Last Friday we moved the boat 10 miles north to the anchorage off of Big Majors Spot. I don’t know how the island got that name, but apparently, this is the Spot for BIG boats! Saturday morning I heard an engine outside, so I looked out a port light to see what boat was coming in, and all I could see was boat. There are several Mega-Yachts in the harbor, and a huge one at the dock at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Joint Venture is very happy that we cleaned her topsides before we started rubbing elbows with these yachts that are professionally maintained.
One of the tourist attractions in the area is the Thunderball Grotto. This is a natural sea cave where James Bond (Sean Connery) sought shelter in the movie Thunderball. It’s best to go at low slack tide because the current in the area is so strong, but we missed the time on Friday to check it out. We dinghied over to the area to check it out for the next day and saw some snorkelers fighting the current. We noticed one snorkeler struggling and being swept away while another person tried to fight the current with both of them. I brought the dinghy in and asked if they wanted a ride. Lisa responded “Yes!” and jumped onboard. We took her back to her tender and learned that they were on a huge gorgeous wooden boat from 1929 named M/V Freedom that we had seen at the dock. Lisa was very appreciative as we waved goodbye.
Big Majors Spot is notorious for the friendly pigs on the beach. They come out for scraps brought in by the boaters. We didn’t have too many scraps, so Sabrina and I waited until some other boats were headed in and then went in to check out the scene. It’s strange to watch these pigs swimming in crystal clear water. They keep their snouts above water and I wonder how long they can comfortably swim, they obviously seem very buoyant. Our friends on Kianda saw piglets on the beach, but unfortunately we only saw four large pigs. Maybe the piglets hold out for the really good scraps? (The downside to all the scraps is there are a bunch of noisy seagulls in the anchorage competing for the same food. Nermal keeps staring them down, and I think he thinks he can catch one.)
Saturday we headed over to Thunderball Grotto at low slack tide (along with every other dinghy in the area.) The inside of the grotto is very cool and there are two entrances into it. We swam in one and got the grotto experience and then we swam out the other entrance and around the outside back to the dinghy. We were alone on the outer reef and could enjoy the coral and we snapped some photos. The reef surrounding the grotto island is very beautiful and the fish are very friendly.
After the Grotto we headed over to the dock area at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Many nurse sharks patrol this area looking for the scraps from fishing boats cleaning their catch. I was surprised by the size of some of these sharks, easily the largest nurse sharks I’d ever seen. Back at the boat we jumped in to swim around when I yelled to Sabrina that one of the nurse sharks was nearby. They aren’t dangerous (relatively speaking,) but we were unable to get a photo as I think he was as scared as swimmers in the water as we normally are of sharks!
Staniel Cay Yacht Club is a popular hang-out for the boaters from the nearby anchorages and also the vacationers staying in town at the many cottages. On Saturday night they had a Cinco de Mayo party complete with margarita specials, a Mexican buffet, mariachi music, and happy hour from 4-6. They even had mint juleps on special for the running of the Kentucky Derby! They obviously know how to cater to their American clientele. We went in for happy hour and watched the derby with the rest of the very crowded bar. They had many Mexican decorations hanging up, and we wondeedr where they were able to find them in the area.
While on our way to the SCYC we ran into Lisa from our snorkeling “rescue.” She thanked us again and introduced us to her husband Mike. They were guests on M/V Freedom but asked if we’d like a tour. We didn’t want to impose, but they assured us it was no imposition and we were very curious. The boat is immaculate both inside and out and very tastefully done. The captain explained that they tried to keep to the original design wherever possible, but the engines and all the systems were modern. The boat was bought in dilapidated condition for $100 in Florida and the restoration took 7 years and was completed 3 years ago. (I didn’t feel right taking photos inside, but you can see the one we snapped of Freedom laying at the dock below.)
Saturday night the “Super Moon” was shining bright, illuminating the sand bottom all around us. In the moonlight we could see nurse sharks swim by occasionally, and the numerous boaters returning from the Cinco de Mayo festivities by dinghy while we enjoyed some burritos we made in the cockpit.
Earlier this week we headed up to Pipe Cay to check out the lower Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and now we’ve moved up to the park headquarters at Warderick Wells. We have an awesome mooring right in front of the headquarters and we’ll be posting many pictures in the upcoming days.
[Our satellite phone has stopped working, so no remote updates and no phone calls, we’ll let you know when we get it working again.]
