The Pink Store and the Blue Store

Staniel Cay is a  typical Bahamian settlement, For groceries you have the pink store and the blue store.

When you talk about a grocery store, The Pink Pearl is about as low key as you can imagine. We went in yesterday and the shelves were basically bare. The supply boat from Nassau hasn’t been in for a few weeks because of the weather.   We bought an onion and 6 cans of tonic. There are actually two grocery stores in town, the pink store and the blue store. I bought coffee cream at the blue store for $7.50. They had some that had an expiration date of January 19^th and even that wasn’t on sale. I think they could use a math consultant down here, as the shopkeepers are challenged by adding up the goods. Is this a sign that I should retire?

Pigs on the blanket

Ok, well the pigs got off the blanket and they went for a swim.  Crazy meeting up with a pig in the dingy. This was at Big Major on Staniel Cay, a Sunday morning swim. We were on our way to snorkel at Thunderball Grotto,
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Crew Change

Leaving the boat feeling refreshed, relaxed and ready for more adventure.  I found my happy place in the Bahamas and will be eager to return to fill in the gaps. I’ll catch up with Double Diamond in the Chesapeake.  David and Jeanne will arrive tomorrow. Next week Bruce Larson will join the crew and ride the Gulf Stream up to the US Coast. Wishing fair winds and following seas to the sailors aboard.

Casino Royale Bahamas Style

The Original 007 Gang at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club 1964

The Bahamian conch as a sex symbol

Party Scene Staniel Cay Yacht Club 2012

Rachel's Bubble Bath

The three dingy’s headed off to Compass Cay for an  afternoon at Rachel’s Bubble Bath

 Patrick brought Champagne, what’s a bubble bath with the bubbly?  We hiked up  a narrow salt water stream bed and at the end it becomes a pool, abutting a rock on the Exuma Sound.

The waves crash over the rock to form the bubbles. We waded around until high tide, and then the waves really came crashing through. ) Need that underwater camera again!)  After an afternoon of soaking, we all gathered on Living Well for an Island Dinner.

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.