4/6/18

The Exuma chain in the Bahamas, where we spent a couple of weeks, is very popular.  Only 90 miles from the big city of Nassau with an airport, cruise ship terminal, and resorts galore.  Large groups of tourists are ferried by high-speed boats to see the sights of the Exumas - Norman’s Cay with a wrecked plane to snorkel, pink iguanas at Allen’s Cay, the “Thunderball” grotto to snorkel where a James Bond movie was filmed near Staniel Cay,  the infamous pigs at Big Majors Spot, the Exuma Land and Sea  Park, and miles of beaches.  More traffic zipped by than we’ve seen in the past 18 years of visiting the area.  After dark the traffic stops the stars come out and we enjoy the peace at anchor in the beautiful Exumas.

From Rudder Cay to Black Point, Pipe Creek to Norman’s Cay we slowly headed north.  All with excellent places to snorkel for fun and dinner, walk on the beach looking for seaglass and shells, kayak, and live at anchor.

A view of the anchorage at Little Bay, Black Point at low tide.

Ron, Deb, Karen and Jerry sitting on the beach at low tide, Little Bay, Black Point.

Persephone and Scheherazade at anchor in Pipe Creek taken from Thomas Cay.

We walk a beach on the Exuma Sound side of Thomas Cay.

Lobsters and hog fish from the Exuma Sound while we were anchored at Pipe Creek.

A message in a bottle we found along the trail on Thomas Cay.  I wrote an email to the kids who placed the message in the bottle but haven’t heard back.

 

Another picture of Persephone and Scheherazade at anchor in Pipe Creek.

Ron, Deb and Karen return from snorkeling.

What to do with all that lobster?  Make pizza.  Carmelized onions,  tomato slices, lobster, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Ron saw a lizard acting funny on the trail one day.  He didn’t notice the snake that was ready to strike the lizard until the snake was attached to his foot instead.  He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It looks bad in the picture but he had no snake bite related problems – other than a new nickname, Snake Bite Ron.

One of the many pink iguana on Allen’s Cay.

A “Disney” boat at Allen’s Cay with tourists who came to see the pink iguana.  We called all the tourist boats “Disney boats”.

Norman’s Cay in the northern Exuma chain has always been a favorite stop.  This year we saw a massive construction project.  Someone is building a marina for yachts.  The runway was extended to accommodate larger planes.  We could come ashore to walk as long as we stayed out of the way of the construction.  Normans Cay still has the ruins of a huge house that belonged to a drug lord from the late 70s or early 80s.  In the old days you could take your laundry ashore and draw water from the well at the house to put into buckets to do the wash.  Those ruins have been blocked by construction materials and equipment. 

The houseboat is still there on the hill.  Legend has it that the drug lord asked the owner of the houseboat to go away; anchor at some other cay.  The houseboat owner chose not to.  When he came back to his houseboat the boat was gone.  The drug lord had somehow airlifted the houseboat to the highest point on the island.

Walking up the hill at Normans Cay to the houseboat.

The houseboat at Normans Cay that was placed on the top of the hill during the early 80s. 

 

A panoramic view from the top of the houseboat.

The sea plane taking off from Normans Cay after the guests snorkeled the old plane wreck.  Not far from where we were anchored.

Karen kayaking with the look bucket (clear bottom bucket) at Normans Cay.  Looking for conch.  No conch.

Persephone anchored at Normans Cay.

Sunset from the little island at Normans Cay.  I used to call it Lone Palm Island but the palm, as you can see, fell down.

From the Exumas we headed north to Spanish Wells and Royal Island.  We met a wonderful family from Savannah, GA and enjoyed meeting Andras and Hanmari with their boys Eric, Matthew, and Brian.   And Grace the dog!  They were on a 3 week vacation from Savannah and brought supplies for an orphanage and some churches in the Bahamas along the way.  In Spanish Wells we husked coconuts together on a beach.  And when we arrived in Marsh Harbor, Abacos Jerry gave the boys lessons on cleaning conch.  They had found some while snorkeling, found someone to show them how to get the conch out of the shell and then froze the conch.  Now they are experts on the entire process.  With only  a few days left for them to get back to Georgia we had to say goodbye.  Hope the conch was tasty!

This is Grace.  She stopped by to visit from "Providence" with her family.

Currently we are in the Abacos enjoying the company of  old friends and new.  Ron and Deb on Scheherazade are here and introduced us to cruisers they’ve met.  A boat named “Cayuga” from Ithaca, NY came in to anchor near us at Guana Cay and we introduced ourselves.  We had a chance to visit with Nick from St. Thomas who happens to be in the Bahamas this winter on his beautiful ketch Marie Elena.  We will be in the Abaco area for a couple more weeks before heading back to the states.

Three young sailors enjoying the breeze off Guana Cay, Abacos.

One more picture from Pipe Creek that Deb from Scheherazade took.  We brought our fancy chairs to sit at low tide on the area that dries out for sunset happy hour.

The  next time you hear from us we will probably be back in the states.