Hanging Around the Exumas

Saturday, February 21st: Little Farmer's Cay

We were anchored for 5 nights in Pipe Creek. That's a fair bit of time for us to stay in one place but it's protected from the big waves and there's lots to do. We explored in the dinghy, hiked and visited with back and forth with Carole and Joe (Just Ducky).

On Tuesday afternoon, we went in to check out a nearby island: Sampson Cay and the yacht club there - an upscale club on a pretty piece of land. The club has lovely cottages that look more like homes: each is surrounded by greenery and is very private. There is also a beach and nature trails for the use of guests; however, like other places we've visited, there were few people on the grounds or in the bar and restaurant although there were a number of large cruising boats on the docks as well as 7 or 8 sailboats anchored in the bay. You don't have to pay to anchor but sailors would likely spend money at the club for Web access (which I did), for the odd meal at their restaurant and for groceries at the club store. The weekly freight boat was due the next day, so we returned on Wednesday and bought fresh items that I hadn't found elsewhere: cheddar cheese, cream cheese and yogurt. Carole and Joe turned up- they were also on the hunt for items they needed so we stayed to have lunch with them.

Shopping here is a little like going on a treasure hunt. After looking in tiny stores where there are may be almost no fresh food available, you feel as though you've hit the jackpot when you see fresh vegetables or dairy foods. Everyone knows when the freight boat from Nassau is scheduled or about changes in arrival times -  it can be due one day but come the next - and as soon as the boat has deposited supplies, people rush to stores to buy whatever fresh items they can find. A few days later - even the day after - there will be precious little left other than the usual canned and boxed non-perishables and perhaps a few sweet potatoes, onions, or green tomatoes.

Back at Pipe Creek, we spent a morning hiking one of the trails on Thomas Cay. Richard had showed us the trail - so we knew to look for the pile of conch shells on the beach and then plastic crates at each side of the entrance. Someone has cut a trail through the bush to the other side of the cay and this winter Joe has been keeping it clear of overgrowth. When we got to the ocean side we found Carole shelling on the beach - Joe had gone hiking but when he returned, he told us how to get beyond the big rock we had climbed with Richard so that we could walk along another beach, use the rope left hanging down the side of the next rocky hill to climb it and climb down the other side to walk a third beach. Following all instructions we were able to walk and climb our way to the end of the cay where water moves in and out of a small cut from the bay to the ocean waters of Exuma Sound. There were several beautiful views and I was busy all the way taking pictures.

By Friday morning, we were ready to explore someplace new. I wanted to check out a few of the anchorages and sites further south that are described in the Madcap blog (I have the blog printed out and keep it on the boat) - so we pulled anchor, said our goodbyes and thank yous to Joe and Carole for their good company and all of their help, and headed south to Little Farmer's Cay.

It's been interesting here at Little Farmer's Cay. We're anchored smack in the middle of the bay. Much of the bay has a scoured and rock strewn bottom so is not good for anchoring We tried one of the moorings but with the wind pushing one way and the current pushing harder the other, the mooring ball immediately began bumping against the hull. Then we tried anchoring in the area just behind the mooring ball but when I reversed the engine, Bob reported that the anchor was just dragging along the bottom. Finally, we anchored at the edge of a sandbar where the chart showed good holding. The anchor dug in and we have remained firmly in place since yesterday - in spite of 20 knot winds this afternoon.

This is a very small community (or "settlement"). There is a tiny, tiny bar, a little store with sparse stock, and if you want to buy fish you ask at the green house near the dock. A little ways up the hill you find the Ocean Club restaurant and at the other tip of the bay, there's the Little Farmer's Cay Yacht Club. When we walked over, there were no boats at the one dock nor was there anyone inside except the owner who was eating his "late supper" (lunch to us).

Well - we really lived it up at Little Farmer's Cay - We bought a can of evaporated milk and 2 cans of New Zealand butter in the store, we had a drink in the teeny bar and sat and talked to locals. We took our dinghy into the yacht club to eat dinner (we had ordered our dinner ahead - as most places in the Exumas ask you to do). Today, we took our garbage in (leaving money in the garbage disposal fee box), brought in four jerry cans to fill with town water (and tipped the fellow who filled our cans and helped carry them back to the dock), had lunch at the Ocean Club (we were the only patrons and the centre of attention from town people who popped in and out), and then bought lobster from the fishermen who had just brought their small boat into the dock - they knew we might be interested as we had already asked at the green house the day before. We bought 3 medium sized lobsters ( a fourth lobster they had was absolutely huge) and as soon as we got back to the boat, Bob snapped off the tails so that I could steam all 3 in my largest pot. Guess what we're having for dinner?

