Big Major Spot, Staniel Cay, Black Point (on Great Guana Cay)

January 25, 2020 - January 29, 2020 

Saturday was a busy day.  We took the dinghy into Staniel Cay to pick up our filled propane tank, grocery shop, liquor shop, and have lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club Bar.  The grocery stores were not well stocked with perishable goods as the mail boat was not due until next Wednesday so we couldn’t buy any bread.  I purchased some yeast and if I need to I’ll bake some bread. Fun! after stowing our purchase on the boat we donned our bathing suits and waited until just before low tide to head out to Thunderball Grotto for some snorkeling. We went around to the east side of the large rock to find the entrance to the grotto. Bob decided to stay with the dinghy and I was a little scared to duck under the rock wall and enter the grotto by myself, but I did it and was glad I did.  The sun was not high in the sky (it was 3:00 pm) but it was thrilling to swim into the cave and see the beams of light coming down from above.  There were lots of sergeant majors and other colorful fish to watch.  I exited the grotto on the west side. but because of the current I had some trouble getting back in.  Since the grotto was filling up with other snorkelers I swam across the cave and exited on the east.  We then took the dinghy around to the west side and I continued to snorkel until I came face to face with a barracuda,  But I did get to observe a sea turtle, parrot fish, blue tangs, and other colorful fish.  What a great day.

Sorry my GoPro photos weren’t great. 

I’ve been contemplating why the Bahamas are so appealing to us.  One reason is that the out islands are so different from the “real” world in the northeast.  The settlements do not have manicured lawns, but prolific indigenous flowers, trees and bushes that thrive in this climate.  The weather, although usually sunny with a cool breeze (71-79 temperature range) can get threatening when the winds become strong and blow from the west.  But mostly the weather is perfect.  The water is unbelievably beautiful and clear which makes for great snorkeling and swimming.  The restaurants are all open air and relaxed (no tie required).  Tooling around in the dinghy is a fun way to get where we want to go.  Each island and cay has a unique personality and reasons for visiting.  Once we get away from the islands with resorts we get a truly authentic experience. I just love it here!

I have noticed that sunsets at anchorage
have 360 degrees of beauty.  The clouds reflect
the colors all the way around.

We left our anchorage in Big Major Spot (or the Bay of Pigs) around 9:00 am and were anchored near the settlement of Black Point on Great Guana Cay before 11:00 am.  It was just a nine mile trip and I was on coral head watch the whole way.  Lunch was pizza at DeShamons Restaurant.  The settlement is small, but with some important features.  One is a great laundry mat which we used on Monday morning. Not only does the laundry mat provide laundry facilities but, also, hair cuts, showers, a dinghy dock, golf cart rentals, a lovely gazebo with a fabulous view, and a convenience store. 

I have to say that the view from the
Rockside Laundry Mat is spectacular.

One morning we rented a golf cart to explore beyond walking distance.  We visited the beaches on the ocean side of the island. 

Bob was the chauffeur for our trip around the settlement.

I took this picture from the road leading to the beach.

These cottages can be rented and overlook
the harbour on the Exuma Bank.

This vehicle was abandoned on the side of the road.
Apparently it is just as difficult to dispose of
unwanted items as it is to import goods.

There are two beaches on the ocean side
of the cay near the settlement.
This one unfortunately had some trash scattered about.

The island is made of limestone with only
enough topsoil to grow these hardy plants.

Rocks are just below the water's surface on this beach.

Waves crashing into shore sculpt the limestone.

We also discovered a great place for lunch although half the menu items were not available because it was Tuesday and the mail boat with supplies comes on Wednesday.  See what I mean by authentic.

Here's the view from our table at
 the Emerald Sunset View Restaurant.

While we were waiting for our lunch
two rays (pictured here), two nurse sharks,
and two barracudas swam into view.

On Wednesday we left Black Point and headed south once more.  We passed some beautiful spots on Great Guana Cay that we hope to hit on our way back up the Exuma chain of islands.

We anchored just west of the cut we will pass through to the ocean side in the morning on our way to Georgetown on Great Exuma.  When I dove on the anchor I had trouble reaching it because I was swimming against a strong current.  We had to anchor a second time to get the anchor dug into the sand deeply enough.

Thank you for reading my blog

Hawksbill Cay, Big Major Spot Cay, Staniel Cay

January 20, 2020 - January 25, 2020

Our plan was to grab a mooring at Warderick Wells Cay, the main island of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. However, we were unable to contact them via VHF before the office closed at noon to be assigned a mooring.  We were near Hawksbill  Cay with its beautiful sandy beaches.  We tried to get in close to the island where we saw a sailboat anchored, but our depth sounder continued to warn us that we were about to go aground so we anchored about a half mile out.  I dove on the anchor to make sure it was dug in well.  After lunch we took the dinghy into the beach.  The sand was soft and continued out in the water as far as you could see.  Swimming was wonderful as the sandy bottom fell off gradually, almost like stair steps.  The only other people on the beach were from a large power boat (an excursion boat) that had set up chairs and umbrellas for the guests.  So we shared the long beautiful beach with about six other people. I did some more swimming when we got back to the boat and then took a nice hot shower.  What a wonderful day!

