Staniel Cay to Black Point

—Blogpost written by Bob

Sunday, January 26

Last evening was very quiet and peaceful despite nearly 50 boats anchored in the Bay of Pigs (on the west side of Big Majors).  We really liked Staniel Cay and I fully expect to stop here again on our return trip northward.

One of the many cruising sailboats anchored
in Bay of Pigs with its dinghy at dusk.
(I think the boat was a Bristol 45.)

According to WINDY, the wind was predicted to be from the northeast at less than 5 knots all day.  So, a motoring trip was inevitable. (This was a situation where I wish we had a spinnaker!)  After removing our outboard engine from the dinghy and stowing it on the stern mount, we weighed anchor at 8:45 AM bound for Black Point on Great Guana Cay, a distance of only 8 nautical miles. 

In cruising the Exumas you can generally see from one island to another but the route between islands is usually anything but straight. Today we had to travel west to get around Harvey Cay before traveling south.  (We have found it is quite common to travel west on the bank to get around very long sand bars.)

Today's route from Staniel Cay (top)
to Black Point (bottom).

We motored at 2050 RPM doing about 6.2 knots—it was a super easy trip involving just 5 waypoints. It was very difficult to identify coral heads when we were motoring into the sun, so we stayed on published routes. The sea state was very calm due to the light wind. Most of the trip was in 20 feet of water.  We arrived (and dropped the hook) in Black Point Harbour by 10:15 AM.  

As usual we set the bridle in case we get an unexpected blow from the west—we are protected from wind in all other directions. (Whenever we use the bridle, we also use our very substantial chain stopper as a backup in the unlikely event that the bridle breaks.  As a prudent sailor, I never rely on the brake on the windlass to hold the anchor chain!)  WINDY predicted light and variable winds through Thursday—so, no worries about high wind anytime soon.

I spoke too soon!  Shortly after we arrived the wind kicked up (maybe 15 knots or so) out of the northwest and rain showers blew through the anchorage.  We had some difficulty getting the engine onto the dinghy because of the wave motion.  Finally, we were able to motor the dinghy into the beach.  Deshamons Restaurant, right up the main road, was able to cook pizza for lunch--it was everything it was cracked up to be!  Eventually, the wind clocked around to the northeast, a direction offering much better protection, and it was much easier getting back onto the boat than getting off the boat an hour and a half earlier.

A rain shower threatens the anchorage
with some more rain showers.

By 2:45 PM the sun came back out in full force and life was great again!

A lone sailboat is anchored in Black
Point Harbour at dusk.

Monday, January 27

When we woke up in the morning all the boats at anchor were facing the southwest, an unusual direction for us so far. Our boat is pointed southwest toward the Great Bahama Bank and beyond the bank is the Tongue of the Ocean with its 1200-meter (>3600 feet) depths. On the other side of the Tongue of the Ocean is the southernmost portion of the island of Andros. Of course, we can’t see Andros because it’s way too far away. We just see calm blue water as far as the eye can see.

In this image you can see the anchor along side
our boat.  The wind was so light that the
weight of the anchor chain was
holding the boat's position.

In checking the 10-day weather forecast, it now looks like we could postpone our outside passage to Georgetown until Friday, January 31, which will give us more time (3 days) to explore the west coast of Great Guana Cay or stay here a day longer than we planned.

The couple on the large sailboat to our port just got back from taking their small dog ashore—it makes me so glad that we have a cat (with the personality of a dog, I might add). (By the way, Lola can’t stop gazing into the clear water around the boat.)

My first impression of the Black Point settlement was formed by the regular use of (small) cars instead of golf carts—I could see them when we were coming into the harbor. (However, golf carts are available for tourists to rent.) My second impression was the extreme friendliness of the people who live here and the good food available in the restaurants, specifically Deshamons.

Rainy Days anchored in the harbor with
the settlement in the background.

We did laundry at the Rockside Laundromat--what a place!  They have a nice pier for dinghies to tie up and a small general store. in addition to 10 washers and 10 dryers, and a great waiting area overlooking the water!  (We rented a golf cart from them for tomorrow morning.  Yes, we decided to stay another day!)

The "parking lot" in front of the Rockside
Laundromat.

The view looking west from the Rockside
Laundromat.  How many laundromats
have this kind of view?

The anchorage as seen from
the laundromat.

We had lunch at Lorraine's and had way more to eat than we should have eaten.  It was excellent and very reasonably priced by Bahamian standards.

The following images were captured today around the Black Point settlement:

Banana trees growing behind
Rockside Laundromat.

This is the main road through the Black Point
settlement--I think it is called the
Queen's Highway.

A Bahamian sloop on a trailer
in someone's driveway.

A Bahamian sloop under construction
in someone's front lawn.

Most of the cars I've seen are small Nissans, Mazdas, or Toyotas--much smaller than you can buy in the U.S.  The trucks seems to be U.S. brands.

Tuesday, January 28

Our sleep was constantly disturbed last night by the irregular wave action wrapping around the point and into the harbor. In the morning, there were no white caps but the sea state was probably best be described as “lumpy,” though not a very nautical term. The 10 to 13 knot breeze was blowing from the west southwest. We are probably anchored in the worst place in the harbor for this wind direction. However, as the wind clocked around clockwise, all the boats in the harbor experienced their share of “lumpiness.”

As the sun rose higher in the sky the wind seemed to die down a bit. The warming rays of the sun felt so good to this old body. At times, I find myself wondering how long we can keep up our cruising lifestyle but then I snap back in to the “here and now.” I need to enjoy it while we can and not think about the future so much. Cruising teaches you to deal with today, tomorrow, and maybe the next day and take what the weather deals out. Anything beyond two days in the future has to be viewed simply as a general notion. The lessons I’m learning from cruising seem altogether fitting to my experience with my body’s aging. (However, I have to admit that it’s difficult to get rid of my “future planning” mindset at all times.)

After a delicious breakfast onboard (French toast), we headed into Rockside Laundromat to pick up our rented golf cart.  The following images were captured during our day's golf cart journey around the settlement:

We rented a golf cart until the batteries went dead
and we had to exchange it for another one.

Someone's colorful laundry
hanging out to dry.

A wave breaking on the beach on
the east side of the island.

I found this intriguing where vegetation was woven
 into the rock formations at the beach.

A scene by Emerald Sunset View Restaurant
& Bar, where we had lunch today.

We stopped for lunch at Emerald Sunset View Restaurant & Bar.  They were out of almost everything on the menu because the mail boat doesn't arrive until tomorrow.  We were the only patrons in a restaurant that easily handles 50 people.

Tomorrow we leave for White Point along Great Guana's west coast.  Stay tuned...


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