We've made it to George Town

Staniel Cay to George Town

Staniel Cay is a major town in the Exumas, as it is one of the few places where you can get water, fuel and some provisions, depending on when the supply boat carrying produce comes in. We anchored by an island just outside of Staniel Cay called Big Major Spot, also known as Piggy Beach. There is a beautiful long beach where you can “swim with the pigs”. This is a huge tourist attraction; and boatloads of vacationers come to feed and swim with the pigs as well as visit other cays to see iguanas, swim with turtles and see caves. We wondered where all these people were coming from and later learned that the tour boats come from George Town laden with tourists out of both George Town and Nassau. So we had some fun watching the tourists on the beach from our boat. We also went there ourselves for a photo op!

Pig looking for a snack

After lunch we went into town to talk to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club (SCYC) about getting a dock for a night. They were very hard to reach by phone so we thought it would be better to go talk to them in person. The SCYC has only 18 slips and most of them are filled with megayachts. I think they prefer the income from 100 feet rather than 40. However, they did tell us to call the next morning to see if there was room. We then ventured into town for much needed groceries. There are 3 grocery stores in town, and at the first one we came to (the blue one) we were told that the produce boat was coming in tomorrow. Thank goodness as the produce shelves were bare. As we were talking to the shopkeeper, two crew members from a mega yacht came in (you can tell because they have their white shirts with the boat name embroidered on it, and navy shorts). They took all the eggs in the fridge (2 dozen) and asked if there were more. The shopkeeper went to the back of the store and brought out all her eggs, 12 dozen, which they took, along with all the limes and lemons she had. When I asked if there were any eggs left they offered me one of their dozen, but after being told they were $11/dozen, I kindly declined. I think they inflated the price for them as I was able to get a dozen eggs the next day for $5. The crew also told her they would take ALL the oranges expected the next day as their guests onboard demanded fresh squeezed OJ every morning!! Needless to say I was anxious to get to the grocery store the next day before they bought everything up!

We ventured back to the boat via the bar at SCYC to say hello to all our travelling companion boats (we have gathered up quite a few) and believe it or not they had the Olympic curling on the TV! Very exciting! We stayed for a little while (it was not the Canadian team playing) and went back to the boat.

The next morning we called SCYC and were told they had a slip for us for the night. We really needed to fully charge the batteries, fill up the water tanks and get fuel. Groceries were high on the priority list as we had seen the produce boat leave so I knew there was food to be had! We went to the fuel dock first to fill up, and were hoping to go right into our slip from there. But we were told it was not empty yet so we would have to wait. We had to leave the fuel dock so other boats could come in, as diesel still was available but they had run out of gasoline. So we puttered around waiting for our slip, and were then told they didn’t have a slip for us (what?) and they were going to put us on the fuel dock for the night since they didn’t have any fuel left. So, we went back to the fuel dock and tied up, again. After getting all tied up and plugged in the dock master came over to tell us we couldn’t stay on the fuel dock because the fuel barge was coming in to fill their empty tanks, so they were moving us to the other side of the fuel dock, in this very short, and very high slip. So we moved again, and I can tell you we were getting pretty frustrated by then. They told us the fuel barge would only be there for a couple of hours and then be gone. So once settled in (again!) we headed into town for groceries. We were told to try one of the three stores first, which was furthest away, of course, and when we got there it was closed for lunch! So we sat and waited, it was 12:45 and the sign said it would open again at 1pm. But, being Bahama time, it didn’t open until almost 1:30, but we were rewarded for waiting with a good selection of fresh produce! Hurray! So with our wagon full of food we headed back to the boat, stopping at one more store (the pink one) that had a few different items. While we were putting away the groceries, the fuel barge arrived. It was huge, and they quickly started connecting all the hoses to transfer the fuel. When we asked when they were leaving, they told us they were staying on the dock for the night. But once the fuel transfer was done they would shut down the engines and generator. So we went up to the SCYC for dinner, in hopes that it would be done by the time we got back. Dinner at the bar, with fellow cruisers, watching the Olympics, was great fun.

However, when we got back to the boat it was still humming away, and they told us it would take another hour or so to finish. Not impressed. The generator ran all night long and they had bright lights on deck, not to mention the smell. We did not have a good night despite being on a dock! So the next morning Hugh spoke to the marina office and told them we would happy to pay for our water, fuel and power, but not the dock. They gave him no argument, plus they didn’t charge for the power. As soon as we could, we left the dock and went back to Piggy Beach for a quiet night.

One of the other things Staniel Cay is known for is Thunderball Grotto, an underwater cave that is famous for being in the James Bond movie. So of course we had to go snorkeling there too. It was pretty cool, with lots of fish and a very high vaulted ceiling inside the cave with two openings at the top. I’m going to have to watch that movie again when we get home.

