We Are Still In Staniel Cay

 

This is a great spot to relax and look around. We arrived here around 1pm and dropped anchored and dinghy into Pig Beach! Yup this is where the pigs come out to greet you. Before we could get on the beach they had there heads in the dinghy looking for food. We pushed them away and brought the dinghy up and they chased us around for something to eat. Laurie brought some lettuce with her and they eat that up very quick. These pigs are a great tourist attraction for the island so the nearby yacht club feed and water them everyday. People come all the way from Nassau on tours just to see the pigs and then they go to the yacht club for lunch. People say they are wild. But actually they were brought here many years ago by a couple from Staniel Cay. They are very well fed and judging by their size. Some were huge. A good laugh for sure to see them in action.....

 Laurie had a great time here.

After Pig Beach it was off to Pirate Beach. This is a great beach where every one leaves stuff here to be used by others. There's a BBQ, chairs, sun shade, bean bag toss game and all kinds of memorabilia.

 

 

 

That was a full day of fun in the sun. Friday we all took our dinghy's into town for provisioning and to drop off trash. Like most islands they charge you $2.50  for dumping off a small bag of trash and $5.00 for a big bag. It's like that every where and it's sad because you will find trash dumped off on island beaches some times. We went shopping and found that the mail boat that brings food comes on Wednesday and so there was nothing fresh to buy. No bread, no fruit, and no veggies.  What little we did buy cost $160.00. Normally what we bought here would cost around $40 to $50 back home. We all went back to our boats and decided we will wait until Wednesday or Thursday to leave here so we can get some fresh food. Saturday morning we all went snorkeling at the Thunderball Grotto. Laurie will explain later. Saturday afternoon we started to look for a place to hide from the cold front coming on Monday afternoon. We found a great little anchorage between two islands where we were protected on three sides and that's what we wanted and with a little beach to relax on while we waited for the front to come.

 Protected by high hills

 Nice little beach. We spent 2 days on this beach. Great spot!

 The other boats with us Valentine and Blue Lady.

Valentine and Mauna Kea during the rain

 

 

So we weathered the storm without any problems. The rain came down hard for about an hour and the wind gusts where up to 40 knots. Today (Tuesday) we will wait for the wind and waves to die down. Another work day on the boat!

 

And now it's time for:

So Here's Interesting Tidbits SHIT for short!

 

The Lionfish

 

The Lionfish is the largest invader and are destroying the coral and fish in the Bahamas. The Lionfish have very venomous spines and pose a lot of danger to divers and fishermen. Lionfish were first reported in 1985 in Florida. They have spread very quickly. By 2013 this fish has completely covered the Bahamas and the Gulf Of Mexico and the Caribbean. The Lionfish take 1 year to mature. The eggs evolve and grow on stalks. Females release 2 eggs and the eggs have a hollow mucous that trap sperm. It takes 26 days in duration and they spawn year round. Every 4 days there are over 25,000 eggs per patch. This totals 2 million eggs per female per year. This fish eat over 40 species of fish and their stomach can expand 30 times its size. The National Lionfish Control Project have been on a 4 year project to study the Lionfish. Scientists say that direct removal by humans are the best way to reduce the Lionfish invasion. However, they are dangerous to catch. The dorsal, ventral and anal spines are so venomous. but once they are removed safely the fish are a great eat. So do you really want to do this? That's some good SHIT!

Lion Fish

 

Thunderball Grotto

 

We went exploring in the dingy and found what we were looking for. "Thunderball Grotto"...We put on our snorkeling gear and swam to the cave. We had to go at slack tide to swim through the opening of the Grotto. A really magical place. It had dramatic shafts of sunlight slicing into the water. When snorkeling, there was a lot to see. A lot of coral fish, sponges and also cool sponges on the Grotto walls. This cave is where they filmed the James Bond movie "Thunderball." with Sean Connery. And also the movie "Blue Lagoon". What a cool place. Here are some pics.... 

 

The Entrance

Looking down when you enter

Looking back at the entrance

Looking up inside the cave

 Laurie on the other side of the cave

That was some fun SHIT!

Boo Boo Hill

 

Boo Boo Hill has the most amazing panoramic views in the Exumas that we have seen so far. This lopsided monument at the top of this hill is made from bits of carved and painted driftwood left by cruisers when they visit here. Legend has it that it is haunted by souls that have gone aground and sank and died here. Some say that you can hear them sing. ( or the wind is howling LOL) The tradition is for cruisers to leave an offering atop of this hill to keep King Neptune happy. It is also supposed to bless you with good wind and smooth seas. Why not? It cant hurt....

 

 This is what we left

That was some interesting SHIT!