March 9,2004
Thompson Bay, Long Island Latitude 23_ 57.4N - Longitude 76_ 18.7W

After the hustle and bustle of Georgetown, it was time to visit the rugged and remote outposts of the Bahamas, so a course was made to the Jumentos via Long Island and then southwesterly across the shallow Comer Channel. The sail to Long Island from Georgetown started out well enough but was not as much fun when we lost steering and propulsion as well as control of the boom (a part broke enroute) during a rather blustery day (see Stories & Tales). Fortunately, wonderful sailors responded to my call for help and towed us into Long Island just before sunset. Thompson Bay is a delight, large and deep enough to accommodate a 6 foot draft with some room to spare, a nice beach on the north end, and the best darned home-cooked meal possible for $12.00 at the Thompson Bay Inn. The settlements of Salt Pond and Thompson Bay are located on the leeward side (western) of the island about one-third of the way up from the very southern tip. There is no dinghy dock for the settlement, but there is a rusty ladder and dock near the town gas station that can be used except for low tide, and a nearby grocery-hardware store that is well stocked on basics. The beach on the north end of the bay is affected greatly by the tide and if staying on land for any length of time (like going for dinner) you will find yourself carrying your dinghy out quite some distance from shore to the water before it will be deep enough to use the outboard.

While Long Island earned its name by being 76 miles long, it is rather narrow in some places. You can walk from one side of the island to the other by taking the road next to the hardware store a short way toward the east. Some of the cruisers I met along the way were also anchored in Thompson Bay so we all got together to share sunset appetizers and drinks on the beach. I am finding that people who cruise full-time all have stories to tell (like why they chose a cruising lifestyle, when they decided to leave, what they had to do to leave, etc.), and will be writing a story on “Choosing a Life at Sea” based on my interviews with them.