Still A Blowin'
Phyllis Atha
23 April 2012 | Staniel Cay, Bahamas
The wind did seem to die down just a bit last night and we had a comfortable night. But, it seemed that as soon as the sun came up, the wind came back up. We were getting ready for breakfast when Charlie heard a gentleman in our anchorage seeking help with his engine. He thought his batteries were dead. So, Charlie offered to take his generator and battery charger over to charge the batteries. So, breakfast was on hold. This was a 42 SeaRay. After fiddling with the batteries, they determined that the batteries were okay, and he had fuel flowing, so the problem was probably an electronic problem. They decided to have the boat towed into a marina. Since Staniel Cay Marina was empty and closed until the winds subsided, I believe they were going to go to Sampson Cay Marina. Anyway, after a late breakfast, we pulled in our two anchors and headed back to Staniel Cay fuel dock. But, by the time we went by the fuel dock, we decided it was still too rough to go in and still too rough to anchor in our normal spot. We turned around and anchored behind Thunderball Grotto, which was still a bit bumpy, but much better than outside. We had a better wifi connection so we checked the emails, FB and the poker site. At 1:30 we dinghied into the marina. Luckily they have a rock jetty that protects the beach where we land the dinghy. Walked up to the bakery, but our bread which was suppose to be ready at 9:30 still wasn’t ready. We met Steve and Deb there. Stopped at the Blue Store and bought a few odds and ends, then went around to Isles General to buy some diet coke, before going to the airport to pick up Troy and Lori. After they arrived, Deb walked back to her friend, Joan’s, house to finish a project and Steve gave the rest of us a ride back to the bakery. Finally, it was ready. Then we took Troy and Lori to the Pink Store. They wanted to buy some beer and needed to experience shopping at a Bahamian “supermarket.”. Steve dropped us off at the marina and we had some cracked conch, split some burgers and cold drinks, before going back to the boat. Charlie brought me and their luggage out, then went back to pick up Troy and Lori. The waves had subsided some, not because the wind had let up much, but because the wind was now coming more from the northwest and we were a bit more protected. Troy’s favorite James Bond movie was Thunderball, so the first order of business was to snorkel Thunderball Grotto/Cave. I was afraid it was still too rough, but they did fine, just a lot of current flowing through the cave, so they had to work to make it in and stay there. We spent the rest of the evening exchanging sea stories. We met Troy first when he was in our instructor classes for ASA, then again when we flew to Cancun to help bring back Tim’s boat to Florida and Troy was crew. Other than the wind blowing 20 kts. all day, it was a pretty day, sunny and warm. The wind has calmed to about 10 to 12 kts. again this evening. We are hoping it stays a bit calmer tomorrow. Need to go to the fuel dock for fuel and water, then head to Cambridge Cay.