Staniel to Black Point

Greetings from Black Point, Great Guana Cay, Exumas

Yesterday, we pulled the hook and motored around the south side of the island rather than going through the tiny Fowl Cay cut. The current was running in from Exuma Sound at 2+ knots so we didn't stop at Staniel Cay Yacht Club on the way by. Had a relaxing night on the west side of Big Major's Spot, an area without any current. No midnight anchor drills and plenty of room around the boats.

We did stop at SCYC this morning and filled our water tank for the first time since leaving Nassau. Hard to believe we only took on 91 gallons. Also converted one of our diesel jugs to gasoline use since we've been using a fair amount of gas in the dinghy. Jill from "Born to Cruise" out of NW Creek in New Bern, NC called out hello as we were filling the water tank. Didn't see them coming in since I am still fascinated by watching the nurse sharks under the dock.

The trip from Staniel to Black Point was less than two hours with light winds and no appreciable waves. We passed the settlement and anchored in the next bay south. Only two boats were here when we arrived and now we are one of four. Beautiful beach with some development starting, but only one house is actually completed. Contented Turtle is also here and we tandem dinghied back up to the settlement. Supplies were in abundance as the ship was at the Government Dock when we arrived. Noah didn't want to climb the wooden ladder up to the dock, since he was afraid of splinters, but one of the local men encouraged him to come up as Beth prodded from below.

Proceeded to Lorraine's Cafe, which appears to be the hub of the community. Met Lorraine's mother under a tree out front. She is the baker and we ordered bread to be picked up tomorrow. The crew of Turtle knew Lorraine from year's past, so introduced us inside the Cafe. Cold drinks and pleasant conversation followed as the last of the lunch crowd was leaving and dinner was a few hours off. The cafe has an internet computer and a book exchange. Noah and David found a tree to climb out front and used seed pods, first as maracas and then as knives. Lorraine's son Malachai is nine and he played with the boys after getting home from school. All the students here where uniforms and attend the "Black Point All Grades School" which looks out over the bay.

Beth cased out the laundramat in preparation for serious washing tomorrow. The starting gates open at 0800. For those of you who haven't cruised before, laundry is a VERY competitive sport. Thou shalt not leave any machine not running for more than 2 seconds. Also found some fresh tomatoes and ammonia at the store. There are three restaurants here, a post office, Batelco, a school and clinic. If there was protection from west winds, we could stay for quite a while.

Exciting news from the West Coast is that Beth's sister Judy just bought a retirement home in Fairfield Harbor where we kept our boat in New Bern, NC. It will be great to have her and Gary nearby.

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