcomed, not unexpected, and to be repeated!)

There's a certain glory to surviving the "Bridge". Nobody talks about it, but it fulfils the need for off shore danger when the biggest danger in George Town is Volley Ball strains and bruises.

Speaking of dangers, one alert reader recently questioned:

Just a couple of questions.
A) Tell me something of yourselves.
B) How can you afford to go on this trip?
C) Do you have jobs when you get back?
D) As I look at your itinerary, it looks like a lot of travelling without many lengthy layovers.
E) I think I might get lost in Georgetown from all I've heard, for a few days anyway.

A) Well, I am an extremely tall (5 ' 10") man with eagle blue eyes (wears glasses) and no hair loss at all (all grey). I like to work hard(hardly work), and read good books (watch TV). I learned to sail from the best, (Pascal) and never regretted a minute of my life on boats ( also Pascal). My wife, (22 years of age and 44-22-36) has a sassy auburn hair cut (all true, more or less).

B) We made our money by looking in public telephone return slots.

C) If all goes well, we will be unemployable by the time we return.

D) There is always enough time to sail. Make the time or spend your life reading in bed. Down here, you better learn to read the weather too, or it'll be a wet bed.

E) I have already got lost in George Town. I now consider it my new home. At least until I can find another reliable bathroom.

There is a problem here that is driving Joni around the bend. It's the 'Rooster Off', held every morning before sunrise. Large numbers of Roosters, charged up with Kalik Beer and Testosterone, pile onto the streets of George Town to scream " Cock-a-doodle-Joni" Joni awakes and always responds, "I am renting a car tomorrow Rooster. See you soon!!!"

By the way, I asked who owns all the chickens wandering the streets here and was told, "No one mon, until you hit one with the car!"

The super market here is darn good. There's a decent amount of stuff at a fairly good price. But there are some things we haven't figured out. They sell turkey wings here for CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!, but it looks like Joni got to them instead of running down Mr. Rooster's entourage. It's chopped up to the point that we are beginning to wonder if there are parts of this bird that are "off-limits" in Canada. Perhaps they are of the "hot dog bits" area or a (UNTIL KNOW!!!) never reported part of the bird. I will continue to research!

A bunch of things happen every day that need to be improved or fixed aboard Destiny Calls. Lately, I have been improving the alternator's charge capacity, thanks 99.9% to "Kendall" aboard the trawler "Primrose Lane". I now have a switch which "super charges" the batteries at WHOOPING!!! (this is a small number to those who do not know, it's only a 8hp motor!!) 26 amps!!! Before, it would self regulate to 8 or 9... useless!!

There are a ton of very interesting people here, and I thought that you'd like to hear about a few of them. I asked basically the same questions to each of these excellent human examples. I wanted to know who they were, could they buy me a beer and why was I wearing pants on my head.

One of the fine people and their families you'll learn about is Mike and Amy Smith on "Madjk", an Island Packet 40. He's the sourse of the photos on this web page.

Joni had her own list of dumb questions to which they actually responded. They included:

• favourite places visited, things to do on board, and food to eat while sailing

• Their present trip's duration and plans

• What they'd spend $ 100.00 on in George Town if we gave them one day to spend it .

For the sake of my web updating time, ($ 3.50 first minute, $ 1.00 each minute after, average seven minutes per update) I will pile one or two into each update for the future, starting the next update. I hope to include a picture but I no access to a digital camera, and there will be a delay for pictures scanned back in Montreal by Kelly Design, and Peter Kelly... a man who's sole purpose in life is to create art, sail and scrape ice off the damn front porch because it snowed again last night.

I hope that these pages are providing some relief through the long winter back home. This is truly a fabulous paradise and I am surprised at how few people there are here.

When I was 12 years old, there was no one (almost) sailing here. Now there are a few good folks. I suspect, by the number of Cays and Islands turning private, the Exumas are taking their turn into the next century.

Till the next instalment!