Snowmagedden – Red Shanks Georgetown, Bahamas – Groundhog Day, 2026

Well, we have been enduring the coldest event in the Bahamas this year because of a bomb cyclone that hit the US east coast this week dropping up to 8 inches of snow in Columbus!  The temps here have been a low of 60 degrees, but we have had 35-40 MPH west winds.  West winds protection is difficult to find in the Exumas. Needless to say, we have been on the boat for the last few days and the last month we have been hanging out between here and Salt Pond, Long Island just south.  It has been fun since we have a few friends here to hang with and we have managed to get in on some local events like Junkeroo!  This is a great local parade and festival celebrating the freedom of the black slaves. Take a look.

We also managed to make a stop in one of our favorite anchorages, Calabash Bay.  The water here is so beautiful, and it gave us a chance to do some snorkeling since they have a very nice little reef there.  On our way home we wanted to take a little tour into the mangroves and soon found out how very shallow it is back there!

Since then, we have been simply paddleboarding and snorkeling and that is about it.  The weather here in January seems to be filled with little more than one cold front after another coming off the states.  Keeping ourselves based out of Red Shanks means we are within a day of being fully protected from all sides.  Red Shanks is a lovely little place inside the Bahamian National Park with Mooring balls where you are not allowed to anchor.  It is important since there are currently 280 boats crammed into Georgetown and someone will inevitably come and drop anchor 10 feet from you at the last minute when these windstorms come through.  It is a high risk their anchor will drag and not a place we want to put ourselves.  My busybody husband has been busy learning how to make sourdough bread, pizza dough, and he is preparing to make cinnamon rolls soon!  It is good to be married to a man who can cook 😊.  Sadly, the groundhog has said 6 more weeks of winter so we may end up with much of the same schedule for February.  Stay warm all & til next time!