April 6--In search of Groceries

It has been two weeks since we visited a grocery store.  All of the fresh food is gone--except for cabbage and some peppers.  Yes we have no bananas.  Because of the Easter holiday, all three stores in Staniel were closed--the pink store, the blue store, and Isles General Store.  Isles promised to be open a little while on Monday.  We had to press him on what time exactly for a little while.  To be sure we didn't miss this opportunity, we arrived at 8:00 a.m.  We found a few fresh items, but bought mostly frozen vegetables to carry us through the next two weeks.  Unfortunately, the supply boat did not come the week before Easter for the Easter Week Holiday and it didn't arrive for a 2nd week due to a death in the family of the driver.  Patience is a nice quality to have in the Bahamas.  

We like Isles General Store the best because they have a dinghy dock right next to the store.  The Pink and Blue Stores require a little walk which can be tiring with bags of groceries.  

Another reason for a shopping trip is because we are expecting guests on April 10 and 11 for a week.  We wanted to stock up when we had the opportunity.  There are very few grocery stores available in the Exumas and we don't want our guests to eat rice and beans for a week.  Besides--we were even low on beans. 

Joy

Easter Sunday April 5

By the time Easter Sunday rolled around, both of us were homesick.  It was really nice to go to the Easter worship service in Staniel Cay and hear uplifting music that sounded so much like church music at home.  Regretfully I do not have a picture of the church. but I do have one of the bulletin.

April 4-Looking for Rachel's Bubble Bath

Today we are heading to Big Majors spot so that we can attend Easter Sunday Services at Staniel Cay.  But before we left, we went out in search of Rachel's Bubble Bath.  We had an idea of where it was on a map, but we weren't sure of what we were to expect or for what we were to be looking.  

We dinghied over to the north end of Compass Cay and landed the boats.  Then we just started walking.  There was a nice little creek and a hill that looked worthy of exploring.  The guys (Rick, Steve & Rupert) went off one way and the girls (Leanne, Peggy and I took off in another direction.  We didn't want to climb the hill that the guys looked intent on conquering.  

After sighting several cairns--we discovered Rachel's Bubble Bath.  At high tide, the water crashes over rocks into a pool area forming thousands of bubbles just like those formed by pouring Mr Bubble into a fountain.  Although we weren't dressed in swimsuits, we got in anyway.  It was too inviting to worry about our clothes getting wet.  

Wow--I love all the beautiful shades of blue. 

After leaving the Bubble Bath, Steve and I left Toucanne and headed to Staniel Cay.  We saw a float plane on the way.  Once we arrived, Steve decided to get out the sail board and give it a try. 

Joy

April 3, 2015

April 3, 2015

Friday: Warderick Wells to Cambridge

We left Warderick Wells early this morning to get to Cambridge.  The entrance to Cambridge on the Exuma Banks is shallow for us a low tide.  The wind and waves are high today so we don't want to go around into the Exuma Sound if we can avoid it.  We arrived in plenty of time to get a mooring ball and before low tide.   We got together with Toucanne (Rick, Leanne, & Peggy) to go snorkel at the Sea Aquarium.  Finding it on the map is easy enough, but finding it by water required some searching.   I have gotten quite accustomed to the water temperature.  The current, however, is another thing.  The currents here are swift and can be dangerous for even strong swimmers if not paying attention.  The Sea Aquarium is the best snorkeling trip we have had thus far.   The spot is marked by dinghy mooring balls that were covered when we arrived.  As we hopped off with our snorkels, masks and fins, we were awed by the size and shape of the underwater aquarium.  It felt as if we were in a large fish bowl which was both deep and wide.   There were many different species of fishes and the clarity was great.  (I wish I had pictures, but our camera broke while at Emerald Rock.  Hoping the replacement comes in before our friends arrive for a visit. )

After this snorkel, we went over to the wrecked plane,  it is a little scary how many wrecked planes are in the Bahamas and are frequently snorkeled.   I don't find these types of underwater sites very enjoyable.  I guess with all my superstitions, I just think it's creepy to be looking at something which could have very well been disastrous for someone. Late in the afternoon, we took a walk to the beach to once again take in the beauty of the islands.  

Joy

April 2, 2015

April 2, 2015

After a visit at the park headquarters this morning we decided to hike out to Pirate's Lair.  We found the trail on the northern ed of the anchorage here and walked through  the narrow palm frond lined path.  Eventually we found an opening in the trees with a fresh water well.  Tall cabbage palms grow here.  It is thought the pirates brought the seeds to these palms to this location because this particular palm is not indigenous to the Bahamas.  Pirates used this lair as a meeting place when they went ashore.  The anchorage can take boats with a draft up to 12 feet.  It is very secluded and one in which we would love to anchor next time we are here.  

We had lunch on the pirate picnic table and headed back.  We wanted to snorkel at slack tide.  The tides are so strong that it is best to snorkel when the tide is slack.  We met Toucanne at Emerald Rock to snorkel and then snorkeled around the big rock.  It was here that our underwater camera died.

After snorkeling, we met with several other boaters in the North Mooring field and shared stories and appetizers.  These informal gatherings are a great part of the trip.  We never know who we may meet.

Joy

April 1, 2015

April 1, 2015

Wednesday: Shroud Cay to Warderick Wells

We made the short trip to Warderick Wells, the central hub of the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  Cherry, the park official, was nice enough to give us ball #17, the ball we had before making it easier for us to grab and get settled.  Summer of 42 was on ball #16 and we could see Toucanne anchored outside.  We snorkeled again today just off the stern of the boat.

Joy

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2015

Tuesday: Shroud Cay

Before we went exploring, we heard a call out on the VHF for anyone with experience with generator problems.  We responded (no we don't have experience, but we like to help whenever we can and Steve is very handy).  We headed over to Got the Fever to help Mary & Tim Dent.  We shared that we knew two engineers on Toucanne who would love to get in on the action.  Rick, Rupert and Steve enjoyed the trouble shooting experience, and got the generator working.  We promised to check in on them in the morning.  We discovered that Rick's brother Tom is a United Methodist Minister in Woodbine, GA. We enjoyed meeting Mary and Tim and their two boys who are being home schooled on their boat.  We told the boys it must be a wonderful experience to spend so much time on their boat.  They had traveled from Georgetown, Exumas and were eventually going to make their way to Alaska.  Their plans are to live on board for two years before returning to their home in Connecticut. 

After lunch we spent  another day in paradise discovering the beauty of the mangrove creeks.  After exploring, we took Toucanne to the deposit box to pay for the mooring ball rental.  The mooring field is owned by the Exumas Land and Sea Park.  The park relies on the honesty of the cruisers to deposit the nominal fee to use the mooring balls.  By the time we arrived, access to the beach had been cut off because of high tide.  Rick scrambled up the hill to leave his payment.  

Joy