Big Major Spot and Staniel Cay
We left Foreign Affair anchored off Big Major Spot while we took the dinghy over to neighboring Staniel Cay. It was about a two mile run but we managed to
stay dry despite some chop on the water between the two islands. We beached the dinghy at the Staniel Yacht
Club and dumped our trash before heading to the BTC office to inquire as to why
we had “limited internet” when we were right next to the biggest cell tower in
the Exumas. We were advised our
“unlimited internet plan” had some limitations.
$35 later, we were getting a very strong internet connection. As a result, we were able to get current
weather reports, check our email and post to the blog. Our next stop was the bakery and grocery
store. On the way, we ran into Earl and
Lynn who we met at the Warderick Wells pot luck a few days earlier. They too were headed to the bakery and joined
us for our short walk to the house where the bread was made and sold. There is no bakery store. All the baked goods are prepared and sold
from the baker’s kitchen.
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| Pigs Swim at Big Major Spot - Didn't See Any Fly |
We made a
quick stop at the little grocery store and headed back to Foreign Affair so we could get lunch and change into our swim suits
and get to the Thunderball Grotto at low slack tide.
Thunderball
Grotto was so named because it was featured in the James Bond movie, Thunderball. It is a grotto formed by waves hollowing out
the core of a small island. There are
three entrances into the grotto and it is best to go at low slack tide since
you don’t have to dive to gain entrance and the current is mild inside the
grotto at slack. Two boats carrying
tourists were already on site when we arrived.
We anchored the dinghy behind one of them which was located at the south
entrance which was on the leaward side of the island and not being pounded by
waves. The entrance there was also
larger and easier to negotiate. The
entire experience was amazing and well worth the trip. The sun was shining through the holes in the
grotto’s ceiling and illuminating the interior.
There were hundreds of fish living in the grotto and once again, we were
snorkeling in an aquarium. We stayed
until the current began to get pretty strong and the water at the entrance was
rising. Dwayne took videos with the
GoPro.
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| Thunderball Grotto |
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| Thunderball Grotto - Sergeant Major Fish |
Since we
were already wet and because it was on the way, we headed to “Pig Beach” to
check out the swimming pigs. A number of
people were on the beach feeding the pigs.
As a result, there wasn’t much need for the pigs to swim. A few waded out into the water as we neared
the beach but they returned to shore when they realized we weren’t laden with
free food for them. You can only watch
pigs eat for so long before you get bored and it wasn’t long after our arrival
that we were on our way back to Foreign
Affair.
We spent the
early hours of the evening running our generator trying to drone out the noise
the young party animals called music. A
mega yacht and sport fishing boat were trying to see whose audio system was the
loudest. The contest didn’t end until
about 10 PM which was when the decibel level went down to a little less than
loud. We eventually fell asleep after a
long day ashore and afloat.
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