Back South Again
09 January 2011
We somewhat reluctantly leave Cambridge Cay after two fantastic days of snorkelling and great weather. We shared this harbour with Audacious and only a couple of other boats; one being a large (130 foot) yacht. In addition to their various fun watercraft, they had a small airplane which they flew low over the various islands and cays. It was fun to wave to them as they buzzed along and around the cays.
Judy and I hiked to a fantastic beach, called "honeymoon beach" a fine almost white powdery sand crescent beach. We roam around and Judy decides to do the typical thing and does a heart in the sand with our (and of course Chopin's) names. We return to Sea Sharp and sometime later a dinghy comes past us and says that they've read about us. I thought that they might have been following our blog but they clarify that they read our sand valentine. They were from Vancouver and pleasant folks like all of the cruisers we've met.
We reluctantly leave this wonderful place but Georgina has to leave and we want to accompany her and her parents back to Staniel to see her off. We head back down island, past Staniel to a place called Bitter Guana Cay. For those who followed our blog over the past two years may remember our rendition of this place. This is a deserted Cay with a fantastic beach, inhabited by iguanas which make those on our aformentioned Allen's Cay iguanas look like Tattoo from Fantasy Island.
Audacious and Sea Sharp are the only two boats anchored in this place and once settled we quickly go ashore to be greeted by these corpulent and voracious iguanas. Since we were here two years ago, some scientists, we presume, have been tracking and labelling them. They all have numbers painted on their scaly flanks. As we land, they trundle down to greet us; not aggressive but certainly confident and not afraid. They are pleased to gobble up our left over veggies and other semi spoiled foods. They're quite a sight.
We take the short path which brings us from the "bank" or west side to the "sound" or east side. There is a great reef here and we all snorkle and take in the amazing underwater vistas. It's particularly memorable 'cause it's Georgina's last day with us and she just loves to swim and experience the marine environment.
Georgie's flight out tomorrow is from Staniel Cay and we decide to dinghy her over rather than take the big boats over. By dinghy can make the trip in 15 minutes across the shallow banks where by big boat it'll take us a couple of hours when we consider up and down anchor. We take our dinghy which is identical to Rog and Jacqie's but with a bigger engine.
We are as sad to see Georgina leave as her parents. We've sailed with Georgina for more than 25 years and have watched her grow up to be an intelligent and vivacious young lady.