Staniel Cay

We departed Waredrick Wells 4/25 for Staniel Cay and had some great wind, so without delay we raised the main and the jib and were soon cruising without the engine at a cool 6kt.  We even passed someone!!!

Two other boats from the park were also cruising to Staniel Cay, Winterlude and Big Storm, and we ended up lined up in a row at the same dock at the marina.  ^_^

While we were chatting with the folks on Winterlude, we heard a “WHACK” and looked to see a seagull had flown into our wind generator while the blades were turning!  The poor bird was bobbing in the water (very much alive) trying to shake it off.  He attempted to take off several times, resting in between, before finally taking flight.

The bar at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club

After tying up and restocking some supplies, Ransom and I took the dinghy over to Thunderball Grotto for some snorkeling. 

(FYI: They filmed scenes from the James Bond movie, Thunderball, here in Staniel and other locations around the Bahamas)

The snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto was AMAZING!!!  Tourists come here and feed the sergeant majors, so when you swim up they crowd around you looking for a handout.  They get so close you can almost touch them, but they always dart away before you make contact.

The best time to snorkel here is at a low slack tide, because you have to swim through an opening in the rock to get inside the island!  There are openings in the ceiling and when the sunbeams shine in the light penetrates the water and you feel like you are in a postcard.

The following day we loaded up the dinghy with dogs and supplies and went exploring!  We went to several beaches and the dogs got some much needed off-leash time.

We came upon a couple of wrecks, an airplane (intact) underwater and a portion of a sailboat hull on the beach, the boat wreck especially was a reminder of how wrong things can go and how important it is to respect the elements when sailing.

We met some great people here at Staniel Cay, some locals with great knowledge of the area, and some visitors from Canada and Ohio. 

We went out with the locals a couple nights and one night we were treated to a whirlwind tour of the island.  I even got to drive the car, something I haven’t done that since February!!!

Big Dog Bar

Taste and Sea Cafe, where to go for a tasty dinner!

"The Original Yellowman"

The couple from Canada was on their honeymoon.  They got married at the yacht club and then stayed 2 additional weeks.  We hung out with them on our last night and had them over to visit the dogs and see the boat. 

It was an ego boost to have non-boaters on board oohing and aahing over little details we have become accustomed to.  You get tired of being aboard (and sometimes confined in the cabin) so it was nice to have visitors to remind us that, yes, our boat is awesome!!!

After we checked out of the marina we ran into the couple from Ohio and after chatting with them about how the marina doesn’t offer showers and we’d been swimming in the pool to clean off; they graciously offered us a shower in their bungalow.

It was HEAVENLY!!!  We hadn’t had a real running shower since Nassau (18 days prior), just the shower bag and the yacht club’s pool.