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Five F’s Festival in Farmers Cay

by | Feb 8, 2016 | 2016, Bahamas, Logbook | 2 comments

Our daily schedule is loose enough I haven’t opened my ical in WAY too long and we often ask “what day is it?” We get a lot of advice and opinions from other cruisers on must-see anchorages and can’t miss activities; some we ignore and some we investigate further.

Last week when we arrived in the Exumas we heard from boat after boat they were headed south to Little Farmers Cay for the 5F’s Festival. Totally puzzled, we finally asked someone in the know and were enlightened that the 5 F’s were: First Friday of February Festival at Farmers Cay.  They described it as a Bahamian regatta and festival.

We were only 15-20 miles from Farmers Cay and it seemed like everyone we knew (and some we didn’t know) were headed there…so off we went with no further information or expectations.

We arrived Thursday afternoon and it was heaven!  Friendly boats galore and old friends that we hadn’t seen since the beginning of the trip. Immediately a happy hour was planned that quickly out-grew our boat so we moved it to the beach.

The local beach bar was hosting their own happy hour and we happily joined in. A great reunion and plenty of rum drinks were had.

5F's-1

Sunrise Friday morning promised a perfect morning.

About 7am we heard thumping music and popped our heads out. The mailboat was equipped with a few of the boats that were racing, plus a DJ and quite the party

About 7am we heard thumping music and popped our heads out. The mailboat was equipped with a few of the boats that were racing, plus a DJ and quite the party

5F's-4

Committee boat kept everyone organized

Committee boat kept everyone organized

We had absolutely no idea what would transpire, but neither did anyone else, so we had a quick workout and Bahamian breakfast beer. #wheninrome

Around 11am the crews of 4 each started assembling in their boats and heading out for the start line. We hopped in our dinghy to follow the crowd out to the start.

5F's-6

The

Starting line.

Starting line.

The sloops line up behind the red buoy and drop an anchor. When given the signal, they pull up the anchor and raise their sails and they are off.

5F's-8

5F's-9

5F's-10

My favorite shot!

My favorite shot!

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5F's-15

 

The eventual winners!

The eventual winners!

The winds were light, so the race was definitely a test of skill to eek out speed in little wind. Absolutely fascinating to watch!

There was a few hour break before the next race, so we spent time floating and enjoying company. A social event is rare around these parts, so we were soaking up every minute.

We spent the 2nd race atop the deck of a friend’s powerboat and had a fabulous view. Cori brought m&m’s, snickers and skittles – so she was a fan favorite on this boat. We escaped for a quick power nap before the evening’s happy hour rounded out the perfect day on the water.

2 Comments

  1. That water!! Stunning. Looks like some sort of surreal magical world!

    Reply
    • Crazy beautiful!!

      Reply

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