Staniel Cay

Thursday was the day to visit the island for the first time in a few years.  We walked through the town with Rusty and Nancy, visited a few shops, talked to the locals, and ended up finding Bob and Stephanie in Big Dogs waiting for their fresh bread to be ready.  After a short visit there, we headed back to Staniel Cay Yacht Club for happy hour and a great dinner.  Stephen and Pam joined us for dinner, and Joe and Julia showed up later for a post-dinner happy hour.

The town is so neat, with a combination of both beautifully groomed and junky-looking lawns, colorful cottages, and unique shops and homes.  The foliage is also gorgeous, with a surprising combination of plants. 

The bougainvillea bunch

the clinic

the school

the church

poinsettias growing wild

cotton (!!)

beautifully groomed cottage

if this isn't named the dreadlock plant, it should be

Happy People restaurant

well said

Even though Stephanie told us to "get a life," Bob and I thought this was a wonderful invention -- baby seat attached to the lid!  And the coast was totally clear when Bob went in the Ladies' Room with me to see it and take a photo.

'Nuther favorite place and some favorite folks

We reluctantly left Warderick Wells, but had a great incentive to travel further south.  We love Staniel Cay also, and had good friends there waiting patiently for us to catch up with them.  Bob and Stephanie on September Song had been hailing us on the VHF for days, but couldn't hear our response.  We e-mailed when we could, telling them we were headed their way when the weather gods allowed.  Wednesday was the day, with favorable winds (but not the sailing kind).  We arrived in Staniel early afternoon, just in time to head for the beach where firewood was being gathered for an evening bonfire.  We weren't sure if it was Redemption Island or Exile Island (it was Wednesday, after all), but the beach was great.  We caught up with Bob and Stephanie, Stephen and Pam (m/v Tide's In), Patrick, Amy and Aspen (m/v Island Girl), Bob and Elaine (m/v Mar Azul), Barb and Dave (m/v Hallelujah), Linda and Al (m/v Signature), and Joe and Julia (m/v Sea Pearl).  Rusty and Nancy (s/v Summer Wind) traveled with us, so there was quite a crowd on the beach for fun, sand, cooking, sharing dishes, and of course an adult beverage or two.

September Song patiently waiting

aaarrrrrrgh!

previous visitors left a motley assortment of tables and chairs

 

 

A rainy day and a play day

There were near drought conditions at Warderick Wells, so we continued our tradition of bringing rain to places we visit.  Monday was a very windy and rainy day, but we didn't mind because it washed the salty boat very nicely.  The Captain was worn out, because he'd open all ports and hatches every time the rain stopped, then close them five minutes later when it started again.  But it was fun for the Admiral, kind of like watching a hamster on a little wheel.  Speaking of hamsters, one species VERY happy about the rain was the hutia (hoo-tee'-ya).  They're rodents (endangered and indigenous to the Exumas) that resemble small guinea pigs, and they only drink fresh water.  That can be a huge problem in drought conditions, so they eat vegetation to get moisture which is pretty tough on an island with finite space and vegetation.  The rain must have made them very happy.

Henry Hutia

Tuesday dawned gorgeous and sunny, so it was designated a play day.  We took a hike on the island and found some driftwood to make our sign for Boo Boo Hill.  The Hill has a huge mound of signs created by cruisers and left in a pile for other cruisers to view (and to revisit in future years).  We had arts & crafts session at the tiki hut, where the Captain created our sign.  We then hiked up the hill to place it among those of our friends and soon-to-be-friends.  We tried several neighborhoods on the hill, visiting Summer Wind and September Song before finding our final roosting place.

Captain creating

Little lizard pointing the way

Should we live next door to Summer Wind?

Or September Song?

How 'bout under Island Girl?

Transportation doesn't have to be a problem for some people....ze plane!  ze plane!

No explanation necessary -- read the sign

The water is too beautiful to describe or photograph.  It's in tiers of color, ranging from light aqua to almost royal navy velvet.  From the boat, from the beach, and even from the hills on the island, it's impossible to get a photograph that does it justice.  Everyone just needs to come here.

The beach is a great place to hang out, and we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the water and scenery.

This poor guy died from starvation.  A 52' sperm whale who ingested so much plastic that his stomach was filled.  PLEASE be careful how you dispose of your waste!!

Jay and Rusty on the hike across the coral beds

The mighty sailing vessel Serendipity in the mooring field

Beach invasion!!

One of our very favorite places in the Exumas

It's Warderick Wells.  A beautiful little Cay, headquarters to the Exuma National Park, with a beautiful protected anchorage.  The beach is so pretty (even the bleached carcass of an unfortunate whale has its charm), moorings are in a circle with small sand bars in the middle (where puppies love to scamper), and the scenery is unrivaled.

