32. To Georgetown

We left Black Point on a beautiful sunny day headed for Cave Cay where we would anchor and then we planned to continue on the Exuma Sound side to Conch Cay Cut and enter Elizabeth Harbour which would take us to George Town.

It was a lazy day and we sailed slowly. At one point, about an hour underway, I turned around and realized that there was no dinghy tied up to the stern of our boat. I quickly got on the VHF and put out a broadcast to all boaters that there was a red dinghy on the loose. Both Roman and I scanned the horizon with our binoculars (it is always good to have two on board) looking for a red blimp. Nothing! We turned around and motored back to Black Point. We were greatly relieved to hear over the VHF that a boater had noticed the dinghy floating and had gone and retrieved it. What a break! As we came in sight of Black Point, the Good Samaritan motored out by dinghy to meet us and handed over our delinquent dinghy. He refused the bottle of wine we offered him and we never did get his name. Thank you ever so much, dear boater. May you always have safe seas.


We continued onto Cave Cay, a delightful deserted island.
We went ashore and I set up my umbrella and read and walked the beautiful beach while Roman did a few chores on the boat.

Here is Roman coming to shore on the delinquent dingy. Moya Mreeya is in the background.


Afterwards, I snorkelled back to our boat. It was a magnificent night and we could see every star in the sky. That is one of the biggest differences being on the boat--you have time to appreciate the sunsets and sunrises and to lie on deck at night and watch the stars in the sky.

Sunset is nigh off Cave Cay.

31. To Black Point

On Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, we left Cambridge Cay and sailed to Staniel Cay. We actually anchored off Bog Major Spot which is famous for the wild pigs that roam the beach.

It was not a beach where I would want to go ashore but we watched several dinghies go ashore. One even set up a tent and sat in the shade while a little child played in the sand, the sand on which the pigs roamed-ugh! The wild???? pigs kept their distance.

We had good holding but we decided to take our boat over to the Thunderbolt Grotto where they filmed the James Bond film. Finistere had gone there originally to anchor and we thought we would join them. But it was not meant to be. The water dropped off very quickly from 19 feet to about 2 feet. Three times we tried to set the anchor and we just could not get a good hold in the space that was remaining in the anchorage. We gave up and returned to Big Major where it was a very easy anchor.

To get to the Thunderball anchorage we had to go by Staniel Cay Yacht Club. I was surprised to see just how small it was and how unprotected their docks were. Although they have fuel, you pay for water by the gallon. That is the norm for the Bahamas.

The next morning, Roman was fed up with his attempt to anchor near the grotto and the water was choppy and we did not fancy a 1 ¼ mile dinghy ride to the grotto so we decided to see it on the way back. Another reason to return to the Bahamas! So we continued onto Black Point.

Black Point is a great community! We thought we would just stop there for a day and ended spending almost a week. The people were very friendly and always greeted you with a smile or a wave from the golf carts which they used to get around the island. We saw very few cars, mainly the Betelco van. Betelco is the national Bahamian telephone service.

All the children on the various islands we have seen wear uniforms to school. Even in very small communities where there is only one school, the children all go to school in crisp clean uniforms. Even their socks and shoes are the same.
They are very friendly and love to get their pictures taken. Superior Grace had brought fireworks with them on their bought. They set off a fireworks display in the field behind the school. Most of the children had never seen fireworks before. Unfortunately I had some aloe vera on the lens of my camera which I did not realize until I looked at my pictures from that night and saw there was a smudge over all of them.

How did I get aloe on my camera? That afternoon, we visited a local character named Willy and his “Garden of Eden”. He is a driftwood artist.




For the last twenty years, he has collected pieces of driftwood and even some rocks and placed them all around the front of his large property. He took us on a tour and we scrutinized each piece and said what we thought it looked like and then Willy would point out how he saw the pieces. Some we agreed on their identity and others we all saw different things. In between all of his “sculptures” are planted a profusion of flowers, cacti and aloe with a beautiful hibiscus tree.

Here Willy and Roman are examining a bunch of bananas that are almost ripe.

That is what I miss about boating - no plants on board. In the back of the property, was a wide assortment of plants all planted in holes dug out to catch any rain when it falls. The coconuts, almonds, tamarinds and bananas were still green but we did try a papaya which was ripe. He grows tomatoes, peppers, peas and many other vegetables and fruits which I have forgot to mention. He says that he waters the plants only when they are very young but once they are established, the holes sustain them.