We left Staniel Cay the next morning, along with Aquila, and headed towards Black Point, another small community with a few restaurants/bars and store. On the way we stopped at Bitter Iguana Cay for lunch and to see the iguanas that live on the beach. Apparently they are used to people coming and feeding them, because as soon as Bill started feeding one, they all started running out from under the bushes. It was kind of scary, they are not the cutest!

Iguana Beach

After lunch we went into the harbour at Black Point and found it really busy. The forecast for the next few days was a big easterly blow to start that night, and it is a very well protected anchorage for that direction. So everyone had decided to ride it out there. Including us. So after anchoring, we dinghied over to the government dock and walked down the Main Street. As it was Sunday, the grocery store was closed, but we managed to find some fellow sailors at one of the restaurants and had a beer with them. As predicted, the winds started coming in around dinner time, and wow, was it windy! But we felt pretty secure on our anchor, unlike another boat, who dragged out of the anchorage about a half mile, without them on it. They came back to their boat in the dark, and it wasn’t where they had left it. Luckily someone saw an anchor light off in the distance, and they were able to rescue the boat, manned solely by their wonderful dog Athena. No damage done, thankfully.

We spent three nights in Black Point, with the winds howling, but that didn’t

stop us from exploring some of the island, including a blow hole and doing laundry at the laundromat with 10 washers and dryers, a real cruisers social gathering!

There was also a Cruisers Happy Hour at one of the bars that everyone went to, and drank potent rum punches!

Hugh and fellow cruisers at happy hpur

After three noisy and bouncy nights we decided to move around the point to Little Bay which we hoped would be less crowded. So Aquila, Shooting Star and Trekker all moved around the point to find a beautiful quiet bay with only one other boat there, a beautiful beach and great protection. We should have moved sooner. It was lovely.

Little Bay

But stupidly, we moved on the next day, thinking we could find some more nice spots down Great Guana Cay, but spent the next few nights trying to hide from the winds, without much success. We attribute it to lack of local knowledge, and not knowing how well protected we were in Little Bay. Oh well, we are slowly learning!

Another stop was Little Farmer Cay, a small settlement of 80 people that has a “yacht club”, a beach bar and a couple of tiny stores. We anchored two nights, and explored the island including lunch at the yacht club, happy hour at the beach bar and watching people swim with and feed turtles in the main harbour. We also met one of the residents who is known for his woodcarving. Very skillful.

Amazing woodcarving

We then moved down to Rudder Cay. Another lovely anchorage with beaches and caves dotted along the shoreline. There is a sunken statue called The Musician, that the illusionist David Copperfield (whose private island is near by) had commissioned. We went snorkeling over it, it looked very surreal.

The Musician

The winds finally calmed down and yesterday we jump out into Exuma Sound and headed for George Town. We are staying at a marina for a couple of days to get ready for our guest to arrive. I am so excited to see Alyssa , it’s been over four months since we saw her. I hope the weather cooperates!

We’ve made it to George Town!... one day at a time.

Pictures from Exuma Cay and Land and Sea Park

Because we have not been in very good cell service I was unable to post  pictures in the last blog post. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure!

Trekker anchored in ECLSP

Our offering on BooBoo Hil

Bob and Sheila

The anchorage in Warderick Wells. Trekker is the first boat.

