I'm heading to the US

Chris here... that's it. I'm completely fed up with my family and I'm leaving! Hopping on the first plane available and I'm outta here!

Actually, no, but I am heading back to New York (home) for a few days. I have some business stuff I have to do and a number of errands to run. I'll only be up for 3 days and I have soooo much to do, so many people to see and places to go. I'm back and forth on whether I'm excited to go or not. On the one hand, I'm excited to see friends and family, eat at real restaurants (something other than Bahamian fried food!), take long showers with unlimited hot water that I don't have to pay for (instead of a $4, 8 minute shower with no pressure in Sampsons Cay) and sleep in a luxurious king sized bed. On the other hand, I really don't want to leave my family behind and re-enter a faster paced world with schedules, responsibilities and so many people, plus freezing temperatures (it's supposed to be in the sixties next week at home!). The deed is done though - I've already made my reservations.

Flying out of Georgetown is interesting. There are a number of regional airlines that fly out of here. Ultimately, I was looking for one that would fly to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, and then I could pick up a direct flight on Southwest to Albany. My alternative was to fly from Georgetown to Nassau, then to NYC, then to Albany. Well, unfortunately I couldn't figure out a way on my own, so I just signed up with BahamasAir. As a result, I have to fly from Georgetown at 7:20am to Eleuthera, to Nassau, to Washington DC to Albany. At least I don't have to get off the plane in Eleuthera, but there are still lots of opportunities for my luggage to get lost, and I'm looking at 12 hours of travel each way.

Getting to the airport will be interesting. First, we have to dinghy to the Georgetown dinghy dock in the early morning dark. It's about a mile and a half to get there. With the wind and waves, I should be sufficiently wet. Then I have to take a taxi for the 30 minute drive ($40) to the airport. Hopefully I can find someone to share it with. Then I wait to take off, and there is not a good track record of ontime departures.

One of the terrible things in the Bahamas is the mail. It can take 30 or more days to send a letter from here to the US. As a result, cruisers in Georgetown will give their US bound mail to cruisers heading to the states. I'll have a pile with me and the responsibility to make sure it gets mailed. The mail will contain everything from postcards and letters, to legal documents, to homeschooling tests, and various other items. It might sound trivial, but people are depending on the mail to get through!

We were able to secure a mooring across the way from Georgetown for only $15 a night. That way I can head out and feel secure about Kristen and the kids. I was a little worried about leaving them alone on the hook. If something happened (like another boat dragging down on them), they would have a difficult time dealing with it without another adult aboard. There is always the ever-present Georgetown cruiser's net on channel 68. It goes all night long, and if someone announces that they are dragging and need help you can expect 5 other people on your boat within 90-120 seconds. They won't all be clothed, but they'll be there!

Kristen promised she'd do another blog entry today or tomorrow about our time in Georgetown thus far. This afternoon we're joining about 4 or 5 other families for the Regatta festivities, so it won't happen until at least tonight.