This is a view of the Exuma Banks side of the island.

Ida runs the cleanest Laundromat I have ever seen. It is expensive, $3.50 to wash or dry but well worth it. Some words of advice to anyone wanting to cruise on a boat. Bring thin, absorbent and fast drying towels, dishcloths and blankets. Do not bring thirsty thick towels, cotton blankets or cotton knits. Lightweight fast drying clothes and poly-cotton sheets are great to wash and dry. Denims are great for cooler weather but take forever to dry especially in the salty air. We brought some light weight denim that is working out but all the other denim is packed away. Don’t bring too many clothes. You end up wearing the clothes you find comfortable over and over again. You are travelling so it is a new look with the old clothes for every new place. Make sure you have line to use for drying clothes. Although the plastic pegs do not rust, the old fashioned wooden clothespins hold the best. Bring extras and keep them in a ziplock bag until you need them.

One of the most welcoming places on the island was Lorraine’s café which is owned by a very hardworking and enterprising women named, you guessed it, Lorraine.
Not only did she have free internet., but she also cooked great lunches and awesome dinners. We had conch fritters and snapper one night and it was very tasty and inexpensive…salad, dinner, dessert, coffee with a glass of wine and a bottle of water came to $38 for both of us. Happy hour across the street at the bar was fun. Free internet there as well. It was wonderful to be able to Skype our children, family and friends. Before we go cruising again, I would like to get a web cam so that I will be able to see and not just hear my grandchildren.

Here a man is building a boat for the annual sailing regatta in August on Black Point.

We met many fellow cruisers, some we knew and others became new friends. Nancy and Dave on S/V Fawkes, were travelling with their 17 year old daughter, Angel and son, Josh, who was 14. They knew our friends from Star Shadow whom we had met in Vero Beach. Tom, from Houston Texas, on S/V Star Cat, was travelling alone on his catamaran, came for drinks and stayed for a potluck supper. We said goodbye to Peter and Sue from Superior Graced who were travelling back north.

On Sunday we attended one of the two Baptist churches on the island. All the Bahamians dressed up for church in suits, hats, stockings and high-heeled shoes. Only two men came to church. Mostly it was women and children. I was glad that I had worn a dress and hat.
The service, although unlike any that I have attended, was very interesting and you could see that all had a very fervent belief. The singing was absolutely amazing!

Black Point has a large blow hole on the Exuma Sound of the island and we hiked up there to take a look. It took several tries to get a good picture.

That is the beauty of a digital camera. We went over to the Sound side where there was a very scenic beach with rolling surf but unlike the beaches on the town side, it was littered with debris. Some of it looked like it could have been washed up on the beach but some of it was just beer bottles and such just strewn over the sand. What a waste! Roman and I both thought it would make a beautiful tourist attraction if it was all cleaned up.


This is the Exuma Sound side.

30. The Exuma Cays, Land and Sea Park

The forecast for the next few days was for increasing winds over 30 knots out of the north with possible squalls so we headed south to the Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park.

This is a Bahamian national park which covers 176 square miles stretching about 22 miles in length and approximately 4 nautical miles on each side of the cays. It is a no take zone by both land and sea -nothing living or dead, can be removed from the park. Their motto is: Take only photographs….Leave only footprints! Throughout the park are underwater coral reefs, pristine beaches without a soul in sight and many hiking trails on the different cays. There is no garbage disposal in the park and no fresh (called sweet) water.

The headquarters of the park are located in Warderick Wells Cay where we spent four days on a mooring ball in the Emerald Rock Mooring Field waiting for the weather to pass.

Our anchorage at Emerald Rock, Warderick Wells

We were lucky and had only the occasional short shower and only two days with uncomfortable winds and one really uncomfortable night with high winds, rain and rolling waves.



While at the headquarters, little banaquits came and ate sugar off my hand. They are quite tame and used to humans. We spent the next few days snorkelling, swimming and hiking the many clearly marked trails. The cays are mostly limestone which are not very dense rocks. Often you could hear an echo as you stepped on a rock. Below there was an area where each rock tapped seemed to produce a different note.

Roman took some wonderful shots using his new camera.

