A Great Day of Sailing

We are trucking along at 9 knots on a 60 degree reach to Staniel Cay humming.  It’s quite a thrill ride today. Wind and weather conditions are perfect on  the Double Diamond. Andy and I have gotten to be a good sailing team. He was always good, let's just say my skills have improved and we are working well together.

 There is a big” Casino Royale” party tonight at Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

 The theme is James Bond, as the Thunderball Grotto, where we will snorkel this afternoon,  is where the filiming too place for Thunderball, the movie. We heard over the radio that lots of people are flying in  and many of  the Big Boys” are motoring/sailing in. Should be an interesting scene. I think we’re not in the Exuma Marine Park anymore. 

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

The Aquarium topside

Our first exploration took us to The Sea Aquarium at O’Briens’s Cay. This appropriately named snorkel site has an amazing variety of fish in a sheltered setting.   When we arrived we were the only ones there and as we jumped in it was raining fish. Apparently others have fed them, so they come right up to you by the hundreds seeking food.  The coral heads were large with all kinds of nooks and crannies for the fish to lay in waiting.  All of the spectaculars were present, the angel, parrot and lion fish. There are so many fish that we cannot identify yet. 

Our second stop was Airplane Reef. This is a triangular shaped reef in 25 feet of water. Undersea you are privy to a sunken small plane that went down in the 1980’s. Not a great image for my upcoming Flamingo Air flight, but a unique dive site.

Our final site was Molly’s Chunky Monkey. This is a series of coral reefs that are quite shallow. What a great place to have a camera, and you could practically bend over, at low tide, and see a variety of sponges, worms, and soft coral.  We are enamored with the sponges that look like the Grecian Urns. Often there are fish nesting inside the “ container” and it’s fun to explore what is lurking.

We took a hike over to the ocean side and then went back to the boat for lunch. As we relaxed with our books, we heard a familiar voice.  It was Lisa and Patrick anchoring Gaia. They decided to join us along with  Living Well and Gratitude. We were off for an afternoon adventure.

Reef Hunters

A meeting at the Pipe Creek Yacht Club

The Cow Fish lurking in the background

Each day we set out on our dingy in search of coral patches. We have learned so much about how to spot the potentially good sites, searching for patch coral at the appropriate depth. We watch the currents and the tides so we can maximize the sites, and then of course sometimes we are just plain lucky.   On this day we did some further exploration of Pipe Creek, so fortunate to have Lisa and Patrick to guide us with their therunderwater camera to document our adventures.

The Neighbors

 Returning from our snorkeling.we arrived to find the yacht Island Time  anchored too close for comfort.  The generator running and the bikini clad girls rubbing sunscreen on their bodies,  we were assuming that this was a quick lunch stop and they would be on their way. Not so, as they headed out in their 35 foot “dinghy” for some fishing. The jet skis roared from the stern.

When they returned  from their adventures, they began to dress for dinner.  Simultaneously a slender young woman with very white teeth paid us a visit and apologized for anchoring a little too close. As a piece offering she brought us the fresh catch of the day, all cleaned and ready for eating. 

Four dinners of fresh Mahi Mahi

Dinner number  1

She told us not to worry as they had a crew of 4, who would be covering the anchor watch throughout the night. The dinner party seemed quite lively. The next day the Chairman of the Board of Coca Cola flew into have a lunch bar-b-que.  We wished we had a 6 pack of Pepsi to sit on the deck and toast their luscious feast. 

Sampson Cay: Running Out of Adjectives

Each Cay that we visit has it’s own unique beauty. Currently we are at Sampson Cay, where there is a small exclusive resort, complete with a restaurant and some lovely hiking trails. 

















We did a full snorkeling trip  today  with Patrick and Lisa, who had spent time in the area previously, so they had  screened the sites.  We headed up to Pipe Creek, which is protected by Cays, except for where the inlets come in from the ocean side. So, we had some current to deal with as we entered the water, but the clarity of the water was amazing.

 Our first site was about 5 feet deep, with an abundance of coral heads. Our second site was like a sunken valley, an underwater botanical garden, where the sponges stole the show. They looked like greek urns, holding coral and anemones. Our final site was nearest the ocean cut and the fish were the most outstanding feature.  Currently I am sitting on a lovely Lanai, the birds are signing, the ocean waves lapping in the background, the sun is filtered through the palm trees.

A few raindrops, and then the lovely rainbow

Can't you see them circling honey?

Sunset kayak journey, the coral heads a burnished brown, reaching out of the turquoise water. Heading through a narrow cut out onto a sandbar. Hmmmm….I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many rays in the water at one time. Hmmmm….what is that fin?  Then a meandering fisherman yells out:”you know sharks eat kayakers”. There were 18 sharks hovering, and on the left I saw a local fish cleaning table, which was probably the attraction. After I returned to the DD, Andy and I took the dingy over to try to photograph the scene. Pretty hard to get a good shot. We returned to the boat for a swim, all the while looking over our shoulders for “shadows”. Apparently this area is known for people swimming with the sharks, but we think we need to learn more. 

Girls Gone Gaia

Lisa , our Captain

Gaia II preparing to sail

After a few rum drinks and watching the movie: Captain Ron, an idea was hatched that the following days sail would involve Patrick and Andy sailing Double Diamond and Lisa and Judy on Gaia. Patrick was eager to experience the Catamaran, and the girls were eager to show some women power.  Gaia is a ketch, a Whitby 42, and on this day, Lisa was the captain for sure.  We set sail from Black Point and our destination was Sampson Cay, about a 3 hour sail.  We had 15 knots of wind on a reach, the boat was heeling over nicely and the boat cat, Dobbie Fish, was purring and enjoying the ride.

At the same time DD was doing circles around the Gaia, eager to have some photo opportunities and demonstrate maneuverability. The boys were having a blast. We were also buddy sailing with two other boats, who were jumping in on the radio, reminding DD that they were now headed in the wrong direction and singing… “Slow down, you move too fast” ( 8.5 knots?) 

Well, then the wind picked up to around 20 and Gaia decided to reduce sail power.   As we attempted to haul in the genoa, we noted that it had wrapped around the furling drum, making it impossible to bring the sail in.  At that time our handheld in the cockpit died. We we had no shortage of men giving guidance over channel 16, but we could not go below to waste our time on the radio in the nav station.  Lisa jumped into action, giving Judy the helm. She said, “ just keep it on the white part of the chart, the water, and I’ll be back.” She was an amazing problem solver and had to bring the jib sheet all the way up to the bow and begin to unwind the line from the drum and bring it back to the cockpit. The sail was flailing and the land was approaching.  But we persevered. As we approached the anchorage, we were being hailed on the radio by the yacht behind us, so we climbed down to the nav station, Roger that!

We anchored the boat under Lisa's calm directions and then we toasted a truly significant event!