Exumas, Nassau and the Berry Islands

We are sitting in a lovely marina on Paradise Island across from New Providence Island and the city of Nassau. We had hoped to have time to explore Nassau on our way back to the States ..... and we have had more time than we expected. We arrived here on Tuesday, after two long days on the water from George Town on the southern end of the Exumas, and we have been dealing with minor but necessary repairs ever since. Our port engine needed a new fuel pump and our stabilizers stopped working as we came over the Yellow Bank into Nassau. Both Cummins Engine and Naiad Marine (stabilizers) have been very good in flying technicians in from the Abacos and Miami to help us .... and we thought we would be off today, but when Peter turned on the engines at 7:30 am, the stabilizers were once again rattling .... so we shall have to see if we can reach Naiad again. The stabilizers will be necessary, as we are about to cross the Tongue of the Ocean, which dips down between Andros and the Exumas and can be rough and unpredictable.

So after 6 weeks, sadly, we have left the Exumas. We loved the area ... and we fell in love with the Bahamians who are so hospitable and eager to share their world. From the dock masters ..... to the elderly ladies who run convenience stores on the out islands ...... to the concierge hostesses at fancy marinas ....... to those selling fresh bread and vegetables on the roadside, everyone has gone out of their way to make us feel welcome. And it goes beyond their interest in tourism. They are warm, friendly and caring people .... and it shows in their smiles and kind words of welcome. We really have been overwhelmed.

Beautiful anchorages, wonderful people, indescribably gorgeous water .... and we got to share the last two weeks of it with Deb and David. What a special time for us! D & D arrived on the 7th .....on the very first Air Canada flight from Toronto to George Town (which also happened to be non-stop) and were greeted by dignitaries, children and adults dancing in full Bahamian headdresses, fire trucks spraying water from both sides of the runway ...... and champagne! Unfortunately Deb had her camera in her luggage and could not record the event, but they said it was incredible, especially for that little airport. They left Toronto very early in the morning, but arrived at Emerald Bay by 11 am .... so we had a full day on the beach right off the bat. The next day we motored the short distance to Stocking Island, where we anchored again off Sand Dollar Beach for several days. We had to show D & D the Chat & Chill ... and while there we learned more about the resident sting ray and why he likes to hang out off the south end of the beach. Aside from the beach bar, there is a separate stand where fresh conch salad is made, and the chef provides the stingray with morsels of conch, much to the delight of the patrons.

From Stocking Island, we motored north to Rudder Cay and then to Sampson Cay Club, in the middle of the Exumas. We spent several nights at SCC and explored the exquisite sand bars which come and go with the tides (picture above), along with all the amenities of the Club. It was one of the nicest marinas we found. Next we motored a very short distance south to Staniel Cay, where we anchored between Little Major Spot and Big Major Spot in a protected bay with very little wind (above). Once in the dinghy and once around the corner towards Staniel Cay, we encountered substantial wind and waves from the west. But we ventured around Staniel Cay harbor, Thunderball Grotto (right) and back to our protected anchorage for a quiet afternoon in the sun. The following day we dinghy-ed back to Staniel Cay Yacht Club for lunch and a golf cart ride around the island.





On the 16th, we went looking for the swimming pigs. It is reported that wild pigs swim out from Big Major Spot to boats looking for handouts, and we wanted to see them. Since they had not appeared on our side of the island, we went around the Staniel Cay side of the island, out into the open water getting completely soaked along the way, then back into a cove where we spotted them on the beach. They were not swimming as other boats had dropped off massive amounts of lettuce and carrots on the beach. Our small baggie of miniature carrots was not impressive, but they did come over to see what we had to offer before going back to their stash. For some reason, Peter took Tigger onto the beach .... and that got the pigs' attention. Three or four came running with bared teeth and before we got Tigger back in the dinghy, one had tried to take a chunk out of his rear end. Tigger was happy to be back on board. We continued around the rest of Big Major Spot, out of the wind and waves, past the lovely resort on Fowl Cay, and realized we were very near our anchorage. We would have been a lot drier had we taken the other way around the island.


From Staniel Cay, we continued south to Little Farmer's Cay and the same mooring ball we had had with J & G off the town and Ocean Cabin. We walked into town and were welcomed again by Tasha who owns the grocery store ... and Brenda who runs a restaurant on the harbor. The following day we went to the beach (behind Moon Beam), and Deb & I spent hours looking for shells. We found several lovely small conch shells and lots of sand dollars. I got greedy and decided I would do better with snorkeling, but all I got was a sunburned back. I can see why people become fascinated with snorkeling. It's a very different world down there.

On Thursday, the 18th, Deb & David gave us a wonderful gift of dinner at Ocean Cabin for our 43rd anniversary. It was a huge treat for us ..... and what a night it turned out to be! Ernestine and Terry Bain own the restaurant, and when Ernestine heard D & D were making reservations for our anniversary, she and Terry went all out! When we arrived at 6:30 pm, Happy Hour was in progress at the bar, and Terry had everyone primed to sing a happy anniversary song to us. Then the "lobster" dinner was served ..... with more singing .... this time the Little Farmer's official anthem .... then a coconut cake, made that afternoon by Ernestine, was presented with more happy anniversary wishes. It was overwhelming! The Bains sat down with us for the cake, along with a few other patrons, and we felt as though we were surrounded by old friends. And did I mention the special rum punches?? Blue Ocean Breeze as well as the traditional rum punch. Thank you so much, Deb and Dado. Along with the dinner Sarah & Geoff made us for our 20th anniversary, it was the most memorable anniversary dinner we have ever had.

It was hard to let Deb & Dado go ... but after two weeks living in confined quarters, I am sure they were ready to stretch their wings. Life is simple on a boat, but it is not easy..... and they were troopers. Their visit flew by, and it was a great vacation having them with us. We took them back to Emerald Bay on Great Exuma, and after they left, we started north ..... and here we are in Nassau. We have explored Atlantis, the mega hotel, casino, marina on Paradise Island. Extremely glitzy .... not someplace we would want to stay, but very interesting nonetheless. We first explored it by dinghy .......



and then biked back the next day to see the inside.


We have also toured Nassau and its huge straw market, buying the obligatory t-shirts and Bahamian wear. Beware Sarah, Geoff & Jaimee! And we went to dinner at the Columbus Tavern in our marina. The night we were there, they had a fire toting limbo dancer performing.

It is now March 30th .... and we are in the Berry Islands. As I was writing this blog page last Sunday, Naiad Marine called to tell us how to fix the rattling (on Sunday!). We took off from Nassau at about noon, arriving here in under 4 hours. We are now at Chub Cay Marina .... again waiting .... this time for the winds to calm down so we can do our 10 hour crossing over the Bahama Banks to the Bimini Islands. Chub Cay is an island at the bottom of the Berry Islands, and the marina is familiar to anyone travelling to and from the States. Unfortunately, the club/marina went bankrupt two years ago .... and the homes and new facilities under construction were left unfinished. It will be a beautiful place one day. The homes which are finished look lovely. We are grateful to the bank and the Bahamians who keep it running, as there is nothing else in the area, and the harbor is a well protected, safe place to stop. We have been here for three days, and we expect to leave tomorrow at first light to get to North Bimini by late afternoon.

At least we have a day or two left in the Bahamas. It is interesting that since we are now leaving, we are anxious to get back to the States ..... but we really don't want to leave!