Our guests departed after two weeks of fun in the sun, and we connected with some fellow Selene owners for a night out at Catch-a-Fire resort and restaurant. It’s located north of Georgetown, about a 15-20 minute ride by cab. We joined Luc and his guests aboard Innu, a 53′ Selene, and Ray and Cynthia aboard Bella Vita, a 58′. We had a very enjoyable dinner that was accompanied by some local entertainment in the form of a mini-Junkanoo parade. It was a great time, and we got to experience a bit of the Bahamian Junkanoo tradition first-hand. The overriding reaction: it’s LOUD! Over dinner we discussed cruising plans, Ray and Cynthia considered heading to Conception and Cat, but were unsure of the weather, and preferred having some company, so we decided we’d reconnoiter on the VHF the following morning. What ensued could be characterized as something of a dare; we’ll go if you go, with someone needing to commit. We decided we had two weeks to spend before our second guest contingent arrived, so we said ‘sure, we’ll go- you coming?’ And off we went!
The cruise to Conception is a full day, and we were up anchor by 0800 and on our way. The crossing was a bit on the bumpy side, particularly the last 2 hours or so, but conditions were tolerable, and by the time the conditions were eroding, we were already committed, so we slogged on! We arrived at Conception at about 1500, and found a dozen or so boats there, plenty of room for two more Selene’s! Conception is uninhabited, a part of the Bahamas Trust Parks. It was our second visit, having been there in 2011 with a contingent of the Selene Rendezvous. We thoroughly enjoyed our time then, this visit was every bit as enjoyable! We were blessed with settled weather, and despite the somewhat rough trip, the island provides good protection, so our anchorage was delightful. Conception is beyond the reach of BaTelCo, the Bahamian cell provider, so it’s somewhat isolated other than the other cruisers visiting.
The island is part of the Bahamas Trust, a version of a National Park. South of the anchorage lies a tidal creek, the entrance to which requires passing over a shallow reef at mid to high tide by dinghy. Following the tidal creek into the interior of the island, the creek changes from gin clear to a murky green. The green water is home to a large number of sea turtles, a sea turtle nursery, of sorts. We joined Ray and Cynthia on their larger dinghy for the trip to the turtle nursery. It was amazing to see how many there were, and how fast they move! They scoot along the bottom ahead of the dinghy at lightning fast speeds.
We enjoyed a few days of pleasant settled weather, did some snorkeling and explored the north end and ocean side of the island, and evenings enjoyed some game time with our cruising friends. We were introduced to some new games and broke out the pasteboards to tutor our friends and re-acquaint ourselves with 500. Great fun, beautiful location!
