Thursday, May 13, 2010 – Staniel Cay, Exumas

Jim and Mark fetched the dinghy from the park dock early this morning and we were ready to pull up the anchor and head out at 8 am. After two hours and about 20 miles over the water, we dropped the anchor west of Big Majors Spot with several other boats. Staniel Cay was an easy dinghy ride away where the snorkeling and diving are spectacular, especially with Thunderball Cave just around the corner; the beach is clean, white and wide; and, of course, there are the pigs! Staniel Cay is a good sized community with a couple of small markets, a bread maker, artisans selling their wares, a marina, a restaurant, a church and even an airport.

The guys were able to repair the dinghy’s loose connection so we lowered both dinghys into the water and set out for shore. Our first stop was to see the pigs and they turned out to be much larger than we had anticipated. When they saw us approaching, two spotted pigs and two white pigs ventured out of the brush, walked across the beach and swam out to us looking for handouts. We had brought some bread and were able to get a few good photos. Jim pointed out Thunderball Cave on our way to shore which is where portions of the James Bond movie, Thunderball, were filmed in 1964. Thunderball Cave has two entrances – one on the western side and one on the east. Once inside, there is an overhead dome that we hope to explore tomorrow at slack tide.

When we tied up to the dinghy dock, we could see several nurse sharks and a few stingrays cruising the fish cleaning area. We were very glad we didn’t bring the dogs with us – if the pigs weren’t enough to make them crazy, the rays and sharks would have!! We walked up to the dive shop to drop off Mark’s two scuba tanks and ask to have them filled. The shop was closed at the moment since the crew was out


on a dive, but we called them on the VHF radio and were told that they would be in soon. We checked out the restaurant/bar and its gift shop and then took a walk into town to find the markets and see what we could see. We found the “pink store” and the “blue store” where some basic grocery items were on offer. The “yellow store” was a bread store and we ordered a few loaves that would be ready for us in the morning. We took a walk through a small cemetery, found the Baptist Church and walked through the residential area.

Late in the afternoon, we headed back to the boat and picked up the dogs for a run on the beach. Mark grilled up some of the mahi mahi for dinner using his special sauce which added a real taste treat.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 – Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas

The entire day was devoted to exploring the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. This is the first land and sea park in the world and covers 176 square miles. The park headquarters, located at Warderick Wells Cay, features a small gift shop, welcome center, displays and three mooring areas. Throughout the park one can explore the underwater beauty of the coral reefs, hike trails, play on the beaches and view spectacular scenery. We hiked up to the top of Boo Boo Hill to add our boat name and date to the pile of driftwood markers from previous visitors. We even found evidence left by cruisers we’ve spent time with along the way during our Great Loop route, including Life’s 2 Short and Twice ‘S Nice.

After our hike, we took the dinghys and found a beach where we could let the two Lucys out to run, swim and play. The guys did some snorkeling while Diane and Maureen enjoyed a little beach time. About 2 pm, we took the dogs back to Adventure, fixed a little lunch, put on long sleeve shirts for more sun protection and Mark, Diane, Gale and Maureen headed out for a dinghy ride. We marveled at the beauty of the water and the sky and all agreed that this truly was an island paradise.

Mark prepared his special jambalaya for our evening meal.
After dinner, Jim took one of the dinghys to shore so he could use the wireless signal and check his email. Mark brought out the “Band In A Box” and the four of us cranked up the music, grabbed our favorite instrument and had our own little jam session. Towards sunset, we noticed the park warden’s boat coming out to Adventure. Jim had been unable to start the dinghy and could not raise us on the VHF so the park warden gave him a ride out. We decided to leave the dinghy at the park dock until morning and tackle that project tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 – Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas

We pulled up the anchor at 8 am this morning and headed out into another beautiful day but with noticeably breezier conditions. The wind was from the southeast at about 20 knots. After traveling 22 miles to Warderick Wells Cay, we dropped the hook outside the mooring area just before noon.



