Bahamas Journey - Update 3/9/24
We had such a great week with our first set of Bahamas guests on Second Half. Kami & Tim (family from Evergreen, CO) and Kerry & Jim (friends from Golden, CO) arrived in George Town on the morning of Sunday, March 3.
Sunday: George Town
We had moved across the harbor from the north end of Stocking Island near Starfish beach to the anchorage outside Lake Victoria so it would be easier to shuttle our guests in from the dinghy dock. Steve and I had provisioned the day before, so we just needed to load everyone up and move back closer to Stocking Island. We ended up anchoring near Honeymoon Beach. We got settled and went over to the Snappy Turtle at St. Francis Resort for lunch. After that, we went over to Chat ‘n Chill for a drink and spent some time there. We finished the day up with a great dinner of rib eye steaks on the grill
Monday: Leaf Cay (Iguanas) & Lee Stocking Anchorage
We departed George Town on Monday morning and had a great day of sailing north in the Exuma Sound. Kerry & Jim were captains for the day, and we had decent winds and seas for sailing. We managed to catch a Mahi (YUM) and just really enjoyed our first day. We sailed 22 miles north to the Lee Stocking area, and after a brief stop at Leaf Cay to see the iguanas, we anchored at Lee Stocking (not too far from the old marine lab). We snorkeled a bit after anchoring (saw live conch, cool starfish and a few other things) and then had an amazing dinner (the Mahi we caught that day cooked by Chef Jim) - such a great day!
Tuesday: Rudder Cut Cay and Little Farmers
Kami & Tim were captains for the day, and we continued north (cutting back in and out of the Exuma Sound and the inside of the Exuma chain). We stopped along the way at Rudder Cut Cay, where we visited a cool cave and the Musician Mermaid (David Copperfield owns the island, and he placed the statue there). After lunch at anchor, we continued north to Little Farmers Cay, where we anchored off the landing strip/airport. We did a quick walk on shore, Steve explored a sunken airplane (and almost got a lobster), saw an amazing sunset, and had another nice dinner on board (yummy Mediterranean grilled pork chops, thanks to Chef Tim).
Wednesday: Black Point & Staniel Cay
On Wednesday morning, we left Little Farmers early to head north toward Black Point/Staniel Cay. We anchored at Black Point and went ashore to explore a bit. We had lunch at Lorraine’s Cafe and bought some of her mom’s famous coconut bread. From there, we sailed north to Staniel Cay and anchored near the Yacht Club (officially the West of Thunderball anchorage). We had drinks with our whole crew and our friends Tom & Jess from SV Vairea before heading back to the boat for dinner (Grilled chicken)
Thursday: Staniel Cay Area (Pigs, Grotto, Fowl Cay Resort)
Thursday was a busy day. We got up early and, after breakfast, headed over to hang out with the pigs at Big Major Beach. After that, we took our dinghy over to Thunderball Grotto and snorkeled there (tons of fish). After the Grotto, we pulled up anchor and took a back channel around the east side of Big Major. We went through a pretty narrow cut to get to our anchorage, which was just across from our location for dinner at Fowl Cay Resort. The dinner at Fowl Cay Resort, a private resort with just 6 villas that allows cruisers to make reservations for dinner, was a pretty incredible experience. It was an amazing day!!
Friday: Pipe Cay, Compass Cay, Back to Staniel
On Friday, we made a nice breakfast and then headed north to the Pipe Cay area to explore the amazing beaches/sand bars at low tide. We explored on the dinghy and found a ton of sand dollars. After Pipe Cay, we went north to Compass Cay to visit the nurse sharks at the marina. From there, we headed back to anchor near Staniel Cay so our crew could catch their flights out on Saturday morning. We did one final dinner out at Staniel Cay Yacht Club (nice meal in the bar area) and headed back for the crew to pack up
Photos from the week can be seen by clicking here
