After Tom’s departure, we had some time to explore the Exumas and have had a wonderful time with land and sea activities.
One of our first stops was Little Farmer’s Cay, a small island with only about 70 inhabitants. We had a delicious lobster dinner cooked just for us one night (since the restaurant is quiet — there was only one other couple there — we needed to call several hours ahead with our menu choice), and on another evening we had dinner and drinks at the beach bar in our anchorage, complete with a beach bonfire! We met really kind and welcoming Bahamians and other cruisers. We also bought some fresh hogfish for a delicious dinner on the boat. We did try the local grocery store, but the owner’s children in Nassau had failed to drop supplies at the mailboat for her, so there was no fresh food to speak of in the shop this week.
After a few nights at Little Farmer’s Cay, we continued on to Black Point, a small settlement on Great Guana Cay. While it may not sound exciting, the laundromat there is famous for the quality of the machines, the friendly service, and the cleanliness. Cruisers actually plan their itineraries around a stop: some people we met had been doing laundry for several days. It did not disappoint! While we are thankful to have a small washer/dryer on Tilia, it’s nice to have the larger machines for linens. Now we are ready with fresh linens for our crew back to the States.
Our next stop was Big Major Cay and Staniel Cay. We’d stopped here last year, but Anne had been unable to go in the water due to her healing dog bites. We both wanted a chance to go to Thunderball Grotto, made famous by the James Bond Film, Thunderball, filmed there in 1965. It’s a natural cave formation in a small rock island you can easily snorkel into and explore. So many beautiful fish! That night, of course we watched the movie – it didn’t age too well, but it was fun to see the grotto.
One thing we didn’t do at Big Major is swim with the pigs. The activity is a very popular tourist draw (you can feed them from your hand) but didn’t hold much appeal for us. We’ve heard two legends about their origins. First, the story goes that sailors dropped pigs off at some of the Exumas Islands so that when they returned in subsequent years, there would always be fresh meat. Second, we heard a story that the one of the churches on Staniel Cay put pigs on Big Major’s Cay (just a 1/2 mile away) back in the 1970s to use for periodic fundraising BBQs. In any event, there are a large number of wild pigs who swim out to boats in hopes for food.
Our final stop in the Exumas was at a mooring field at Cambridge Cay within the Exumas Land and Sea Park. We stopped nearby last year at Warderick Wells and loved it, so we wanted to explore more of the park. From our mooring field, we were able to dinghy to several fun spots:
- The Aquarium — a snorkeling area with SO many beautiful fish and so much healthy coral. The fish aren’t afraid of us (no fishing or spearing in the park), so they swim right up to our masks and if we stay still bump up against us.
- Max’s Table Rock Cave Hike — a beautiful walk across Cambridge Cay and then along the Sound side cliffs to Max’s Table Rock Cave, so named because legend has it that Pirate Max Gusto Vita would stop there and serve a large meal on the natural table formation before the ship’s priest would bless all of the sailors for safety in their voyage. Some cruisers leave food on the rock for blessing for their voyage (tradition calls for a can of Vienna Sausages!), but we did not.
- Rachel’s Bubble Bath — a calm lagoon on Compass Cay, separated from the Sound by a thin bar of rock. When the tide is high or the seas are rough, the waves come crashing over the rocks into the lagoon, stirring up the water in the pool and creating a bubble-bath effect in the warm water. You can stand in the pool and wait for breaking waves to send foam and waves over you. We went last year as well, but it was much more fun for both of us this year with Anne being able to get in the water. Gorgeous!
With such short hops (about 10 nautical miles per day), we were underway for only a couple hours, and almost entirely under sail, which was a welcome treat. The wind was steady at 15-26 kn from the east, perfect for the direction we needed to go. We are loving it!
All in all, a great week or so exploring the central Exumas!