Life Continues at Volleyball Beach

Days 69- 71- The Winds Continue to Rage, But Life Goes on at Volleyball Beach

These days are Monday to Wednesday, February 9-11, 2009. The winds continue to blow. We moved our boat over closer to the shore in hopes of getting it to stop leaping around all night long. It worked! Sleeping has been a bit easier, but we’re still waiting for calmer weather.
Meanwhile, time spent on Volleyball Beach gets us off the Caribbean Soul long enough to get our “land legs” back. Also the beach, surrounded by trees, is well protected from the wind and give us a break from the constant howl of the wind. Here is everything we can think to tell you about Volleyball Beach where we are currently anchored.
You can only get to Volleyball Beach by boat. Water taxis and dinghies bring folks here. Inflatable dinghies line the shore and are neatly attached to lines that run between wooden posts along the beach (no doubt organized and constructed by the cruising community).

The Chat & Chill is the only business at Volleyball Beach. Here pictured under the Chat & Chill sign is the outdoor kitchen that cranks out great Bahamian treats such as conch burgers and ribs as well as cheese burgers and fries. They open each day at 11 am and are usually closed by 7 or 7:30 pm because cruisers end their day about that time. I don’t know if you can tell from the pictures that the wooden structure has sides that can be propped open (or not) depending on the direction of the sun and wind. Bathing suits and bare feet are not only welcome, but kind of expected.

One day (Tuesday) was declared French Day at Volleyball Beach. Many of the cruisers are French Canadians. They organized this day where everyone dressed up to look French (berets, striped shirts, etc.), recordings of Edith Piaf blared across the beach, and bocce ball contests were held (not sure bocce ball is French). Interesting….

So on Wednesday our good ol’ American boy decided to fly a kite and play a bit of volleyball. The kite flying was great—lots of wind. The volleyball was good too. John and I both played with the novice group where everybody plays in teams of 9 and rules are loose, but the game is fun. John progressed on to the court where they play with rules! In spite of the fact that John has logged hours of watching Olympic beach volleyball on TV, there were lots of rules and techniques this crowd taught him. Please don’t be fooled by how young these players in the picture are—they were tough! The courts are maintained by the cruising community with the profits they make from Family Regatta Week each March. The poles that hold up the nets are old sailboat masts. We’re guessing that there must be an exciting sea story behind each volleyball net post.

Now the sun is setting and we are toasting a fun day had at Volleyball Beach. And—most amazing of all—there are no white caps in our rum punch! The wind is finally calming down.