Stats for March 21, 2019

Origin: Staniel Cay Anchorage

Destination: Cambridge Cay

Distance: 16.1 miles

Speed: 6.6 mph

Time on the Move: 2 hours and 34 minutes

Heading out of Staniel Cay we had the calmest water with gorgeous sunshine over head. We started towards our destination, but after half an hour or so of pushing through this amazingly calm and clear water, I couldn’t wait to jump in. So we stopped the boat and let her float for the next few hours while we swam and played. It was completely magical!

We swam near the boat while it slowly drifted along for about an hour without seeing any living things. Then we happened to all be out of the water and about to all jump in off the side when we saw a 4′ long barracuda swimming around. It was a little surprising, but barracudas are usually curious, so it wasn’t out of the norm. We looked at the charts and realized we were about to drift over a reef area still 10 feet below us. This must be where that guy came from. We enjoyed floating over the top of the reef and “snorkeling from the bow.”

After about 3 hours we had enough swimming and playing so Mike fired up the engines and we carried on towards our destination. What a fun afternoon. We sure don’t see water that calm very much, so it was a great time to take advantage of a beautiful day!! If not now then when?!

Carrying on, we got closer to some mega yachts that were in the distance during our swim. This one in particular was fascinating. It had a huge blow up slide from the 5th level down to the water, with all kinds of water toys and tenders floating off the back. As we passed by, a sea plane landed and headed over to drop off the guests that probably had an amazing afternoon running from salty pigs on the beach and eating at the yacht club. Such a display of wealth. I can’t imagine the life these people must live to be able to afford this extravagance. Our time in the Bahamas seems so similar to theirs, but on such a simpler scale and for a fraction of the cost. Food for thought for all of us.

Our plan was to anchor near the Rocky Dundas caves to do some snorkeling inside before heading to our anchorage. The water in the picture below was so calm and it was slack tide, so we thought it would be the perfect time.

However, after this short dinghy ride over to the moorings, we watched swells coming off the ocean and slamming in to the rocks and we weren’t so sure about it being the perfect time to snorkel anymore. Mike swam over to check it out while we watched the waves bang him around in horror. He swam gently toward the opening, got swept in to the rocks by a giant swell, got swept underwater by another swell, and then swam underwater all the way back to the boat before he could get knocked around again. He was a tad bloody and absolutely sure that it was not a good time for us to snorkel Rocky Dundas anymore. We even called it Rocky Deadlas and said that if you swam there, you would surely die. Not worth it for us!!

Instead we dinghied back over to the bay at Fowl Cay where we anchored the big boat and did some snorkeling there. The current was pretty strong, but there was a lot of coral and fish to see and no swells to speak of.

After moving INNTW to the mooring field at Cambridge Cay, Hayley and Mike paddled over to pay our nightly anchorage fee. We settled in just in time for a beautiful sunset and full moon kind of night. What a long day of swimming and fun in the sun!!

Our buddies Livin the Dream were anchored in the next anchorage over, so the next day we made plans to meet up at the beach for a little hike and “beach playground” kind of fun.

Later we hiked on some trails that head to the north. The cay has some pretty good hills to climb and overlooks to admire the view.

When we got back to the beach, we found our dinghy high and dry. Funny, because it was floating just fine when we left it. It looks odd to see the anchor just sitting there. Luckily, our dinghy is pretty light, so with some teamwork and help from the kids and Zeeffs, we got her back to the water. Then we had to pull their dinghy back to the water, which is not near as light!

We found out it was International Water Day, so Mike had to document us making fresh drinking water with our reverse osmosis system right from salty ocean water. Science is amazing!!

Thanks for following along on our adventures!! This cartoon perfectly captures our thoughts on days like today! Start your own adventure!!