The afternoon was spent doing some chores and relaxing. Mark and Gale each took a turn with the scuba gear and cleaned the keel. Maureen spent a couple hours putting lasagna together for tonight’s meal.

We stayed on the boat all day and everyone felt good about what they accomplished.

Monday, May 10, 2010 – Highbourne Cay, northern Exumas

We spent some time this morning trying to locate a salt water washdown pump in the inventory of spare parts aboard Adventure but didn’t have any luck finding one. Mark and Jim walked up to the marine store after it opened to see if they could pick up a pump there, but could only come up with a scaled down version. Fortunately, this is not a critical item for boat operations. In the meantime, Gale, Diane and Maureen walked across the street to the grocery store to load up on ice.

At 11 am we left the dock bound for Allan’s Cay, the northernmost island in the Exumas island chain. It was another lovely day and we made the 33-mile passage in 4.5 hours. As we approached the islands, we could see about 10 sailboats in the Allan’s Cay anchorage so we opted to anchor near the adjacent island, Highbourne Cay, where we found three other larger yachts already moored.







When we were safely settled in, we splashed the small dinghy and took the dogs to shore for a run on Highbourne. The dogs were returned to the big boat and Gale, Maureen, Mark and Diane set out for some snorkeling at Allan Cay while Jim stayed with Adventure and dove the boat for a routine inspection of the keel.

Allan’s Cay is a Bahamas National Trust Preserve and is known for the large number of iguanas on the island. The creatures are used to visitors bringing handouts, but are not tame and will bite. We had brought some bread to feed the lizards which teased several of them out of the tall grass and onto the beach. They were joined by a few shorebirds looking for an easy meal. After taking a few photos of the iguanas, we put on our snorkel gear and paddled around the protected bay. We saw the usual conch, some coral, small colorful fish and a barracuda. Another visitor pointed us in the direction of where he’d seen a sleeping shark, but we did not come upon it when we swam over in that vicinity which, as far as Maureen was concerned, was not a bad thing!

Back aboard Adventure, we enjoyed another fantastic sunset as we prepared our evening meal. It was “just another day in Paradise!”

Sunday, May 9, 2010 – Nassau, New Providence Island

Happy Mothers’ Day!!

The men were up at 5 am working on the 800-gallon water maker and determined that it had the same problem as the 400-gallon unit. The repair was made quickly and both water makers were soon up and running.

We pulled up anchor and headed out at 7 am with a slight breeze, nearly calm seas and the temperature already close to 80°F. After we were underway, Mark made a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and cinnamon raisin toast which we enjoyed with mimosas.

The fishing lines were put in the water and it wasn’t long before Mark and Gale each pulled in a barracuda. Since we weren’t interested in that type of fish, they reeled in the lines for a while and relaxed. After we’d traveled a few more miles, the fishing lines went back in and while Gale was relaxing on the couch in the salon reading his Marlin magazine and watching The Deadliest Catch, he glanced up to see one of the outrigger poles bent way over and the line stripping off at a breakneck pace. It was the biggest dolphin fish yet! Gale wrestled with the fish for several minutes before he and Mark were able to bring it aboard the boat.

At 2 pm after cruising about 50 miles, we arrived at Nassau on New Providence Island. The original float plan was to continue another 35 miles to Allan’s Cay in the northernmost Exumas, however, since Nassau would be the last real “civilization” for a week or more, we decided to get a slip and stay the night. Before we could enter the harbor and find the marina, we had to wait for two large cruise ships to depart.






We were secured in the slip at Nassau Harbour Club and Marina shortly after 3 pm. After a little break and a round of margaritas, we walked to a dive shop, liquor store and grocery store. When we returned to the boat, we splashed the “dink” and took a ride around the harbor where we saw enormous yachts, working boats, beautiful condos and the luxurious Marina at Atlantis on Paradise Island – truly where the rich and famous gather!






Following our dinghy ride, we came back to the boat and shared a lovely dinner of grilled mahi mahi, squash and a fresh fruit salad. The evening was wonderful and we all felt blessed to have the opportunity to be in this peaceful paradise.