Adventures of Rinky the Dink

The Dinghy Drift turned out to be awesome! I believe there were 20 dinks rafted up together and I also believe I ate 20 cookies. Oops! I’m continually impressed with boater’s creativity and capabilities in their galleys. Among the notable finger foods passed around were miniature beef wellingtons, curried chicken spring rolls, and brownies so rich and tasty, they left me drooling. The group had a great time of mingling, meeting new friends, and swapping sea stories until we were getting dangerously close to the rocks across the bay.

Folks slowly untied, said their goodbyes, and everyone puttered back across the bay. Well, we puttered… everyone buzzed by us on significantly more powerful dinghies. Erik and Lisa invited us over for drinks and games, and we enjoyed yet another fun evening in their company.

Wednesday brought another beautiful Bahamian morning, which I took advantage of by attending yoga class on the beach and left Nate to do boat chores. After a nice morning of stretching, we decided to brave the bay in “Rinky” (our dink) to provision before the wind picked up the following days. We were pleasantly surprised how well Rinky and her motor did – 20 minutes boat to port each way, and we didn’t get soaked! Provisioned with a nice selection of produce and meats, we had lunch on the boat and headed to Chat and Chill for some socializing. We braved the volleyball court and ended up having an excellent time. We played three fun games and were happy for the extra physical activity. We popped back to the boat before the dusk bugs came out to feed, had dinner, then headed back to Chat and Chill for the Wednesday night dance party. We pulled Rinky onto the beach and set out to burn hundreds of calories and tear up some floorboards! Sufficiently whooped, we decided to call it a night, and headed to the beach to Rinky. Only Rinky wasn’t there. Ohhhhh no, this is not good. We aggressively scanned the harbor and gratefully found Rinky floating just off the beach, about 50 yards from where we left her. Nate was wearing swim trunks, so he waded in and brought Rinky ashore. We laughed it off and decided we should get an anchor or make sure we tie off to something next time.

Thursday morning was cool, so we piddled around the boat for a few hours then headed back to the Atlantic beach for some exercise. We had a gorgeous beach walk and trail wander (when we ran out of beach), delighting in the beauty of the turquoise water.

We returned to the boat for lunch and to exchange some parts with other boaters. We hopped back in Rinky and headed to Chat and Chill for the bake sale (benefiting the local library) and intentions to burn off the calories from the bake sale on some more beach volleyball action. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we were a little late to the sale and all the good stuff was gone. Not terribly upset at the missed sweets, we jumped in for volleyball. We played three games, all a little more intense than the previous day (fewer players = more movement). I was ready to sit out the fourth game, as my arms were getting sore from two days of play, but they needed more players, so I reluctantly got back into the action. Funny how these things happen… partway into the game, I stretched out for the ball and pulled my right hamstring. I knew I should have sat that game out! Frustrated, disappointed, and in pain, I hobbled off the court to sulk and have a drink. Some friends joined me (for the drinking, not the sulking) and we made plans for a bonfire for the evening. Nate played another two games and then we headed to the boat for dinner (and ibuprofen). Shortly after, we puttered down the shore to the sundowners bonfire party.Fun conversation and a nice warm fire was just what I needed to take my mind off my hamstring. After about two hours, we were feeling pretty tired and decided we’d better start our putter home. Only… Rinky wasn’t waiting on the beach for us. Oh calamity! Unfortunately, our luck must have run out the night before and Rinky was just a few yards up the beach… in fact, Rinky wasn’t anywhere in sight. Nate joined our friend Dan in his dink and they started a search of the surrounding harbor, making radio calls along the way. Unsuccessful, we called off the search for the night, hoping with the tides and winds as they were, that Rinky would be waiting for us across the bay the following morning. In favor to two friends that had a bit too much rum, we happily dropped them off on their boats and babysat their dinghy for the night.

The following morning, Nate announced on the daily Cruisers’ Net that Rinky was on an adventure. Predictably, dozens of cruisers offered to help us find our wandering little Rinky. My hamstring was a horrible mess, so I lay helplessly in bed while Nate and many others started the search and rescue mission. Within about 30 minutes, Rinky was found, gently ashore on some grass and rocks across the bay. Our friend DJ impressively lassoed the motor and pulled Rinky free. The group effort towed her home and we thanked everyone for the assistance. Nate offered an offering of gratitude in the form of a drink, and although many of the team had already departed, Steve gladly accepted. Nate and Steve chatted for a while over a morning cocktail and I continued to rest my leg. Later in the day, Ward picked us up for a cruise across the bay into town for provisions and then slightly north to a Ministry of Tourism appreciation party. We had a lovely time mingling with folks at the party and certainly appreciated the free food and drinks. After a soaking wet dinghy ride home, we cleaned up and joined Erik and Lisa for drinks and a round of Farkle (dice game).

My leg significantly improved after a day of rest and I was pleased to be more mobile on Saturday. I worked on the blog and made hummus while Nate assisted another cruiser with some charger/inverter work on their boat. Erik and Lisa picked us up on their dink late morning and we all headed over the dune trail to the big beach for a fun day in the sun. The four of us headed back across the dunes and then bay to town for provisions and Lisa was kind enough to buy us a round at a local bar, Island Boy. Nate ordered a new dinghy motor, as we’d finally decided we were ready for an upgrade in our daily transportation capabilities. Another hilariously wet dink ride into the waves back to our boats, where we all cleaned up and then played another round of Farkle.

The rainy Sunday morning motivated us to do some boat chores, so Nate sanded and oiled some of the teak in the cockpit while I cleaned the cooler fridge and made oatmeal energy balls. Erik and Lisa invited us for another day of fun in the sun, and of course, we accepted without hesitation. We jumped in their dink and headed to Chat and Chill for just that. We splashed around in the water a bit, met some fun tourists, and played with Elise and Dominic’s adorable foster puppies. Worried we’d miss something fun (heaven forbid!) we hustled back to our boats, ate a quick dinner, and then pounded through the waves to a southern beach for the jazz music party. More mingling, entertainment, and fun ensued and we ended the night with yet another round of Farkle with Erik and Lisa.

Nate continued the teak sanding and oiling project on Monday morning until we puttered over to Chat and Chill for a meeting with other cruisers to brainstorm and discuss various routes and recommendations for sailing south.