Pig Beach

We dropped the mooring at Wardrick Wells and left the field with more grace than when we entered. Of course the current was running the wrong way, but there was just enough space to turn the boat around without having to back up. Heard a boat calling later on the radio that ran aground on their way in, so be alert if you visit this place. The beauty of the spot is well worth dealing with a little current. Back out on the Exuma Banks, the winds were 13-17 and we were able to motor sail for almost two hours before the wind was on the nose. The wind lessened to 12 kts as we rounded Sandy Cay and motored into the anchorage at Big Majors Spot. Forty-eight vessels are anchored here and we are one of the smallest boats. It is a large area, protected from every direction but the west and there are three beaches on an unpopulated island. The Cays to the North have small resorts and just to the south is Staniel Cay with an actual settlement. Anchoring in 8 feet of water at low tide, we could clearly see the anchor and chain settle in. Looking at the nearest beach, it appeared to be populated. Three, not so little, pigs were cooling off in the water. Someone mentioned on the VHF that there were enough boats for a pot luck, so we headed in with chips and Beth's bar cheese at 1630. By 1700 there were 24 dinghies and lots of food. The beach had a little cave and beautiful white sand. There were no pigs, but for the first time since leaving NC, we had biting insects. We left the beach party just as the sun was setting to the sound of the nightly conch salute. Tried reaching Jim & Earl on the radio again, but no joy. After that we checked the computer charts and noticed a sailboat coming in on AIS. S/Y Tenacious is 45 meters long with a beam of 8 meters - quite a sailboat!  We turned in early as we all had a little too much sun yesterday. I fell asleep while Noah was listening to the first Harry Potter book on CD. Woke up at midnight for a chinese fire drill as it had started to rain and the hatches needed to be closed. This morning we had a little more rain, so I opened the deck fill to try and capture some for our water supply. The winds have died and, for the first time this trip, the sea is completely smooth. We can see the bottom all around the boat, just like in the sailing advertisements. Plan to move the boat to the north end of the anchorage since the winds are supposed to pick up again out of that direction tonight. Will probably take a dinghy trip to town and see what provisions we can find.