Sun Spirit

 The supply boat did not arrive on Thursday, so we strolled around town for awhile - coffee and donuts at the local cafe. Hurray on Friday morning it arrived - the shipping channel is right behind our boat. We made our way to the  grocery store later in the morning but most of the produce was still on skids and racks.That didn’t stop Gunter and Steve - they grabbed stuff right out of the boxes until we had everything we needed. Here is where you drop off garbage - in the back of the truck and put your $2 in the window. I swam to the beach from our boat to get some exercise. Lise followed me in her kayak so that I was visible to people in dingys and small boats. You have to be very careful swimming around boat traffic. There are many trails on the island and we have only explored a few. It gets really hot when you are away from the water. Abandoned beach bar/restaurant - maybe Gunter could make a go of it (he says no). As for the weather, the temperatures at home have been real...

 How can I describe George Town? It’s like a miniature town of anchored boats - many boats come here and stay for the season. It’s easy to see why - access for groceries, services and lots of social activities. Every morning you can listen on the VHF radio to the cruisers net and get information on weather, activities, local businesses and you can request assistance from the cruising community if you have a problem or a question. We are anchored in a area called Monument  - one of many areas available for anchoring; We are across the bay from the town - it is about a 10 minute dingy ride to get there and in rough weather you will get wet. So far it has been quite calm, so we took advantage of that to get chores done - laundry and filling jerry cans with diesel.  The town has everything you need including a Royal Bank of Canada. This afternoon we walked to the top of the monument hill and had s spectacular view of the anchorages and the Exuma Sound on the other side of the...

 Arrived here around lunch time after a bumpy ride - the wind and waves were behind us so when we timed it right we were surfing. The colours of the water in the anchorage were amazing - lots of shallow areas and sand banks so we had to be on high alert when setting the anchor. There were 6 boats in this spot - because the wind and the current were coming from different directions, every boat was swinging on their anchor and  all were facing different directions at one point. We had coffee and muffins hot out of the oven on Gays before settling in for the evening. The wind backed down around 8 and it was a quiet night. Sunrise this morning: Brr it was chilly this morning - 18 D Celsius - haha, I know! The decision was made to move on while the weather is good - there is another front expected this weekend. The waves today are big rollers, like slow rocking. Next stop is George Town, the Mecca for Bahamas cruisers!

 A change of plans on the go on Sunday. We were going to stop at Little Farmer’s Cay but decided to keep going for another hour and a half to Rudder Cut Cay. This was our view after we dropped the anchor and settled in: This area  is the site of David Copperfield’s islands (he owns 11) and the underwater sculpture “The Musician” he commissioned. The piano and mermaid sit in 13 feet of water and are a huge attraction for divers. We were able to see the sculpture from our dingy using a bucket with a clear plastic bottom. One nice thing about these isolated island, is the dark and the stars at night. There is no ambient light or noise either. When you look out at night all you can see is the anchor lights of the surrounding boats.  Our peaceful night was interrupted by a rainstorm and wind and waves that picked up around 3 am.  We rolled around and we’re happy to have a good anchor. This morning the group decided to move on to Lee Stocking Island for some more protectio...

 We arrived here on Friday and put the anchor down for a couple of very calm, hot days. The settlement at Black Point is an example of the real Bahamas, not just a tourist destination. There are a lot of homes being built but nobody is working on them - Steve says they just stop when they run out of money. Other signs of money shortage: The government dingy dock: Cars and trucks in disrepair: The local jail: However, the people are very friendly and there are lots of signs of prosperity too. We have enjoyed some long walks, swimming and a nice meal out for lunch today.  This nurse shark is hanging around our dingy waiting for Gunter to fall in (he thinks). This afternoon we purchased coconut bread from a woman who bakes bread in her home. Yum - I think some French toast is in order tomorrow. Enjoyed a beautiful sunrise this morning a sunset this evening - never get tired of these. Tomorrow we are heading to Little Farmer’s Cay.

 We arrived at the anchorage at Big Majors Cay on Tuesday morning after a short 2 hour trip. It is very different from the park with lots of boats, big and small, anchored and small motorboats zooming in and out of the bay. We are here in front of what is known as pig beach. There are a number of pigs who live on the beach and are a huge tourist attraction. They will swim out to your dingy if you have food scraps for them or you can go on the beach if you dare. Poor Gunter had a pig snatch his bag of scraps right out of his hand. On the other side of the bay is the settlement of Staniel Cay. Most cruisers stop here to stock up on groceries and fuel but it is nice to walk around the charming town. At the docks, nurse sharks hang around waiting for fish scraps from those who have caught something. We walked to the Blue House (they sell groceries) as a shipment of fresh food had just come in. The store is tiny and you have to buy what they have rather than what you need. We stocked up...