Pah-tee!

Hi kids!

When we went cruising we heard about these convivial beach parties
that the cruisers have wherever they congregate. Parties where they
have cocktails, talk about the bad winds and seas, their broken
something or other and how it's impossible for them to do anything bit
stay where they are and have more cocktails at their next beach party.

Man, that sounded like it had Pirate John written all over it!

Here at the Headquarters of the Exumas National Land and Sea Park on
Warderick Wells Cay we found one at last. We were checking in at the
office and some park ranger came around saying,"Its my birthday
today! Bring your drinks, I'll bring the food!"

So at four pm all the dinghies from all the boats headed for the
beach. Pah-tee!

There was something like an old army mess tent from the Korean War or
M.A.S.H. or something. (Don't know the old tv show ' M.A.S.H.'? Ask
the teacher. She can remember it. She was even alive during the Korean
War.) The park rangers and volunteers were cooking up a storm,
grilling wings, ribs, burgers, dogs, buns and more. Salads all over.
Even soda pop.

The cruisers were busting out their enhanced cola colas, enhanced
Goombay Punches, something called 'Bahama Mamas' which despite the
name were red, not black, and seemed to have a much lower fat content
than the namesake article. Pretty soon they were discussing all the
bad seas out there, how amazed they were that we attempted sailing
yesterday, the terrible weather, busted gidgets, the impossibility of
attempting repairs and how long they would stay put. Man, it was
textbook cruiser living!

We met people here whom we hadn't seen since New Jersey. Seems they
reported to Angel Jen discussing us several times in the intervening
months wondering if we ever made it. They were surprised and pleased
to see here and alive.

Hmmm... I wonder why they talked amongst themselves wondering whether
we'd make it? Hmmmm....

We talked to Canadians from Calgary, Alberta and I got to tell my
story about hoboing a train from Calgary to Toronto in 1972. We talked
to a union man from Detroit and I got to tell my story about my
grandfather going to work in the coal mines 12 hours a day six days a
week when he was 12 years old and what great things unions had done
getting the forty hour week and industrial safety standards
established. We met sailors who had been to Maine and swapped tales
about favorite anchorages there.

After being shut up in a boat for a few weeks with just ourselves to
talk to it was nice to have a gab fest.

And man, can those Bahamians barbeque a rib! MmmmmMmm!

Since our sodas were unenhanced it was fun watching the various
cruisers who had enjoyed their enhanced versions wading out to get the
dinghies that were floating off in the rising tide and pouring
themselves happily over the gunwales for the ride out to their yachts
to sleep sweetly until morning's light.

Cruiser beach party! Another box checked in the last great adventure
list!