Bahamas

The trip we took for spring break 2021 was two years in the making. For spring break of 2020 we had been planning to charter a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands (a trip that Dave and I took for New Year’s of 2000). It’s a trip that requires a lot of planning, so we had begun to map it all out in 2019. Then of course the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and all trips were cancelled. This March of 2021, we decided that we really (really really really) needed to get away. Even though no one was vaccinated yet, we decided to go ahead and take it. The BVIs were out however because of their very strict quarantining rules, so we decided to move the vacation to the Exumas, which is where we visited the Sharps in 2018. We were also taking the trip with the Townsend’s and they’ve never been before.

The wait was worth it.

On March 28th we got a direct flight from Philly to Nassau. It was a packed flight, full of college spring breakers, which made us all feel a little uneasy, but fortunately it was quick and no one got sick. Once we landed, we rented a car and headed to Palm Key Marina where we got the boat. The Townsends were already there by the time we arrived.

While Crystal and I unpacked everyone into thier spaces, John and Dave went to the grocery store to provision us for the week. We knew there was only one place we were stopping all week that would potentially have food, so there was a lot they had to buy.

We chartered a 45 foot catamaran that had 4 bedrooms. Lauren and Bella shared a room, Sophie had her own room, and then each couple had a room. It had a great outdoor dining areas, as well as an indoor dining area, kitchen, and top deck seating area (where I drank coffee and watched the sun rise almost every morning).

On Saturday we headed out for the week, with our longest distance ahead of us to Shroud Cay. It was a rough ride – we were against the wind the entire time and the waves were big and relentless. Everyone but Dave and Sophie felt sick, with yours truly yacking off the side a few times. Not the best start to the trip, but we knew it would be a rough day, and fortunately the only one.

We arrived in Shroud Cay in the late afternoon and had time to do some exploring. We took the dinghy through a protected mangrove area where we found ourselves at the most picturesque beach. On our way to the beach we saw a few sea turtles and a lot of cool birds.

The next day we headed from Shroud to Waderick Wells Cay where we we got a mooring ball – one of the few available because there is such a small area that is deep enough during low tide.

That afternoon we did some hiking to an amazing beach we had all to ourselves (which was fortunately most beaches we found) where we had afternoon cocktails and snacks. Dave brought his drone so he got some pretty amazing shots of our whole trip, including this beach.

The next morning we hiked again, to another part of the island called Boo Boo Hill where boat owners leave wooden signs with the names of thier boats on them. We had left a sign with the name of Sharps boat, So Many Stars, in 2018, but couldn’t find it again. There are hundres of signs there, so I’m sure it was just buried somewhere.

looking for the So Many Stars sign from 2018

After Waderick Wells, we made our way to Staniel Cay, one of the only islands with inhabitants on it. On our way we made a detour to see the swimming pigs. When we got there we were the only dinghy on the beach and the pigs were very happy to see us – one in particular. The girls feds them lots of carrots, and when they started to try to climb into the boat, we had to back away a bit.

Once we made it to Staniel Cay we anchored in the harbour, which was the most crowded place we’d been to yet, and took the dinghy in to get COVID tests, which was requried on our 5th day in the country. The testing “clinic” was more of a pop up tent in the parking lot of the Staniel Cay yacht club, but they all came back negative and were submitted to the government, so we’ll take it! After that Crystal and I took the girls to the beach and Dave and John went to the liquor/laundry mat to replenish our refreshments.

the “clinic” where we got our 5-day COVID tests

Right outside of Staniel Cay Yacht Club is where fisherman clean their catch from the day, which attracts a slew of sharks. They’re mostly Nurse sharks, so not super aggressive – unless you’re fish guts.

the table where the fisherman clean their fish

After that we went snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto, a famous place to snorkel that is a cave with an opening at the top to let light in. In the water are thousands of cool fish and above water is this amazing cave to explore. It’s a little chilly because no sun reaches it – but worth it!

The next day we left Staniel and headed to Cambridge Cay. On our way we made a stop where we found another smaller, but still very cool cave to go snorkeling called Rocky Dundas. It had stalactite and stalagmite formations and an opening at the top to let light in. We also explored a place called Rachel’s Bubble Bath, which is a calm lagoon separated by the sea by a rock bar. Every so often the waves will crash over the rock bar into the lagoon, making a bubble bath effect.

We then continued the trip to Cambridge Cay where we got a mooring ball in a mooring field with about a dozen other boats. After we hung out for a bit we took the dinghy to an area called The Aquarium, which is known for it’s snorkeling. It did not dissapoint.

That evening we hiked to a beach for sunset cocktails and snacks. Dave took his drone out again and got some good shots.

The next morning we headed out early to an area called Highborn where we anchored next to an island known as Bitter Iguana Cay, which is filled with iguanas. I’ve never seen an iguana in the wild, and this island had hundreds of them. It was nuts! We kayaked over and the girls fed them lettuce. As soon as the boat landed on the island the iguana emerged from every corner – creeping from behind trees and climbing over rocks – it was super creepy. But they were just there for the lettuce.

That afternoon was yet another beach with cocktails and snacks. Fortunately, we found a beach with fewer iguanas. The girls spent hours looking for creatures (and came back with quite a few).

drone shot of the girls looking for creatures

That night the adults stayed up late on the top deck star gazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many starts in my entire life. It was amazing. The next morning we visited the iguanas one more time before we had to make the trip back to Nassau. Fortunately the trip back was much (much) calmer. The wind was with us this time and we ended up sailing most of the way.

We spent our final night at the marina, dinner of a combo of leftovers and food from the restaurant, and a late night dance party. It was an amazing trip! We can’t wait to go back!

