Valentine Report

This is the first report since we were anchored on the west side of Big Majors and we had the pig experience.  That is because a strong front came through and we have had some busy days. 

Picture three islands close to each other.  Big Majors and Little Majors to the North, separated by a channel.  To the east of Little Majors is Exuma Sound.  South of these islands (generally speaking) is Staniel Cay, where there is a small community.  Between these are some small islands, one of which is Thunderball Grotto, which was used in filming the James Bond movie Thunderball. 

We know when a front comes through this area the alternate anchorages can become crowded, so on Saturday we upped anchor about 7:30 in the morning and headed for a channel between Big Majors and Little Majors, that has protection from westerly winds, but has pretty strong tidal currents.  We had scoped out a small bay that the last time we were here with Don and Pam had about 10 boats anchored in it, and it looked ideal to wait out the front.  However, it did say “poor holding” on the chart. 

We spent probably an hour trying to set the hook, to no avail.  We moved further north into the channel between the majors (where the strong tidal currents run), and anchored on a sand bar, in about 7 feet of water.  There were only about 5 or 6 boats in this area at the time.   Last year, I think we counted 56 boats in the general area, so we expected company.  However, because we only draw four feet, we could anchor in sand on this bar, which is decidedly better holding than the marl or grass common to this area.  Later in the day, we moved to the west about 50 feet, because it was just a little too shallow where we were. 

While a little frazzled by the anchoring procedure, but winds were light and the tide was right.  We got our snorkel gear and some tee-shirts, our water shoes, and left Toby in charge of the boat and headed for Thunderball Cave.  We had a very nice snorkel in this cave that is almost completely covered at the top, but with several nice holes to provide shafts of light, and nice fish life.  There was a beach picnic to benefit the Staniel Cay Library, so afterward we dinghied over for a hamburger lunch, sitting on the blue wall with the beautiful blue Bahama water beyond while we ate our lunch. 

Saturday night was nice.  Light winds.  We slept in the salon, and set the alarm for every two hours in case we drug anchor.  Lots of other boats had showed up by then. 

The front hit mid day on Sunday, and blew strong for close to 36 hours.  We stayed put on our little sand bar, and didn’t stray much from our latitude & longitude position, except for swinging as the current reversed.  We saw 34 knots several times, which is close to 40 mph.  And here we are in a boat that weighs 15,000 pounds, held by a 35 pound anchor in less than 10 feet of water.  At one point, the wind was so strong we didn’t reverse in the current during the tidal shift.  We have all chain from the boat to the anchor.  The physics are mind boggling. 

We stood two hour watches during the night.  I re-read my journal from our first cruise.  We snacked on granola bars and trick-or-treat candy.  The gas bottle ran out so we couldn’t heat coffee or hot chocolate, because I didn’t want George going up on the bow in the dark and the wind to hook up the second bottle.

Time passed.  George worked on the water heater, I did some cooking, we played Scrabble, and we both read.  Monday afternoon when things were moderating, someone announced a beach get-together on the radio for all boats anchored between the Majors.  We loaded Toby in the dinghy, and we had a nice time chatting on the beach with other boaters, while Toby and a female black lab ran on the beach and chased sticks and Frisbees in the water.

During the event, several boats dragged and had to move.  But George did a good job of finding us a good spot, and sticking us there while the weather blew through.

We have tried to maximize our one day and night of dockage here at Staniel Cay, charging up the fridge and freezer, vacuuming on 110, getting rid of trash, and e-mail and Internet.  The e-mail and Internet are very slow, and I am hoping we can send this tomorrow before we head down to Black Point, another favorite spot.  Laundry is on the list of activities. 

The weather looks pretty good so far to move toward George Town later in the week – if not all the way, possible to Lee Stocking Island.

Tonight we are off to dinner at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, and my Valentine is taking me out.  We have both ordered grouper.

Lynn Stateham

Next Report: Staniel to Red Shanks