On our trip from Nassau to Shroud Cay (with winds and waves slightly higher....like maybe double...what was predicted), we got a radio call.  We'd lost Summer Wind (Rusty and Nancy) in Marathon, since they left early to get friends to Nassau for a flight home.  As we passed Norman's Cay, they hailed us, having waited there for us till we made our way south.  They followed us to Shroud, where we both anchored and got together for a long-awaited reunion happy hour.  We then made our way to Warderick the next day.

Summer Wind in Shroud Cay after a patient wait

Part of mooring field in Warderick Wells

View of mooring field from Park office

Park office on left; ranger house on right

Easter table

Miss Nancy's Easter bonnet

We were happy to have made it to Warderick when we did, having spent Easter here before.  The Park provided a ham, and all the cruisers brought pot luck to the home of Peter, the administrator of Exuma Park.  The house is amazing, airy and open with porches all around for a spectacular view from any angle.  It was a great way to spend Easter, meet new friends, and enjoy the view.  Nancy was the only one clever enough to create an Easter bonnet on her boat, but it was stunning!

We saw Nassau

Having spent a over a month in Nassau a few years back, we're partial to the island.  Thankfully, even though the trip was a little bumpy, it was far smoother than the last time we pulled in.  Pulling into the harbor you see the lighthouse, Atlantis on Paradise Island, several cruise ships, the yoga retreat, and a dockhouse (people actually live there).  The Mail Boat was leaving the island just as we pulled in.....colorful transportation for the mail!

Since we'd been in the Bahamas for a few days, we thought it was about time we checked into Customs.  We stayed on the hook in the harbor the first night (after calling Nassau Harbor Control for permission), dodging a few French Canadians who appeared to have anchoring privileges (private joke).  When we pulled anchor the next morning, we found we'd acquired a souvenir or two -- there was a large clump of concrete in the anchor flukes, attached to a thick mooring line and a tire!  They wouldn't bounce off, so we took them for a ride to the marina so we could disengage them with a boat hook.  We pulled into Nassau Harbour Club the second and third nights, feeling the need for water to wash the crust off the boat, laundry facilities, and possibly internet (which we found at Starbucks for only the exorbitant price of beverages). 

We got cleaned up, put back together, plugged in, and hit the town.  We walked the 2-3 miles to downtown, visited the straw market, had ice cream, sampled local rums, stopped by the Green Parrot and Harbour Central Marina for old times' sake, then walked back to the Poop Deck for happy hour.  If you ever go there, DON'T leave without a fresh mango daquiri.  YUM.

We spent the next day catching up on internet, washing clothes, filling the water tanks, and getting ready to head back out.  We left early Friday morning and made really good time to one of our favorite anchorages in the Exuma Park.

The Bahamas, Mon!

We left Rodriguez Key early Saturday morning to cross the Gulf.  It was a wonderful day, nice winds and gentle waves.  We sailed....yes, SAILED the whole way, with a little assistance from the engine from time to time.  We'd planned to stop in Bimini for an overnight and to check in at Customs, but with the winds in our favor and time on our hands we went on to Gun Cay to anchor.  It's such a pretty (tiny) Cay with a lighthouse, and it was nice to be not only on the hook but also in the Bahamas and in the gorgeous water.

When we left Gun, we obeyed the wind and sailed to an anchorage on the bank (even though the Captain swore on a previous trip that he'd NEVER anchor on the Bahama Bank again).  The holding was good, though, and we settled in for another beautiful night.  There were storms all around on the radar, including a giant storm cloud that appeared over Miami.

We watched it diligently, both because the sun was setting under it and because it could potentially give us a good boat wash to get all the salt off the deck (Serendipity looked more like Krispy Kreme).
  
The next morning, we planned to go to Frasier's Hog since we've never been and so we could check into Customs.  However, once again we obeyed the wind and sailed on to Little Whale Cay. The evening was beautiful, and even though the ride was....let's say bumpy because that sounds better than butt-kicking....it was still a good day.  Little Whale is a private island with a few homes, a pretty little white church, and a beautiful beach.

Back that sucker outta here!

With help from our fellow boaters and dockmates, we left Thursday afternoon (after one last quickie trip to Dockside) to fuel up and anchor outside the harbor for an early departure the next morning.  We hugged and hurried, leaving LOTS of good friends and times behind!

Waving bye to Dockside

Pirates Jake and Ed seeing us off

Passing by Rick and Deb on the hook

What are they doing here?  We just left them!!

When we got to Burdine's to fuel up, we were surprised to see Phred and Candy on the dock!  They''d driven down just after we left the dock, so we got to see them one more time.  After we got fuel, we dropped the hook outside the harbor and enjoyed the delicious smoked fish dip Phred and Candy gave us when left and saw a GORGEOUS sunset through the Seven Mile Bridge.  Sad to leave, but good to be moving (and untied) again!

Leaving the gang