Shroud Beach

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

Exuma Cay Land and Sea Park (ECLSP)
(Due to poor cell service, pictures will follow!)
We have not been hiding from the world, but we have been in the ECLSP for the past week and a half, where there is no cell service except for two spots in Warderick Wells; on top of BooBoo Hill, and beside the park headquarters by the fire hydrant. Really! But I digress...
We left Highbourne Cay with Her Diamond and sailed down to an anchorage by Shroud Cay at the top of the ECLSP. The ECLSP is run by the Bahama National Trust, and is 176 square miles of pristine beauty, outstanding anchorages and unspoiled marine environment. Their goal is to preserve and protect this unique area. As they say, take only pictures, leave only bubbles.We picked up two mooring balls and settled in. Shroud Cay is a larger Island, but the majority of it’s interior consists of mangroves with a little river running through it. So one of our plans while there was to dinghy through the river. Since we arrived at low tide, and had been told that it gets pretty shallow in the river, we decided to wait for the next day for that adventure. So instead we dinghied along the shoreline and stopped at this amazing beach. We are discovering that the Exumas are full of little islands with uninhabited beaches everywhere. Paradise!
After a peaceful night we got ready for our dinghy ride through the mangroves. With lunch packed, water bottles filled, sunscreen on, we were off. We saw some wildlife, but not as much as hoped. There is a small arm off the main channel which leads to a small beach on the Exuma Sound side. We stopped for a walk, and found a path to the top of a hill where we had a wonderful view of the island.
The next day we headed to Warderick Wells, which is the main anchorage of ECLSP and where the headquarters are located. You must call and reserve the day ahead for a mooring ball as there is a limited number (21) and there is no anchoring allowed in the mooring field. Each day, once they know who is leaving, they assign balls to those on the waiting list. We were very lucky as there were four of us wanting to get in, and we were assigned balls close together. The anchorage is shaped like a horseshoe with a big sand bar in the middle. It is quite spectacular. 
In between a couple of moorings is a wreck of a 42 foot sailboat that we snorkelled over. Hugh’s brother Adrian told us that it belonged to a friend of his. Apparently the boat was left with the generator running when the owner went to a friend’s boat for sundowners back in the 70’s. When he looked back at his boat it was engulfed in flames! There was nothing he could do but watch as it burned to the waterline and sank. After that story nobody in our group of four was willing to leave their boats with generators running!
We spent five nights there; partially because of the wonderful spot and partly because of those darn winds. A nicer place to be stuck I can’t imagine!
Over the days we hiked up to “BooBoo Hill” where you leave an offering to Neptune to ask for fair seas. It must be on wood, no plastic or non biodegradable things, with your boat name written on it and date. There is a huge pile of offerings and I can’t imagine the dates of the pieces on the bottom of the pile. Of course we all made offerings.
There are quite a few trails on the island, with one leading to building ruins of a loyalist family who settled there and tried to farm. Not sure what they were thinking as this is a pretty dry, barren place!
We also walked to the other side of the island to the “Slave Dip”. 
One of the highlights was snorkeling. There was an area called the Coral Gardens near the mooring field. It was a big area of coral, with quite a few fish, but as we neared the edge of the garden, out from the bank came six HUGE spotted eagle rays, gliding right by us. They must have been at least six feet wide each if not more. The most amazing sight I have ever seen snorkeling. I wish I had the camera with me. We could also see them gliding by the boat in the anchorage every once in awhile, but seeing them underwater was so much better!
It’s amazing how time flies by when you are having fun! After five nights we decided it was time to move on south. It was a sad moment when we had to say good bye to Her Diamond. Bob and Sheila have decided to start heading back to Florida, so after six months of buddy boating together we parted ways. They have been excellent sailing partners and we will miss their company (and euchre matches, we parted tied, girls vs boys) very much. But I’m sure we will meet up again, either visiting over the summer or next winter in the Bahamas!
We sailed down to Cambridge Cay, still in the ECLSP, and took another mooring ball for a couple of nights. There are little beaches everywhere you look, and snorkel areas close by, one being called The Sea Aquarium. When you jump in the water you are immediately surrounded by little fish called sergeant majors, who I think are looking for food!
Aquila (Bill and Michael) have joined us and we will head down to Staniel Cay together for some very much needed provisions, water and laundry.
So far, it’s been a very interesting time here in the Exumas, as we are definitely living “off the grid” with no (or very little) internet, few stores and fewer marinas. The ECLSP is a “no take, no leave” area and about as remote as you can get. It makes you appreciate everything we take for granted at home. Water on the boat is limited, so showers are quick and dishes are washed once a day (mostly). We have learned to be super conservative using it, as you have to be aware of where the next spot is to fill up. Fresh produce has become very precious too, as there have been no stores for a week and a half. I think we are down to our last apple! I am getting very creative making “canned” meals. I am also trying to make my own bread. So far, it’s getting better each try! All part of the fun and challenge! Our wine and beer are holding up so far ... but we still have a few weeks to go!
So we are slowly working our way down the Exumas, with the larger town of George Town being our final southern destination, where we will pick up Alyssa and Steve for a week long visit. So exciting to have them join us and to be able to show them what we have been up to these past seven months! After they leave we will start heading north and slowly make our way back to the Abacos where Trevor and Kate will join us the first week of April.
Then back to Florida to put Trekker away for the summer. 
But, that is weeks away, and we still have lots to discover ... one day at a time!

Eleuthera to Exumas!!

Spanish Wells to Highbourne Cay
We did leave Spanish Wells on Wednesday in a flotilla of about five boats all headed for the dreaded Current Cut. We had been advised to be very cautious going through, as like most cuts down here, they can get pretty nasty if you do not get through with the right current and winds. Believe me, I dream about this stuff we talk about it so much!! But planning is Hugh's thing, so I know I am in good hands.