Notice the water slide on the excursion boat!

The long beautiful beach at Hawksbill Cay

We left our anchorage at 8:30 am headed for Big Major Cay (pronounced key).  We had decided to skip Warderick Wells and hit that spot on our way back up the Exuma chain of islands. It was a perfect day for motoring (calm winds and bright sun) and we encountered numerous boats on our trip (about a dozen).  We anchored at Big Major at 12:45.  The most exciting part of the trip was when two dolphins (with my encouragement) joined us, swimming and diving in our bow wake.  In my excitement I neglected to bring my camera to the bow.  The water was crystal clear and I could see the dolphins as they looked up to me under water the whole time they were there. I always cheer them and tell them how beautiful they are as I have read that they appreciate communication from other mammals and I feel like that keeps them with us longer. What a treat!

Who’s really the captain of this vessel?

The sight of the beautiful water
never gets old.

At Big Major there are several beaches one is well known for the swimming pigs that live there.  When we first arrived several rowdy excursion boats were at the beach, but later in the day we ventured over to feed the pigs carrots ( their favorite).  A mama pig came up to our boat and consumed all of the carrots we brought. She seemed to be used to skittish humans, as her big crooked teeth were a bit scary, so she just opened her mouth and I popped the carrots in.  As we pulled away from the beach I saw six or seven piglets run out from the brush to great their mom.

Rainy Days at anchor by Big Major Cay

Excursion boats bring dozens of tourists to
visit, feed, and swim with the famous pigs.

This mama pig loved the carrots I fed her.

This baby pig was just too cute!

Pigs headed out to the tour boat
to entertain and be fed

Here I am feeding a pig with big ugly teeth!

We took the dinghy all the way to Staniel Cay, which has a small settlement with  a legendary yacht club bar and restaurant. We found a spot to rid ourselves of the garbage we had accumulated and went to the bar for some drinks and conch fritters.  We struck up a conversation with the fellow next to us who was a Bahamian and talked about the horrendous destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Abacos (our new friend lost a vacation home in Treasure Cay, but all of his family was safe in the Exumas during the storm).We returned to the boat before dark and enjoyed the sunset.

A view of the harbour on Staniel Cay.

Can you see the fun swinging couch
on the front porch the house?

The Yacht Club Bar had a great atmosphere.
Love the clock!
The top picture is of the 007 crew that used the
near by Thunderball Grotto in the 1965
 James Bond film and frequented the bar.

Colorful burgees (identifying vessel flags)
hang from the ceiling of the bar.

It rained during the night and we woke up to cloudy skies, an unusual occurrence.  It continued to rain on and off until 10:00 am. After lunch we took the dinghy into Staniel Cay to explore what the grocery stores had to offer.  We visited the “blue” store and the “pink” store and bought some Bahamian bread (still warm) and some diet sodas (hard to find in the Bahamas).  By then the sky had clouded over again and we decided to forgo a Kahlik (Bahamian beer) at the Yacht club and head back to the boat where we ate a nice big slice of warm Bahamian Bread with plenty of butter.

This welcome sign and church
are behind the town dock
where the mail boat brings supplies.

A sign guiding us to the "pink" store

What to do in Staniel Cay

Some beautiful foliage in front of the "blue" store

A limestone outcropping in the harbour

Wednesday proved to be a very shitty day in paradise.  Around midnight the wind picked up to 25 knots and blew from the WNW where we had little protection.  Sleep was impossible with all the clanging, pitching, rolling and worries running through my head.  In my frustration, around 3:30 am I got up and sat on the settee reading and waiting for sunrise.  The wind continued for 24 hours.  We couldn’t do much of anything, but sit in the cockpit and read, complain, and try to rest.  When I went below I was tossed around the cabin by the boat movement and feared seasickness.  Not fun. Consequently meals were whatever I could slap together in the cockpit.  By 4:00 pm the wind had died down to under 20 knots and we ventured to get the motor off the dinghy and locked on to the stern motor mount.  The waves were still 3-5 feet, ahhhhh.  I climbed in to the dinghy, with great difficulty while Bob tied the dinghy across the back of the boat.  I hooked the motor lift to the engine and proceeded to loosen it from the dinghy all the while pitching and rocking in the waves.  Once the motor was loose Bob started to haul it up to the mount.  Normally, this is an easy task as I guide it into place, but not in these conditions.  The motor banged around on its way up even though I did everything I could to keep it steady.  Finally, the motor was successfully locked into place.  The wind continued to howl  until around midnight when we could finally get some peaceful sleep.