We were the only "out of towners" we saw during our visit to the Cay other than a Swedish couple and their little boy eating dinner at the yacht club the night we were there. Their boat ( a new 40 ft. Jeanneau they bought in Nassau) is anchored near us in the channel. There are 2 other boats anchored way on the other side, but we didn't see the occupants in town.

At both Little Farmer's Cay Yacht Club and the Ocean Club the owners pulled up a chair to sit and talk. Just as in the bar, the state of the economy, here and elsewhere, was the main topic of conversation. Ernestine, at Ocean Club, said that everything is so much slower this year that if things don't pick up by June, she "will really begin to worry" . We found everyone surprisingly well informed about Canada, its resources and health care system. As the fellow in the bar said, Canada is a British colony just like the Bahamas (well maybe not anymore - but we didn't quibble). Everyone that we passed said hello, many said welcome and how are you enjoying your time here? Everything fine? The Bahamians are eager to please. We have found them to be helpful and honest. They know how much their economy depends on people like us and how important it is that we say good things to our friends and that we want to return ourselves. Little Farmer's Cay succeeded in being the friendliest of the friendly Bahamian places we've visited.

These last couple of weeks we've been on a reconnaissance mission preparing for the coming of the kids. As part of that, this morning we dinghied and hiked to Oven Rock Cave to check it out. Would it be worth bringing the "kids"? - It's a fairly large cave - with water dripping from stalactites and a pool at the bottom - yes - probably a good destination. In the next couple of days, we hope to anchor near a beach where there is supposed to be a colony of iguanas. This iguanas location is less well known than Allens Cay further north in the Exumas where there are a large number. If we find the iguanas , we'll take the kids for a viewing. It's a good thing that we arrived well in advance of our guests. It's taken us most of the month to figure our how we are going to provision so as to feed everyone, and to scout out places to take them. Are we not the perfect hosts?

Sunday, February 22nd: Jack's Bay

As a postscript to the blog I wrote yesterday - after sitting at the Nav table for a considerable length of time writing the blog, I got up to discover that I wasn't feeling so well. Nevertheless, I started pulling out ingredients to make English Muffins - a kind of cruisers' recipe which involves "baking" them on a skillet. After searching in lockers here and there and gathering what I needed, I realized that I was rapidly feeling worse so I dumped all the containers in the rear berth and went up top to sit a while. Our anchorage was not the best - we were getting some surge from a cut near by and the boat was doing quite a dance. OK - what was the problem I thought? - The fried fish fingers lunch at Ocean Club? Sitting too long hunched over the computer? - but when Bob started to stir fry some vegetables for dinner and I couldn't stand the smell - I knew I was in trouble - I was sea sick! - Sitting below staring at a computer screen in a bouncing boat had done the trick - and there was no going back - there I sat up top (going below again not being a good idea) - and there I stayed until near midnight when the current changed, the rocking stopped and I felt well enough to go below. Bob stayed up top with me and slept on the other seat - nice guy isn't he?

We moved this morning a little further north to anchor in Jack's Bay on Bitter Guana Cay. The wind has dropped and we peacefully bobbed in the glass clear water - once again, we couldn't get over the clarity and colour of the water. (I wish I could upload pictures! Oh well - soon.) John and Madeleine from Chanceux dinghied over to see us ; they are anchored in the next little cove and had been exploring the beach in front of our boat. We met John and Madeleine a couple of weeks ago at a Happy Hour at Scopios restaurant/bar in Black Point - and no in spite of the French name of their boat - they are not from Quebec - they're not even Canadian - but live in New Bern, Maryland. Before joining them later for a drink on Chanceux, we took the dinghy to admire the limestone formations along the water where they were anchored. We were also looking for the cave that John and Madeleine had told us about: it was sitting just above the water and we were able to ease the boat inside to enjoy the light and colours along the walls and ceiling.

Monday, February 23rd: Black Point

We've came back to Black Point for the same reason that most cruisers come here: to anchor in the relatively sheltered harbour, to do laundry at the "best laundromat in the Bahamas" (and it really is) and while the clothes are washing - to check email, and to sit visit with other cruisers over lunch. Chanceux is here as well as Gemini - Joe joined us a big table of cruisers at Lorraine's cafe.

Tonight we moved around the corner to Little Bay and we'll likely stay for a couple of days until the big winds calm down. It's a bit of a walk, but we can still get to the Black Point settlement so tomorrow we'll likely go back to Lorraine s to answer emails and for me to post this blog - and perhaps we'll hit Scorpio's Happy Hour, have one or two $3 drinks (2 rum drinks for $5) and mingle with other cruisers there - if we're lucky, there will be a few that we've already met.