Beautiful Exuma Islands

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 (Day 26) – Highbourne Cay Marina

We made our way back to Highbourne Cay Marina so we would be in position to make the run to Eluethera on Thursday (seas permitting).  The seas today were 3-5 feet but we ran the inside (west side of the Exuma’s chain) so it was a little sloppy but everyone made out just fine.  Once we all settled down and had lunch it was back to the beach. 

The run to Valentines Resort in Eleuthera will be a little challenging due to the shallow waters, Yellow Bank coral heads and what seems to have become everyday seas of 3-5 feet.  We may need to wait until Friday as the seas are predicted to drop to 3 feet on Friday.  The native Bahamian people are saying that they have seen this kind of weather and seas before but it very unusual.  We are definitely ready to see calmer seas. 

Departed Staniel – 10:10 AM

Arrived Highbourne – 1:23 PM

Travel Time – 2 hours and 28 minutes

Average speed – 19.1 knots
Seas – 3-5 feet
Wind – East 15-20 knots
Trip Total Travel Time – 37 hours, 37 minutes
Average Speed – 13.6 knots
Total Distance Traveled – 511.5 NM

Monday, May 25, 2015 (Day 24) and Tuesday, May 26, 2015 (Day 25) - Staniel Cay Marina

Bill and I rented a golf cart and toured the island.  We checked out the local stores and how to get to some of the sights to visit.  Harry & Tami were also coming to Staniel for the night before taking a flight home to New Jersey so we brought their luggage across with us so they would not have to take it on the little boat.  In the late afternoon, Bart and Nan brought Harry and Tami across to Staniel and we all met in the marina bar for drinks.  Across from us was Tommy Lee Jones.  The star of movies such as Men in Black, The Client, Batman, US Marshall, etc.  As it became time for dinner we said our good byes to the Dusty Sea gang (Bart, Nan, Harry, & Tami) and all assured each other that we would definitely meet up again.  We exchanged contact information. 

Tuesday morning “Victory Lane” from Hendricks Motor Sports pulled in so close to Marlin Striker that the bow overhung the cockpit.  Although we talked to the crew we never did get to see Jimmy Hendricks or any of the drivers. 

Dinner at the Staniel Marina was exceptional and very reasonably priced.  After dinner we again enjoyed watching the nurse sharks feed as the fishing boats cleaned their catches and provided the left overs to the sharks for their dinner.  

Just off Staniel at Big Major are the swimming pigs.  Another very unexpected and unusual experience.

 



At Big Major

 

Bill and Marja found out very quickly that these pigs love food, any kind of food and they have no problem coming right up to you to get it.  It was fun to feed the pigs and watch the stingrays, but we definitely tried to also keep our distance from them.  They could be quite aggressive if you had food in your hands. 

Departed Compass - 11:45AM

Arrived Staniel Cay Marina - 1:03 PM
Travel Time – 58 Minutes
Average speed – 11.9 knots
Seas – 2-3 feet
Wind – East 15-20 knots
Distance Traveled Today - 11.6 NM
Trip Total Travel Time – 35 hours and 9 minutes
Total Distance Traveled – 464.3 NM

 Saturday, May 23, 2015 (Day 22) and Sunday, May 24, 2015 (Day 23) Compass Cay

The past two days have absolutely been the highlight of the trip so far.  We not only met up Bart & friends again, but several other boats that we have either met in our travels or at St. Charles Yacht Club.  Bluenose (Peter & Pam) from the Naples Sailing & Yacht Club were here along with Blue Moon, Water Colors and Cocktails.  Nan (Dusty Sea) put together a great pot luck dinner in which every boat in the marina was invited.  Dusty Sea (Bart & Nan) provided the mahi which was caught that day and everyone else brought something which contributed to an appetizers to dessert feast. 

Compass Cay provides an unbelievable “swim with the sharks” experience. I have never seen anything like it and small boats come in with tourists from other locations and the larger boats anchored offshore to enjoy the fun.  A picture is worth a thousand words…..

