February 8, 2008.

We set out this morning at 0730. It was the first early start we’ve made in ages. We were so close to Georgetown, the sailors Mecca, that our mindset was “to hell with it, lets get there”. The trip back out through the cut was very pleasant in the calm seas.

The trip south was an affair of motoring with almost no breeze at all. However there was a side bet placed between the four of us traveling together. These are notoriously good fishing grounds. The boat that caught the largest edible fish was to be given a buck apiece by the other three boats.

We caught the first fish, a small Bonito (I think) but unfortunately a Barracuda chewed it up pretty good before we could reel it into the boat. It was alive just long enough to spray blood all over the deck while in its death throws. It was pretty much a butchered waste so we dropped his body back into the deep. That was the only fish we were able to land, so no winners here.

Gary on Packet Inn was able to catch 2 Barracuda. Judging by the size of the head, the first one was a monster that was until something bit the entire body off leaving only the head dangling from his hook. Probably, a shark. His second fish met pretty much the same fate. So in regard to the big picture there was no winner so we all got to keep our dollar.

After 3 hours we arrived at the Conch Cay Cut which is the entrance to Georgetown, the cruisers Mecca. The channel in is a wandering convoluted affair. The cut appears to be wide open but there is a series of reefs and rocks strategically scattered about. This is no place to relax until the anchor is safely down. So you have to pay close attention to your exact latitude and longitude as you travel from one waypoint to the next.

When you arrive at your first waypoint you have to turn to 192 degrees true for .67 nautical miles. Then it’s a turn to port to 131 degrees for .58 nautical miles and so on and so forth for 6 marks. Blindly following marks through an unfamiliar reef system is a little disconcerting so water reading is very important as well.

Once inside there are a series of anchorages along the shoreline of Stocking Island. There’s Hamburger Beach, Volleyball Beach, Holes #1, #2, #3 among others. We’re expecting a violent northerly blow this weekend so we’ve chosen Sand Dollar Beach as it offers excellent protection from the north through east.

The other beaches are more popular as they’re close to the trendy “island” bars so they’re already crowded with close to 200 boats. It looks like Tices Shoal on Memorial Day weekend, not the place we want to be especially with a blow coming. When we arrived at Sand Dollar we were pleasantly surprised to find only a dozen well spaced boats present. We wormed our way in as close to the north shore as we could and dropped the hook in 15 feet of water.

Sand Dollar Beach itself is pristine and remote from the maddening crowd. If we were the only boat here it would still be our chosen anchorage. Theres a couple of nice trails to walk leading to the ocean side of the island. The swimming is good and so should be the shelling, its going to be a nice place to spend some time.