One of the things I bought at headquarters were identification cards for the birds and fish in the Bahamas. This bird is called the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Here a hermit crab is coming out of a shell

One of the trails was called Boo Boo Hill. Apparently a schooner sunk off the coast and all lives were lost and the ghosts of those drowned cry when the wind blows. The trails went over limestone rocks and it is amazing how vegetation seems to grow right out of the rock. The trails have interesting information on all the plants. Who knew that there were so many types of mangrove trees! All I knew about them was that no-seums breed in them. Some mangroves can live is saltwater and expel salt through the roots and/or leaves.

Views from the top of Booboo Hill
See the different shades of blue.



One day we hiked to see the ruins of the Empire Loyalists who came to the island in 1780 after the American Revolution and built a small colony.

This is part of the original buidings of the United Empire Loyalists.

In those days the island was covered with gum and tropical pine trees which were cut down by 1820 leaving the island dry with little protection from the winds and the ocean. Almost two hundred years later, vegetation is still trying to make a comeback but it is a very slow process. Apparently once there was a deep well and cistern but now the water is brackish.

Once this water was crystal clean.

We travelled across the island several times. Here we are crossing some salt flats. We were able to identify many fish in the shallow water.

They will remember that we were here!

A view from the Exuma Sound side of the island.

Here the water is much deeper and the waves really roll in.

This is a skeleton of a whale that is on the beach closest to the Park Headquaters.


One night we had an "appetizer and munchies" get together on the beach. While we snacked on all the delicious food, the no-seums snacked on us. Of course I was the prime target or so it seemed to me by the number of bites I got.



Below, Warren and Joan from Finnistere came for dinner one night.


When the winds let up a bit, we travelled to Cambridge Cay where we still rocked and rolled. I worked on getting the material ready for the Tyler Blog which I decided to do after looking at the pictures I took when we went home. I often work on the material for a blog but must wait until we get a strong internet signal. That is why sometimes I will post several blogs at once.

29. Allens Cay and Normans Cay

Sometimes you meet someone and you just click. That was the way we felt with Merle and Nick. On Thursday, Feb. 7 we were sorry to have to say goodbye to them and we promised to keep in touch. We left Nassau bound for Allens Cay in the company of Sadie A, Finisterre, C-Drifters and Superior Grace. We went over the Yellow Banks, so called because the water is very shallow and can appear yellowish in tone indicating very shallow areas. Areas that are quite dark can either be grass and rock and I still have a hard time deciding which it is. It has caused some anxious moments.

Allens Cay is one of remaining habitats of iguanas in the Bahamas.


This is the primary reason boaters stop here. These scaly creatures, about the size of a dachshund, are protected in their wild state. When we went ashore, the beach contained maybe 30 to 40 motionless iguanas poised silently in their watchfulness. As we stood quietly, so did they. When we moved, their eyes followed our every move.

They appear tame but definitely are not. They have a sharp bite and cannot distinguish between your hand and a tasty morsel. Visitors are asked not to bring pets ashore and not to feed them. They appeared relatively curious. One young man had dived for conch and had brought the conch to the beach where he was trying to figure out how he was going to get the conch out of the shell. One larger iguana kept going closer and closer trying to see what he was doing. He appeared quite fearless (the iguana and not the young man). Probably it was a she and not a he. Ha, ha!

The next day it was only a three hour sail to Normans Cay.

Here is Roman on his own deserted island

In the middle of the anchorage was an almost totally submerged C-46 transport plane. Normans Cay is one of the largest islands in the Exuma chain of islands. In the 70’s and the early 80’s it was famous or rather infamous as the base of a Columbian drug smuggler, Carlos Leder. We met one cruiser who told us that the first time he and his wife came to the Bahamas, they dropped anchor off Normans Cay and men came out in boats and machine guns and sprayed the water in front of their boat with bullets “encouraging” them to move on. Apparently the Bahamian government asked the United States for assistance and the DEA broke up the smuggling ring. The drug ring left everything as it was.

Big explorer

Walking around the island, we saw the abandoned buildings, roads, docks and even motor vehicles which litter the property. All of the buildings have fallen into disrepair and are rotting. We walked along a road which leads to an airstrip which is now used by charter aircraft.
Beyond the airstrip, there are several private residences as well as one small resort, MacDuffs.

It is like the setting of an old movie with a long wooden bar with high bar stools, large overhead fans and an attractive outside dining area. We had some refreshing cold beer at the bar before we walked back to the other side of the island where we were anchored.

On the way back, Roman climbed up one of the trees and knocked off 5 coconuts which we took back to the boat.

Sunset off Norman's Cay