Crew Log for January 16th, 2023
Trip Summary:
• Bell Island – Staniel Cay (Between the Majors)
• Trip Distance of 13.6 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 2,775.7NM
• Departed at 010h45, arrived at 13h05
The winds had calmed down and shifted back to the east, which meant that it was time to move from our anchorage. Someone had told us about an anchorage at Sampson Cay that they liked. We eventually had to get to Staniel Cay to fill up on water and get a few fresh provisions, but we’d thought we’d check out their recommendation on the way. We were feeling pretty fortunate to be sailing in this beautiful place and enjoyed a relaxing jib sail down the Exuma Cays.
We made our way into Little Sampson Cay, a private island which lies 3 miles north of Staniel Cay and immediately south of Pipe Creek. The island underwent a complete refit and opened to the public in 2001 with a full marina, store, restaurant, and rental units/houses. In 2013 the owner closed its doors to the public and maintained the island for his exclusive use. There were reports that the island was had been sold recently, but going ashore was “discouraged”.
As we made our way into the anchorage we saw a huge super yacht with an inflatable slide off the top deck and an inflatable climbing wall to get back on board. We met the crew a few days later on the fuel dock at Staniel Cay and mentioned we saw the slide and climbing wall. They weren’t as enthusiastic about the water features as I expect the guests were. Apparently they are pain to setup and take down, and I'm guessing that after the first 5 – 10 minutes, they quickly lose their appeal with the guests.
It turned out that Sampson was a little exposed for the wind direction which made it a little rolly. In addition to the super yacht, there were a few other boats in the anchorage, and the shore was posted with signs warning visitors to stay off the island. It didn’t seem to be the perfect place to spend the evening. As we were leaving, we snaked our way between a number of sandy cays south of the island, which I expect would have made for a nice dinghy adventure. We decided to head down towards Staniel Cay and anchor “Between the Majors”.
As the name suggests, Between the Majors is an anchorage in the strip of water that runs between Little Majors to the east and Big Majors to the West. It is a fairly well protected anchorage, but is subject to changes in the currents which likely explains the reports of poor holding. The anchorage was about 3 miles north of Staniel Cay which was a bit too far for us and our 4 hp to commute in and out, but it would do for the night.
We dinghied over to a small strip of sand on Little Majors for a swim and of course, shelling. Little Majors is a private island but our beach was only accessible by boat, so the risk of running into a resident was low. The beach did look like it was popular spot with dogs and their owners, but we were happy to have it all to ourselves and enjoyed a wonderful swim in the clear turquoise waters. Feeling refreshed, we headed up around the northern end of Big Majors Island.
The western side of Big Majors is one of the most popular spots with cruisers in this area for a couple of reasons. Pirate Beach, is a well protected anchorage from any wind direction other than westerly. That means there is always another boat to enjoy the sunset with, from the makeshift camp on the beach. Big Major’s real claim to fame however, is the “swimming pigs” at, what else, “Pig Beach”. I have to confess, the attraction of feeding pigs on the beach in the Bahamas completely baffles me. It’s popular with a lot of people though, if the number of boats and super yachts surrounding it, is any indication. All the tourist promote material features the "famous swimming pigs", and people actually fly in to Staniel Cay to visit the pigs.
There is a small cut between Big Majors and Foul Cay that is big enough to get through in a dinghy or small power boat. The current rips through here, which makes it a hair raising trip one way and a seemingly up hill slog the other.
Back on the boat we made pizza and settled in for the Wild Card Game between Tampa Bay and Dallas, in what, in all likelihood was Tom Brady’s last professional football game. I appreciate not everyone is a football fan and there are far fewer Tom Brady fans, but we enjoy watching football when we can and, love him or hate him, Brady produced a lot of memorable moments while he was in New England.
Perhaps “THE” most memorable was New England’s 2017 come from behind Super Bowl VI win over the Atlanta Falcons, which we watched on a beach in the BVIs. Sadly, tonight though, Brady’s last game was not his best performance. It was difficult to watch, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, go out on such a low note. The pizza was good though!
In the morning we decided to move the boat closer to Staniel Cay to make it easier to “jug” water and fill our tanks. We also were looking forward to visiting the famous Thunderball Grotto and maybe those pigs.
But more about that, next time.
Additional Photos:
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