Island Time

Ya' Mon

Slowly, but surely, it’s happening.  We are slipping into that state of mind where the days begin to blur together.  If I don’t journal regularly, I begin to lose track of where we were and what we did, when.  I suppose it began in Warderick Wells, where we finally cast away the underlying anxiety about “getting there” and let down our guard.  Being surrounded by so much pristine beauty, in an utterly safe and protected environment, was a balm for the soul.  We were on a mooring, so no worries about the anchor (or anyone else’s); the anchorage is surrounded by reefs and cays, so the water was calm and restful; the park (Exumas Land and Sea Park) is a “no take” zone, so the colorful reef fish were plentiful; and, most importantly, there were KIDS (!), so Jeanette was happy and in her element.  While she played on other boats, Ken and I actually had some rare time alone.  We went snorkeling together and finally got our little Pico sailboat in the water to toodle around in.  It was so easy.  Easy, easy, easy.  And, pretty soon, I began to forget what day it was, and any sense of urgency to move on dissipated.  But, move on we did.  On Monday, the 30^th, we slipped our mooring and enjoyed a short 3-1/2 hour sail south on Exuma Sound to Staniel Cay.   Many of the boats in Warderick Wells had already cleared out and we rejoined some of our newfound friends there. 

Girl time - finally!

Ken - all smiles before the capsize!

Jeanette - on her private beach

A last look at Warderick Wells

Thunderball

Staniel Cay is the place to be for New Year’s, as the yacht club hosts sailing regattas, fish fries, and cruiser parties.  For us, New Year’s Eve holds special significance because it’s also Jeanette’s birthday.  We spent a lazy day swimming, lounging about, and diving Thunderball Grotto.  James Bond die-hards will know that Thunderball was made famous in the old James Bond movie of the same name, when Sean Connery was still played the leading role.  This is about as well-known a site as you can find in the Bahamas, outside of Atlantis on Paradise Island.  Happily, there are no concession stands here, just the main attraction itself.  The trick is to wait for slack water at low tide, then swim under the grotto entrance, which is about 6-12” above the surface of the water.  The currents in the Bahamas cannot be taken lightly and, even at slack tide, we had to kick hard to make it through the entrance.  Once inside the grotto, we found ourselves in a large cavern with numerous openings on the “ceiling” as well as underwater and opposite to the main entrance.  Light shimmered on the surface and illuminated the scene below.  The effect was magical.  The grotto is a “no take” zone as well, and is full of reef fish eager for a handout.   A swim along the outside of the grotto took us past more reef, fish, and a nurse shark napping on the bottom.

Staniel Cay

Thunderball Grotto (yes, you can swim under it!)

When Pigs Swim

I’m not sure if pigs can fly, but we now know that they can swim!  Once more in the dinghy, we took a short ride over to the neighboring cay of Big Majors to see the swimming pigs.  Someone had arrived before us and was luring the pigs into the water with food.  A pig on a beach is one thing, but to see them swimming in tropical waters is quite a sight.  While I’m sure there’s a great story behind how those pigs found their way to the Bahamas and learned to swim out for food, we have not yet uncovered it.    

Artistry on the Water

Winslow Homer is one of my favorite American artists and I love his watercolors of Bahamian fishermen in action.  I knew sooner or later, we would see one of his treasured subjects – a traditional Bahamian sloop – but I didn’t know that we would see them up close, showing off their stuff at a sailing regatta.  Remember when I said that when two or more sailboats are on the water, it’s considered a race?  Well, New Year’s was also the day of the traditional Bahamian Sloop regatta – and it turned out to be a race of just two.  Nevertheless, it was quite exciting as first one, then the other, took the lead in a series of three races.  As we settled back onto the boat for the evening, the final race was in progress and the wind shifts that had occurred during the day put the finish line quite close to us.  The boats are not large but the sail area is huge, requiring a crew of 12-15 men – primarily for ballast.  Their vast mainsails sheeted out on the final downwind leg cut a graceful silhouette across the late afternoon sky.  They could easily have sailed right out of one of Homer’s paintings.  Would that I could have captured them as beautifully as he!

Black Point Settlement

Laundromat dinghy dock (sailor's version of a water cooler)

New Year’s Day dawned clear and breezy.  We raised anchor and made the couple hour trip down Exuma Bank to Great Guana Cay.  The anchorage here at Black Point Settlement is full of cruisers, and the community, itself, is warm and welcoming.   Each morning and evening, the boats rock and roll in the wake of fishermen and commuters to Staniel Cay as they head out for the day and return at sunset.  Black Point feels like a real, albeit tiny, town.  There is a decent grocery store, a post office, and three restaurants just a short walk from the dinghy dock.  We had a fabulous Grouper dinner at Scorpio’s, which was full of cruisers watching the Rose Bowl.  The next day, we headed in to do laundry at the most famous Laundromat in the Bahamas.  Seriously, every guidebook has a notation about Rockside Laundermat (sic) and, while I’m not ready to wax eloquent over a couple of rows of washers and dryers, I will say that it was spotless and a fun place to hang out and talk to other sailors.  And, while I try to keep ahead of laundry by doing small loads on the boat, it’s nice to get everything clean in one fell swoop (yes, we’re down to the simple things in life here!). 

Lee Stocking Island

From Black Point, we took advantage of a light southeasterly breeze on Friday to duck out into the sound and make some more headway south.   We pulled in at Lee Stocking Island, home of the abandoned Caribbean Marine Research Center.  Apparently, they lost their funding a couple of years ago and all that’s left behind are the buildings that once housed the center.  

Adderly Cut in calm seas

Lee Stocking Island

We had the anchorage all to ourselves and spent a quiet night.  In the morning, a quick check of the weather revealed that if we didn’t go for Georgetown then, we’d be at Lee Stocking for several days.  Given that our fresh produce was running out, we decided to make a run for it.  In stark contrast to our pleasant sail of the day before, this passage was rough and nasty.   Five hours of hanging on and bracing ourselves as the boat bucked and rolled.  

Going out Adderly Cut the next morning - ugh!

But, we’re here – finally – and in no hurry to move on.  After all, we’re on island time now. 

Sand Dollar Beach - call me in a month