Crew Log for January 31st - February 1st, 2023
Trip Summary:
• Staniel Cay to Black Point
• Trip Distance of 10.6 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 2,869.3 NM
• Departed at 09h30, arrived at 11h20
One of my motivations for doing this adventure was the reality of how quickly life passes by. Today would have been my father’s 93rd birthday. Sadly, Walter passed away in September of 1988 at the age of 59. When I think about how young he was when he left this world and what he has missed, it saddens me. It does serve however as motivation for me to get my butt off the couch and experience life, while I still can. Happy Birthday Dad, wherever you are. We’re thinking about you and wishing we could share this experience with you.
We’ve heard good things about Black Point from our friends on NoMastE who have been there since they left us several days in Warderick Wells. They were sticking around a bit longer to attend the Grand Opening of Lorraine’s new restaurant. Lorraine’s Café has long been a favorite spot with visiting cruisers, along with a visit to Lorraine’s Mom’s place for fresh bread. A side note. Despite the popularity of her bread, I have never met anyone who actually knows Lorraine’s mother’s name. She is simply known as, “Lorraine’s Mom”.
Great Guana Cay is centrally located in the Exuma Island chain, just south of Staniel Cay. Despite it’s proximity to Staniel Cay, Great Guana has a very different feel and represents a true slice of life in the “Out Islands”. The small town at Black Point Settlement sits on a wide bight facing west between Staniel Cay to the north and Farmer’s Cay to the south. While Black Point doesn’t have any slips or moorings, it is one of the largest and best anchorages in the Exumas, and has close, easy access to “town”.
The population of Black Point is less than 100 people, who are all extremely friendly and very welcoming to visiting cruisers. It still amazes me that you can land your dinghy on the beach next to the government dock and leave it unattended for hours without worrying about it. We felt perfectly “at home” here and had no concerns about walking through town at anytime during the day or night.
When you ask other cruisers what they like about Black Point, one of the first things they mention is the laundry facilities and of course Lorraine’s. However, it offers so much more. There is a spigot for water, conveniently located across the street from the government dock beach, several choices of restaurants and a small grocery store for provisioning and a place to get your propane tank filled. If it’s available of course. The one thing that is lacking however is fuel. A new fuel dock is being built, but reports are it has been in the works for several years, so it’s unlikely to be operational any time soon.
The anchorage provided excellent protection for winds out of the south east, which is what we had. The sandy bottom provides good holding and the water is crystal clear.
While some cruisers opt to avoid laundromats, we found them to be a great place to meet and interact with fellow cruisers. We first met Adanaco doing laundry in Shelburne, Nova Scotia and we continue to cross paths with them 6 months later. At the Black Point laundromat we bumped into Kory, who we first met back in Fort Pierce, Rene and Jim on mv Nomad who were in Cambridge Cay with us and Allan and Bev on sv Dagny who we met at Bell Island while we waited out the storm. Sitting, waiting for laundry, is more enjoyable when you can use the time to catch with old friends.
“Stick” manages the Rockside Laundromat. He got his name from the local minister who liked to give all the kids nicknames. Stick was friendly enough until things went slightly sideways. On the day we were there, he and Kory butted heads over something, and Stick accused Judy of not inserting the token into the machine properly. It was tense for awhile, but we managed to get the laundry done.
Stick’s boss also cuts hair outside next to the laundromat. I wasn’t tempted, but Allan from Dagny got a cut and planned to come back the following day to do their laundry. Stick promised to have the place opened by 06h30 the following morning. What he didn’t say was, he won’t be around until 08h00 with the tokens for the machines. Technically, he kept his promise, which didn’t help Allan and Bev much. They were hoping for an early start, but like everything, plans change.
We had counted over 60 boats in the anchorage, which long time cruisers suggested might have been a record. They were all here for the Grand Opening of Lorraine's and we soon figured out why it was so poplar.
We arrived at Lorraine’s shortly after things were scheduled to start and the place was already buzzing. The Grand Opening featured a complimentary buffet of hot and cold foods, an open bar and live music. Stick was there, which may explain why he was tardy the following morning and many other local residents, along with the cruisers. Eventually someone suggested passing a hat to help defray some of the costs.
We met a number of fellow cruisers, including Savannah and Marco on Cajun and Mario and Jolyn on Revival, both out of New Brunswick. I also spotted a guy wearing a Nova Scotia t-shirt. Warren Webber was on Sunset Dream’n 2, a Irwin 38 center cockpit. Warren has travelled back and forth to the Bahamas several times, but he keeps the boat in Florida now. Warren is a graduate of the former Nova Scotia Teachers’ College which was in my home town of Truro. He graduated in 1966 and spent many years teaching Tech Ed, before retiring to Rhodes Corner, Nova Scotia. He knew my cousin in law who also was a Tech Ed teacher and several former colleagues of mine.
We originally planned to continue south the Farmer’s Cay but we enjoyed Black Point so much, we decided to extend our stay. We, along with Anodyne and NoMastE also wanted to go back to Lorraine’s for supper as a show of our appreciation for her generosity, the night before.
We explored the village, watching the kids in their school uniforms shooting baskets in the playground and chatted with the ladies weaving straw baskets along the side of the road, for the Nassau craft market. A lot of local residents take a water taxi into Staniel Cay for work, either in construction or in the hospitality industry. There were a few fishing boats here, but we never did find anyplace to purchase fresh fish. The lady at the local grocery store told us, most of what they catch is either for themselves or the more lucrative markets in Nassau or Staniel Cay.
It seemed like everyone was headed to Farmers Cay for the Regatta, one of the more popular events in the Exumas, so we decided to check out what all the fuss was about.
But more about that, next time.
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