Swim with the sharks at Compass Cay

After our swimming with the shark’s experience, Bart invited Bill, Debbie, Marja, and Jerry to join his crew (Nat, Harry, & Tami) on his smaller boat (Regulator) to visit some of the area sightseeing locations.  Oh, we were told to put on our swim suits and bring our snorkels and fins.  Off we went to see the rock caves, blue hole, and sea aquarium (O’Brien Cay).  Once again, pictures do not do these sights justice …

 

Each of these locations were absolutely beautiful.  I can't begin to describe the beauty and water colors.  After a short swim and snorkel at each of these locations we went for a boat ride to Johnny Depp’s island.  He has done an amazingly great job of blending his home and out buildings with the natural surroundings.  It definitely reminded me of his movies, Pirates of the Caribbean.  We then saw Terry Perry’s (I believe he is a football player) houses which were very nice but definitely did not fit into the scenery.  Fowl Cay is the home of Sandals Resort.  We saw Sampson Cay which has a beautiful marina but is currently not open.  This island like many other is privately owned and for some reason (believe to have to do with the Bahamian government) is currently not operating.  We then stopped at what is left of a sunken airplane and visited Rachael’s Bubble Bath. 

Rachael’s Bubble Bath

We can’t thank Bart enough for his generosity and assistance with local Bahama knowledge as well as his in depth information about the Bahama seas and passages.  All of which he graciously was more than willing to share with us. 

Departed Warderick Well Land & Sea Park - 9:57AM

Arrived Compass Cay Marina - 11:42 AM
Travel Time – 1 hour 27 minutes
Average speed – 11.4 knots
Distance Traveled Today - 16.7 NM
Seas – 2-3 feet
Wind – East 15-20 knots
Trip Total Travel Time – 34 hours and 10 minutes
Total Distance Traveled – 452.6

Friday, May 22, 2015 (Day 21) Warderick Wells

We stayed on the mooring balls located in front of the park office.  This area is affectionately called the “Banana Peel” because the mooring area is very narrow and flows in the shape of a banana peel.  Although navigating is definitely by “visual navigation” only thorough the shallows it is easy to follow the narrow deep water channel around the sand bars.  We immediately unloaded the dinghies and visited the park office.  We checked out the giant sperm whale bones on the beach and then took a dingy ride around the area.   We were amazed to see so many sharks (nurse, black tip, and lemon) everywhere. 

Bill and I rode the length of Highbourne Island and down to Hog Cay to check out the mooring area there.  On the way we spotted one of the largest sharks we have ever seen.  Hog Cay is a beautiful area that is very secluded, and it has a great beach with picnic tables.  We may try to spend some time there on our way back north.  This whole area is just amazingly beautiful and the aqua blue/green water colors just cannot be described. 

Swimming was a challenge in the swift currents (like the Piscataqua) as Marja soon found out when she discovered it was a little more than she thought and got a tow back to the boat from Bill and Debbie who were still in the dingy.  Before Marja could get back onto the boat she had a close encounter with one of the neighborhood sharks which created a couple of heart stopping moments.

Later that evening everyone gathered on Stocks & Blondes for appetizers and dinner.  The Maine Event provided the steaks, Bill cooked and others contributed to the feast.  After dinner, Bill provided a chum basket for the night’s entertainment of watching the fish, stingrays and sharks in the lights under the boat. 

Departed Highbourne Marina - 9:50 AM

Arrived Warderick Wells Land & Sea Park - 12:10 PM
Travel Time – 1 hour and 28 minutes
Average speed – 15.6 knots
Distance Traveled Today - 23.1 NM
Seas – 2-3 feet
Wind – East 10-15knots
Trip Total Travel Time – 32 hours and 43 minutes
Total Distance Traveled – 412.9 NM

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 (Day 19) and Thursday, May 21, 2015 (Day 20) Highbourne Cay

Highbourne Cay Marina is very nice and the people extremely friendly.  We were only scheduled to stay one night here, but everyone had such a good time at the beach and dingy rides that we wanted to stay another night.  The beach was a short dingy ride and very protected from the ocean side along with being very private and a great place to snorkel.  There were a couple of cabanas available on a first come first serve basis along with kayaks and paddle boards. 

The boat next to the Marlin Striker was Dusty Sea owned by Bart who had Natalia (Nat), Harry, and Tami on board.  They have been coming to the Exuma’s for years and were more than willing to share their knowledge of the marinas, seas, sightseeing, etc.  We immediately enjoyed each other’s company to the point where they were heading to Compass Cay for six (6) weeks and made connections with the dock master there for all 4 of our boats to go to Compass Cay on for Saturday night.  Keep in mind that we were having trouble getting the reservations we wanted for many of the next stops because all of the marinas are booked.  Bart had the connections with the Compass Cay owner, Tucker and his son, Jamal, the dock master.  We enjoyed Bart and his friends so much that we are anxious to meet up with them again in Compass Cay.