The wind created these waves crashing on the shore.

You can see the white caps and
the boats bobbing around.

Thursday morning was glorious.  After a good night’s sleep the anchorage looked like paradise once again.  The wind was still strong, but it had clocked around to NE where we were well protected by the island.  After lunch we took the dinghy into Staniel Cay to check out the third grocery store where we could get our propane tank refilled. We had to wait until 4:30 to pick up our filled tank and decided to kill the time at the Yacht Club Bar.  After a couple of Kahliks and an order of onion rings we decided to walk around the island while we waited to pick up our tank.  The only issue was that we also had to pick up ice at the office and they closed at five.  We just aren’t used to this kind of stress (LOL).  We located the laundry mat/ liquor store (a great combination as you can sit at the bar and have a drink while doing laundry).  Back at the yacht club we viewed the numerous nurse sharks (a couple were very large) swimming around the fish cleaning station area waiting for a free lunch.  We picked up the ice and then the propane tank and headed back to the boat.  Unfortunately, the some of the ice melted on the way.

Our plan on Friday was to snorkel Thunderball Grotto, but it rained off and on all morning delaying our adventure. I cooked a great lunch and then we headed back to the grocery store to have our second empty propane tank refilled.  It was sunny on our return trip and once back at the boat I jumped in for a swim.  It is just so beautiful here! Once I was back on the boat and showered Bob noticed a nurse shark that was hanging around the boat.  He stayed with us all evening.  Wonder if he wants to make friends?


Thank you for reading my blog.

Palm Cay Marina to Highborne Cay, Exuma

January 15, 2020 - January 19, 2020

Our last day in Palm Cay Marina was spent buying groceries, rum, and eating pizza at the Pink Octopus.

 Bob and I enjoying a delicious pepperoni pizza.

We also ran the water maker while we were connected to shore power to fill our forward tank with good water ( the water we filled our tanks with in West End tasted terrible).  Running the water maker for seven hours produces ten gallons of great tasting water.  We’re happy to know that all the effort Bob put in to the installation is now paying off.  It’s working beautifully!

We couldn’t leave the marina on Thursday until after the office opened at 9:00 am since we needed the help of a dock hand to get out of our slip.  I settled our bill and bought ice (which I forgot to get out of the freezer and bring to the boat). Getting out of the slip was somewhat dicey as the wind was pushing the boat the wrong way.  Bob expertly turned the boat around as I fended us off the pilings with a boat hook and we were on our way.  After leaving the channel I stood on the bow watching for coral heads until Bob was certain they were now easily visible from the helm when the sun was higher in the sky.  It was a long motoring trip (five hours) through the beautiful bright turquoise waters.  There was more sea motion than we expected making the ride uncomfortable but doable.  We anchored in a picturesque spot near Highbourne Cay along with about 20 other boats.  I got on my snorkel gear and swam out to check that the anchor was well set.  The water was fabulous, just cool not cold and as clear as I have ever seen.  We were anchored in seventeen feet and the bottom was clearly visible.

I took this picture of the anchor.
You can see that is well set.

 It is breathtakingly beautiful here.  

Relaxing in the cockpit later with the warm sunshine and the gentle cool breeze was what we had been waiting to experience since we left Baltimore in October.  Yes, it is worth the effort to get here.

A sunset like this is only visible when anchoring out.

We rose early enough on Friday to see the sunrise.  I loved that I put on my bathing suit first thing in the morning.  After breakfast we got the dinghy ready and motored over to the reef for some snorkeling.  I was in the water by 8:30 am without my shortie wet suit.  The water temperature was cool but comfortable.  The reef was a series of coral heads along a rock out cropping that I followed for quite a way viewing the underwater spectacle of coral and colorful fish - sergeant majors, blue tangs, one trunk fish, yellow damsels, and lots I couldn’t identify. I just love snorkeling.  Sorry, none of the pictures I took with the GoPro turned out.

On our way back to the boat we motored by the beach, but we couldn’t land the dinghy as the island is privately owned by a resort.  I took my first sun shower of the season in the cockpit. It always amazes me how many showers you can get out of five gallons of water and I always wash my hair.  We Americans are blessed with so many resources we tend to forget how precious clean water is in many parts of the world.  

For lunch we took the dinghy into the marina on the south end of the island. The only areas we were allowed to access (since we were anchored outside and not in a slip in the marina) were the general store and the restaurant.  We could have paid $25 per person to have complete access to all of the resort amenities, but we were only there for lunch. We had a great lunch overlooking the harbour and beach but, it really wasn’t worth the $100+ we paid for it.  The Bahamas are expensive!

