Day 55 - Wednesday, 3-05-08 - Staniel Cay Yacht Club, Staniel Cay, Exumas

We had a busy day in paradise. Roger and Sara boarded the dingy right after breakfast and went to Isles General Store for provisions. There are three grocery stores on the island, but Isles (also called Burke's by local folks) is reputed to be the best. In addition to grocery items, they have boat parts, video tape rentals, gift items, etc.: truly a general store. The place was a madhouse because today is the day the mailboat arrives and brings fresh provisions. If you want something, you'd better be quick or it will be gone. Sara was able to get some fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, milk, etc. Isles was already out of some items and a customer suggested that we go to the Blue Wings grocery to get those. The other two grocery stores are the Pink Pearl and the Blue Wings groceries stores. All of these are located in buildings that look like small houses. If they don't have it, you can do without it. Isles also has block ice, the first we have seen in the Bahamas. Roger had taken the propane tank to get it refilled, but was told that it would have to be sent off and we could not get it back before tomorrow afternoon. So, Roger brought it back and later asked a yacht club worker about getting propane anywhere else. It turned out that he was a Burke, the husband of the lady who owns Isles General Store. He took the propane tank and promised it would be ready tomorrow morning. Here's hoping.

Gerry and Jean spent the morning trying to plug the small leaks you always have on a boat. The V-berth is still getting wet from somewhere, so Gerry went looking for the leak(s). (Gerry can't stand a wet boat and Jean is unhappy with the wet bed.) He found an obvious leak where the wiring from the port and starboard running lights enters the hull, cleaned out the old sealant, and put in more. That should plug that leak. He also resealed the hinges on the two forward hatches, both of which drip moisture when wet by rain or the sea. Just to be on the safe side, he covered the inspection plug inside the anchor locker with Press 'n Seal and tape. That has worked very well covering the fan in the forward hatch, which was taking water in heavy seas, so we feel sure that it will work in the more protected location inside the anchor locker. Keeping a boat dry is always a work in progress!

Then, it was off to the Thunderball Grotto. Do you remember the movie Thunderball, a James Bond movie starring Sean Connery? Well, it was filmed here at Staniel Cay. We snorkled into the cave and it was marvelous. It was midday and the sunlight was streaming into the grotto through several holes in the top. The fish were also amazing. They are accustomed to people feeding them, and they just flock to you. It is really neat to have tropical fish all around you, instead of just looking at them in an aquarium. The most challenging part of the event was getting back into the dingy. The guys managed it without too much trouble, but it wasn't a pretty sight when Sara and Jean were getting into the dingy, but they got it done with help from the guys.

From the Thunderball Grotto we went to see the swimming pigs. Now that was an adventure. The dingy is at maximum load with the four of us in it and we had about a mile of open water to cover to get to the cove and beach where the pigs live. When we arrived there was a big skiff from one of the nearby resorts feeding corn to two pigs who were out in the water by the boat. Don't think little piggies: think swimming hogs. It doesn't sound as cute, but is more accurate. We pulled up with our inflatable dingy and started throwing our leftover breads, etc., into the water. The pigs came over to us and tried to get into the dingy with us! That was exciting! The pigs were trying to get into the dingy next to Jean. She was not thrilled, and was concerned about their hooves putting a hole in the dingy. All was well though. We threw stuff away from the dingy. When we stopped feeding them, they lost interest in us. By the time we left, there were three pigs in the water by the big skiff.

The way back got exciting. It was a mile and a half over open water in the dingy at maximum load with a lot of wave action. We started taking on enough water that Roger and Jean started bailing. After a while the water got low enough that it was more efficient for Roger to bail alone, so that is what he did for most of the trip back to the marina. Roger's new title is "Bailer 3." We made it back without incident, went swimming in the yacht club pool, and rinsed off using our transom shower.

We are learning to manage "island style." You do what you can with what you have. If that means a cold transom shower, so be it. It's that or nothing since our sun shower isn't working properly. We had two, but Roger threw one away at Highborne Cay and this one is destined for the trash can too. Nevertheless, we are having a great time and are laughing our way through our challenges. (JGR)