Current Cut

So we got through Current Cut with no issues and then started heading south down the coast of Eleuthera. We were traveling with Her Diamond and had talked about anchoring in some little cove along the shore, but once we started heading down we quickly realized with the bigger than predicted winds and waves (of course) that the best place to go would be straight to the bottom and into Rock Sound Harbour. Which is what we did.
Rock Sound Harbour is a large, well protected harbour with a small town. We anchored in sand and made sure the anchor was well set, and settled in for a couple of days. Since we have been in marinas so much it was a pleasure to anchor again. Although I am really missing our lovely fresh water lakes. The salt water gets very nasty and the boat gets so crusty once it dries ... its something we are not used to and when we get into a marina the first thing Hugh does is wash down the boat.
We spent three nights in Rock Sound. Thursday we walked up to an Ocean Hole that apparently is 600 feet deep and somewhere below goes out to the ocean. It was full of fish and we had been told to take bread  to feed them. We all did and by the end I think they were pretty full!

Ocean Hole

 We walked down the Main Street and went into a couple of stores. Then Hugh and I returned to the boat to get ready to go out for dinner. One of the things suggested by the cruising guides, as well as people we had talked to, was to go to dinner at Rosie's. The restaurant is actually called Nort' Side Restaurant but it is owned and run by Rosie, so everyone calls it that. It is a couple of miles from town, across the island to the Atlantic side. When you call to a make a reservation she arranges to pick you up and drive you there and back. She also takes your order ahead of time so she can get everything ready. The choices were fish (snapper), conch, chicken or pork chops. We also had a choice of sides, which were coleslaw, mac'n'cheese, rice'n'peas (always!) and plantain. Hugh and I ordered one of each to share. Seven of us from the  anchorage all went together. Rosie met us at the government dock, where we could tie up our dinghies, and took us over to her place in two trips. While we were waiting for the second load we watched a local fisherman cut up his daily catch of fish.

Fisherman's catch with Rosie

The road to Rosie's is pretty rough, but once we got there, very worth it. It really is just her house, and the front porch has been converted to a dining room, with a little bar area built on the side. It has a beautiful view of a lovely sand beach and we would have watched the sunset if it hadn't been so cloudy! We all enjoyed our dinners, and had a lovely time getting to know new cruisers who had come along with us.

(L-R) Bob, Sheila, Hugh, Madeline, Karen, Roy and Tony

Friday morning Hugh spent in the water doing some maintenance on the propeller (replacing zincs for fellow sailors) and then we dinghied to shore and walked over to the grocery store to take a look. We don't realize how lucky we are at home, to have everything available whenever we want it.  Here, everything gets shipped in on a barge, usually once a week, and if you don't time it right the fresh produce is gone. Today was our lucky day as the fresh produce had just been put out on the shelf, and there was an actual sign that told people when it would be stocked. We bought a few things and headed back to the boat.

The produce is in!

Hugh had decided that he would go back into the water and try to clean the boat bottom as it was growing some weedy stuff after being in the water for seven months which the poor thing is not used to, as well as being in salt water! So in he hopped and proceeded to clean the bottom, with me on the boat as lifeguard. He must have been in the water for about an hour, and despite the fact that we are in the Bahamas the water is still cool, and when he finally got out I'm pretty sure he had a slight case of hypothermia. Silly stubborn man, his wet suit was in the cupboard! So I tucked him into bed, with three blankets, a toque and a cup of hot tea to try to stop the shivering, which took a while. Lesson learned!! But we did eventually make it to happy hour!
Since we felt we had seen all we needed to in Rock Sound, it was time to move on. Saturday morning we left with Her Diamond and headed a short distance (two hours) to Cape Eleuthera  Marina for a night to get ready for the jump over to The Exumas. Laundry, water top up and boost the batteries and we were ready to go first thing Sunday morning. Once again the timing was an issue and another cut needed to be entered, this one from the Exuma Sound (very deep) into the Exuma Bank. (very shallow). Once onto the Exuma Bank it is much easier and calmer to hop down the Exuma Chain. This chain is made up of many many little islands (Cays), with hundreds of anchorages and coves to tuck into and explore. It is not very populated, and towns and stores are few and far between. It is approximately 100 miles from top to bottom. But this was our goal, to get to the Exumas, on this trip and we have made it! Its very exciting!!
So we made it through the cut, with a squall hitting us just before entering it, so we waited for it to pass, and made our way through. It was a little "narly" as we had missed slack tide so had a 3 knot current against us, but once through we were greeted with water so turquoise, a picture doesn't do it justice! 

Turquoise water!

Tomorrow we will start heading down the chain, going into the Exuma Land and Sea Park for a few  days. This is a protected area, with no fishing and "no take" which means you are not allowed to take anything, shells, etc, dead or alive. Also no stores or cell service!! Can't wait!
We are looking forward to exploring the Exumas ... one day at a time.