April 2, 2018

Bahamas Vacation

In October the Sharps left for their eight month adventure down the East Coast and into the Bahamas. We were lucky enough to meet them in December in Key West, and lucky again to meet up with them in The Exumas, Bahamas, for spring break. It was amazing! We leaving a cold, snowy Philly and it was warm AND beautiful!

SATURDAY

We left Saturday morning, flew to Nassau, and then took the sketchiest plane I’ve ever been on to Staniel Key. Only a 30 minute flight, thank God. There was electrical tape holding some of the lights up, and not all seat belts worked, I’m not kidding.

Here we are taking up almost half the plane. They had to seat us according to weight.

During a stop over at another island, Sophie jumped up to sit right behind the pilots.

Here’s a shot of Staniel Key from the plane. By far the most populated island we were on all week (in fact, the only populated island). Accessibly via sketchy plane and private yacht, making it an interesting mixture of locals, a handful of cruisers (like the Sharps), and very wealthy folks – half totally pretentious and half totally crusty.

Once we arrived in Staniel Key a woman who worked at the airport (which was a building the size of our living room) was nice enough to give us a ride on her golf cart to the yacht club, where the Sharp’s boat was.

Here are the girls in the back of the golf cart.

We met up with the Sharps at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, which had one of two restaurants on the island. It also had a large group of Nurse sharks that hung right in the water outside. They congregate there because it’s where the fisherman throw their scraps. They’re not aggressive, so the girls could go down and pet them.

SUNDAY

On Sunday we went snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto, made famous by the James Bond Thunerball movie. It was a cave that you had to hit right at slack tide, otherwise it was too hard to get into. Once inside it opened up to this amazing space that was lit from above by an opening. There were thousands of fish. It was pretty incredible. Sophie snorkeled with us, Lauren didn’t want to leave the boat.

Dave brought his go pro – here’s one of the videos.

After the Grotto we left Staniel and headed to Shroud Cay. It was about a four hour boat ride. We anchored and took the dinghy and kayaks to this beautiful beach, which you got to via a winding waterway through mangroves.

Here’s a shot of Kathy prepping to lower the anchor. It was pretty amazing – the entire week we hardly saw other people. Each anchorage had maybe two or three other boats.

On the kayak trip to the beach we saw a lot of sea turtles, including this guy.

Me in the kayak.

Sunday night’s sunset. They were all pretty amazing – it was hard to pick just one to post.

MONDAY – WEDNESDAY

On Monday we left for Warderick Wells Cay. We planned on only staying there one night, but the wind really picked up and it was just too dangerous to leave – which I am not complaining about because this place was amazing. I’ve certainly been “stuck” in worse places.

Here’s Warderick Wells.

The tides are pretty extreme there, and when it’s high tide there are some cool intertidal zones. Every day we went and checked out what came in.

Here are the girls exploring.

One of the sharks that we saw. He was pretty small – maybe two feet. He was just waiting there for his dinner to float in.

We did a few hikes at this Cay, including one up to Boo Boo Hill, which was named after the sound the waves make crashing into the cliff.

Here’s a view from the top of Boo Boo Hill. The only non-sailboat is ours.

At the top to Boo Boo Hill people leave the names of their boats on pieces of drift wood. Sophie made a sign for So Many Stars and Dave screwed it in to remain for years to come.

Sophie with her sign.

A family shot on the way up to the top of Boo Boo Hill.

Monday night we celebrated Dave’s 67th birthday. Kathy had bought a cake from a woman who also ran the laundromat in Staniel Cay.

The next day Dave, the girls and I took a hike to another side of the island. We followed a path someone had marked with yellow paint.

…and ended up at another amazing beach – totally secluded.

This one was called Barefoot Beach.

On the main beach there was this huge skeleton of a sperm whale that had died and washed up on the beach years ago. There was a sign that said it had died by ingesting plastic. Later in the week we ended up on a beach that had a lot of plastic that had washed up on it – so we all moved it up to past the waterline, reminding the girls about the whale.

On our last day at Warderick Wells we took the dinghy to another area of the island we hadn’t explored yet and spent the day on the beach. The only other people we saw was a Canadian couple and their granddaughter, who were hiking around.

On most beaches were piles of rocks. Dave and the girls help to build this one.

THURSDAY

The winds finally calmed down enough for us to travel on Thursday and we headed to Cambridge Cay, which was about a two hour boat ride. It was another beautiful anchorage, and when we arrived we were the only boat there, other than a catamaran, which was there permanently to collect mooring fees.

Our first adventure was to an amazing area called The Aquarium, known for some the the best snorkeling in The Exumas. Unfortunately the go pro had gone dead by this point, so there’s not video. Lauren did snorkel with us this time.

Next up, we went to a small island that the girls “claimed” with flags.

First the girls hammed it up…

And then planted their flags.

The next adventure was a hike out to some blowholes.

Dave, his dad, and I went out on Thursday to check it out.

FRIDAY

The next morning we did the blowhole hike again with the kids, Kathy, and Rosie the dog.

The landscape looked a little like Ireland.

Dave his dad and I also hiked to the top of a big hill not far from the blowholes.

Dave and Rosie at the top.

Me with the mooring in the background. A big yacht had joined us the evening before, so there ended up being three of us there.

Panoramic shot from the top of the hill.

After that we were off to see the swimming pigs.

Another two hour boat ride and we anchored right outside of Staniel Cay. We took the dinghy into see the famous pigs. To be honest, they were slightly terrifying. Some of them were huge, and they were very aggressive, coming right up to eat the food you hopefully brought for them (we brought carrots). Although other people were in the water, I wouldn’t let the girls get in, which they were not happy about. They did come right up to the boat though.