Exploration and Entertainment in the Exumas

During the past few days, we have had the pleasure of exploring some really great areas in the Exumas. On our way south to George Town, which is the southernmost point of most people's foray into the Bahamas, we stopped at Cambridge Cay, at the southern end of the Exumas Cay Land and Sea Park. Cambridge Cay is known for its great places to snorkel. We snorkeled "The Aquarium", the "Coral Gardens" and a couple of caves carved out of the limestone. Because the Park doesn't allow fishing, when you enter the water, you're immediately surrounded by hundreds of brilliantly colored tropical fish. Whether just curious, or more likely, looking for a handout, it makes for a wonderfully memorable experience. This lack of fear of humans can be seen also in the presence of a 5' bull shark that frequented our mooring at Cambridge Cay. Bull sharks, unlike the nurse sharks of Compass Cay, have a nasty reputation for aggression, and discouraged any carefree early morning swims.

The coral reefs here were truly amazing: stag horn coral 4 - 5 feet tall, table corals that could sit 6 people comfortably and a wide range of fan, brain and others in colors that seem unreal.

On the next island south that we visited, Staniel Cay, is the cave made famous by the James Bond movie "Thunderball". We actually had Mothers Day dinner at Club Thunderball. John explored the cave the next day and found plenty of coral and fish, but no "Bond" girls (although he did seem to be gone for a suspiciously long time)! You have to go underwater beneath rocks and come out into the cave. Stalactites and stalagmites cover the ceiling and floors. The natural light coming from holes in the ceiling give them a cathedral-like feeling.

The sparsely populated Exumas offer few opportunities for re-supply. Our experience at Staniel Cay reflects the challenges to those of us used to the "convenience " culture. We needed gas for the dingy and propane for the stove. The cruising guide states that gas and propane are both available at Staniel Cay. In fact, Staniel Cay is the only place in the Exumas outside of George Town where both can be bought. With our last ounces of gas, we dinghied to the fuel dock at Staniel Cay Marina (the only retail fuel source on the island). Finding no one on the dock, John went to the Marina restaurant to get some help only to find that:

"We don't have gas."
"You don't have gas now or you never have gas?"
"Oh, we usually have gas but not right now."
"When will you have it?"
"Not till the fuel boat comes in. It should be here any day."
"Is there anyplace else I can get some?"
"Well you could dinghy over to Sampson Cay (5 miles away)."

Five miles is about the cruising limit of our dingy. Even if I could get there, I would only be able to buy enough fuel to get me back. So, the next day, we moved Live Now to Sampson Cay, bought gas, had a wonderful lunch on the beach at this beautiful resort and returned to Staniel. We still needed propane. The next morning, we dinghied into Staniel Cay's general store (the only source for propane). The clerk told us to leave the tank and pick it up the next day. The next day we returned to find that they had run out of propane.

I asked, "When will you have it?"
"Not till the fuel boat comes in."
"When's that?"
"Not sure."
"Where else can we get it?"
"Maybe, George Town."'

So, we picked up our tank and headed south the next morning. That was 2 weeks ago. We're in George Town now and the fuel boat still hasn't arrived. This morning, Tuesday, I stopped by the propane supply store. Propane was supposed to have been delivered 6 days ago. We're still waiting. I asked the young man there:

"When do you expect to get propane?"
"When the fuel boat gets in, probably Thursday, maybe Friday."
(Sigh....)

Imagine being totally dependent upon the fuel boat, the supply boat, the mail boat. The restaurants and grocery stores order from Nassau and have it delivered a week later by boat, so it behooves you to know when the supply boat will get here. Otherwise, the store shelves may be empty. Some islands will have two or three 'grocery stores', which range from the size of a shed to maybe a one car garage) but in one you may find a couple of boxes of cereal, some potatoes, onions, some cleaning supplies, lots of rice, and some soup (all of one kind). In another store, you might find juice and paper towels. In the third, if you're lucky, you might find milk. On the larger islands, you have regular grocery stores, which are remind me of a small town IGA in the US, so it's wise to stock up for your trip to the 'out islands'.

Next, we went to Blackpoint Settlement, which was a very non-touristy town. Everyone seemed to watch us as we walked down the street, so we must have been something of a novelty. Lorraine's Cafe had been recommended to us by another boater, so we went there for dinner. We had made reservations, but still we were the only ones there. It is now past tourist season. People have already begun their trips back home. It is beginning to get really hot here. Last week, we had two days of 111 degrees. There's almost always a breeze, however, making it feel relatively pleasant. We waited a few minutes for Lorraine to arrive. She asked us what we wanted to eat. We asked, "What do you have?" She replied, "I can make you chicken or fish." Pat had the chicken. I had the fish (grouper, of course). Everything was delicious.

Anyway, Lorraine, the owner, server, cook, etc., told us there was going to be entertainment that evening, and about 8:00 some other Americans whom we had met that morning at Staniel Cay showed up, and the one guy is a jazz musician. He actually grew up with James Taylor and was part of Taylor's first band, The Fabulous Corsairs. So, we spent a very enjoyable evening with Vic doing music, (he was really good!) while we visited with his sister, Ann, and their friends, Frank and Debbie. The townspeople began to flock in, and Vic played for a couple of hours going through his repertoire of easy jazz classics to the enthusiastic applause of the small audience. When it came time for requests, there was only one. Lorraine and her mother requested the old spiritual, "Amazing Grace", and got up and sang 6 verses of this wonderful song to Vic's accompaniment. I don't know who enjoyed it more~~us or the townspeople. Based on our limited experience, religion plays a big role in Bahamian life. Even the smallest Cay has several churches. Scripture and religious art don the walls of most public buildings, including the post office and other government offices.