A beautiful day in Hopetown and I decide it is time for me to get the name on the side of the boat. We have Alegria on the back, but we never had good enough weather or a good spot for me to do it. Today it wasn’t too windy so Tristan and I brought the dingy around to the side of the boat to get started. I was really nervous because I have never done this before and the lettering is very big. If I get it wrong or uneven, it will be very obvious. Tessa is at the front of the boat. It is her job to hold the dingy forward while Tristan and I measure down the side of the boat for the right location.

There are two ways to put the name on. One is to put water on the back of the name and then place the name against the boat. You use a squeegee to get the water out and the name sticks. It is the easier way and the way I put the letters on the back of the boat. This time we do it the harder way, which is measure down from the top of the boat, rip the back off and stick it on. It is very hot and now the wind kicks up. Tessa loses her grip on the front of the dingy while I am standing on it nearly causing me to fall and Tristan drops the name in the water. This is not going well.

After about 20 minutes and a lot of frustration, I realize this wasn’t going to work. I sent Tessa in to get some water to put on the back of the name and we will try the squeegee method. Another round of sweating and yelling and the name is on the side of the boat. Now I just need to squeegee, slowly pull back the outer paper and the name should stick.

Nope. More squeegee. No sticky. More squeegee. More squeegee. More sweaty. Still no sticky. I lay on my back in the dingy cursing myself for doing this.

“Hey” Someone is yelling to me. It’s the guy who looks about 80 years old on the sailboat moored behind us.

“What?” I yell back.

“The guy on the boat down there,” (he points to a sailboat about 50 feet away with a guy sitting on the deck watching me) “He says to tell you the name would look better if it was closer to the front of the boat and higher up.”

My mouth drops open. I can’t believe it. Noticing the look on my face he hooks his thumb in the guy’s direction and says “He said it. Not me.”

I am appalled. The guy on the other sailboat got on the VHF radio and called the old guy on the boat behind me to tell me I am not doing it correctly! I am hot, I am tired and I am in no mood to be messed with. I yell back. “Well you tell him I am not moving it!”

I scowl at my critic across the water. Mike on Dual Dreams yells over to me, “I think it looks great!”

I thank him and go back to my squeegee. Life in a small town harbor.

What a small world this is!  We were sitting by the pool at the Hopetown Harbour Lodge when a family from Tristan and Tessa’s old school Childrens Community School in Davidson NC walked in. The Bradleys and the Clarks were in the Abacos on a short vacation and it was pure chance we met up.  The Bradleys keep their yacht at Boat Harbour in Marsh Harbour and had come over to Hopetown on a smaller boat.  The kids got a chance to play in the pool together and we got caught up on all the news from home.  It was so great to see them! We are hoping to get together again with them in June when they come back to the Bahamas.

  We arrived at Hopetown Harbour.  The famous red and white striped lighthouse from 1863 guided us into a harbor right out of a painting.  Several wooden docks fronted small restaurants, while brightly painted turquoises, pink, and coral houses with teal  shutters lined the top of a small hill.  This is another town similar to New Plymouth in Green Turtle, where golf carts and bicycles are the rule.    It was also where we caught up with old friends.  That night we went to Cap’n Jacks for the Cinqo De Mayo party.  Cap’n Jacks is a waterfront pub with reasonably priced good food.  You can sit on the deck, and watch the sun set behind the lighthouse.  A great way to end the day.  As we tied our dingy outside the restaurant we got a surprise.  The hand extended to help us up the ladder belonged to Fred from Makai.        

We had not seen Fred and his wife Cathy since our first week in Old Bahama Bay at West End.  They had pulled in that marina about the same time as us and left within a few days while we had to stay and have our engine worked on.  It was so good to see them.  As we headed over to their table we saw Bill and Elaine from Let’s Went and Mike and Ginnie from Bella.  We visited with them for a few minutes then went back to sit with Fred and Cathy.  At the table next to us was a couple who were on the motor yacht  moored next to us.  Mike and Harriet on Dual Dreams were from a town in Illinois we did not recognize.  Being originally from Illinois  we asked them where there hometown was located.  It was a great surprise to find out that Mike had grown up near a very, very, small town in southern Illinois called Anna.  That was where my mom grew up!!  In fact he knew my Uncle Leroy who owned a restaurant there!!  What a very small world.  We had a great evening that night catching up with everyone and hearing their sailing adventures.