We entered the marina and tied up at the dinghy dock.

A colorful parrot greeted us as we walked to the facilities.

The walkway to the restaurant was
bordered by greenery.

This is the view we had from the
open air restaurant on the hill.
I almost had to pinch myself to
make sure I wasn't dreaming!

A storm blew in later that afternoon and I was happy I had gotten my snorkeling in early.  That night the winds picked up significantly (30+ mph) and we once again had to change our plans of leaving Highbourne Cay on Saturday.  We will have to wait until the wind subsides. Our next planned stop is the islands of the land and sea park so we will be out of range of any cell towers for a few days.  I’ll post my next blog as soon as we get back to civilization.

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Palm Cay Marina, New Providence Island (near Nassau)

January 10, 2020 - January 14, 2020

Friday was a holiday in the Bahamas - Majority Rule Day.  It was cloudy at first, but cleared up enough for me to spend the day on the beach.  I started down to the beach at 10:30 am. The sun was intermittent, but it was relaxing to be on a lounge chair on the beach enjoying what sun there was and listening to the waves wash ashore.  For lunch we had pizza again at the Pink Octopus and I went back to the beach.  I never got hot enough to go into the water, but did take a long beach walk to collect a few shells. We talked to our waitress at lunch and she told us there was a public bus that would take us to downtown Nassau. To get the bus we would have to walk about a mile to the stop. That’s what we plan to do tomorrow. 

Plans changed, Bob would rather research other travel options for getting to Downtown Nassau.  I was starting to feel like a slug so I opted to take a long walk. I wound up at the neighborhood grocery store, Solomon’s.  I went in to look around and was pleased with the large store and the great variety of items offered.  I bought a few apples only to find that plastic bags are now illegal in the Bahamas (Yippee) and just put the apples in my pockets.  After lunch cooked the hamburger we still had in the fridge and decided to make chili, except we didn’t have all of the ingredients.  Since the courtesy car was not available I set out to walk to the grocery store again.  At the resort entrance a taxi driver asked me if I wanted a ride and I took her up on her offer to drop me off at Solomon’s, no charge.  After buying what I needed (this time I brought my reusable bags) I carried everything back to the boat and completed the chili.  By that time it was happy hour and I whipped up a Bushwhacker for Bob (he is becoming addicted, I think) and a vodka tonic for me.

My recipe for a bushwhacker is - equal parts vodka,
 coconut rum, Bailey’s, Kahlua and ice blended
to a milkshake consistency. Bob loves them!

The next couple of days were taken up with boat chores and walks in the morning and the beach in the afternoon.  We had lunch at home a couple of days since our fresh provisions needed to be eaten or thrown out. One morning I got to the laundry room early enough to get my laundry done.  Bob started the project of refinishing the teak toe rail.  He’ll do one section at a time.  Our original plan was to take a taxi into Nassau for the day on Tuesday, but Bob was reluctant to leave the boat all day with Lola locked inside.  

 Bob meticulously tapes off the toe rail to prevent
 the Cetol from bleeding onto the fiberglass.

One afternoon we took our cameras for a walk.

The marina is quite large with many slips
dedicated to charter boats.

The east side of the marina is lined with charter boats.
Many boats were moved here from
 Marsh Harbour before Hurricane Dorian.

Rainy Days is tied up at the marina.

Charter boats move in and out of the marina several times each day.  

The channel (marked by the pilings to the right) leading

 into the marina is narrow and shallow.  

I’m not sure what the catamarans do if they have to pass each other.

Palapas and lounge chairs lined up on the beach.
Yes, this is how uncrowded it is!

One of our waitresses at The Pink Octopus, Nesha, moved here from Marsh Harbour after Dorian.  She said it was the worst thing she had ever experienced and that the destruction in Marsh Harbour was unbelievable. She and her mother stayed in their house until the windows began to break out and the roof began to lift off.  When the eye of the storm passed over they escaped to the medical clinic that was serving as a shelter as well as for injured people to receive treatment.  The injuries she saw were horrific.  The ferry services and individual people in their boats helped to evacuate the people from Marsh harbour to other islands in the Bahamas.  She told us she is happy here but will return to Marsh Harbour as soon as it is rebuilt which will take many years.

This is a view of the interior of the restaurant.
There are tables outside too, but
with the high winds we choose to eat inside.

 The dessert options at the Pink Octopus

After we complete some provisioning and finish our boat chores we will leave the marina on Thursday.  Bob and I are both chomping at the bit to get to the more remote islands and cays in the Exhumas and start the best part of our adventure.  More on that later.

Thank you for reading my blog.