With the Pigs and Big Dogs

June 16 – 17,  2012

After we left Black Point early in the morning, we only traveled a short distance (1.5 hrs in time, but even that much was because we had to go around a big rock bar) north to Big Majors Spot.  It is a popular anchorage because of its big size, good holding, sandy beaches and clear water.  We have anchored here several times in years past.

Little FLUKE at Big Majors

You can't feel alone here because the anchorage is packed with multimillion dollar charter yachts in the 70 - 200' range.  They pick up their guests in Nassau and use Big Majors as a southern terminus point where the charterers can fly out of the small airstrip on nearby Staniel Cay if they don't make the return trip to Nassau.  Some guests may begin their charter here.  The yachts supply all kinds of aquatic toys for their guests, and the waters around Big Majors are perfect for guests of all ages.  It is interesting watching the big yachts arrive, get anchored, and bring out all the toys, and within minutes, the guests are jumping in the water.  We like looking at the different styles of yachts; it is amazing how varied they are. 

Captain Wayne decided to treat us to pizza for dinner, so Eddie and I went ashore on Staniel Cay while he stayed aboard and worked on his dough.  Staniel Cay is an old settlement, but has undergone a lot of vacation home development over the years and enjoys a lot of visits from cruisers and sportfishermen on a regular basis which is the basis of the local economy.  The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is one of those old time bar/restaurants where you could walk in and see some celebrity bellied up to the bar blending in with everyone else, talking fish or boat speak.

Staniel Cay villas

Staniel Cay's popularity is aided by the fact that it can provide a family atmosphere and not just function as a sportfishermen's hideaway.  The cute, island color villas are scenically located and provide amenities just like home.  If you rent the villa closest to the fish cleaning table you can watch the sharks and rays eating fish scraps right from your porch.  The in town beach is easily accessed and has its own set of water toys.

Old town

The older parts of town still have the very narrow streets from the days when there were few automobiles, or like now more commonly seen, trucks, on the cay.  I remember coming here years ago and only seeing tiny, foreign made “vans” and a couple of golf cars.  Most everyone walked everywhere.  Notice the bright blue buildings in this photo, obviously not government buildings.  All the buildings on Staniel Cay are painted with a whole rainbow of tropical island colors, more so than I can think of on any other island.

Bahamian rainbow

We just happen to luck out and find the mailboat, CAPTAIN C tied up to the government dock, but it had already unloaded the cargo and was getting ready to pull away.  A couple of men aboard the boat were flirting with and making lewd remarks to a woman on shore, and that got everyone laughing.  When the boat began backing and turning from the dock, the anchor on the bow caught the top of the end piling, making a loud crunching sound while we were still standing on the dock.  I thought the whole corner of the dock might get ripped off, but the anchor tilted and freed itself without pulling over the piling.

Aground!

Because the channel into the government dock is so narrow, the CAPTAIN C just can't back off the dock and make a straight away turn.  The captain has to pull forward toward shore and run the bow aground in the shallow water.  Then the powerful engine is used to slowly turn and back the boat within the confines of the channel until it is deep enough to pull off the bow.

If you look in the background of the photo you can see a wall that looks like it has a design on it.  If you can enlarge it, you will see that the pattern is made from conch shells imbedded in the wall, literally thousands of big, ocean conchs, upright, side by side.  I've never seen another unique wall made like that!

Little racer

This pretty little regatta racer was tied up close to the dock.  They are always christened with clever names and usually have fancy paint jobs.

Get your BIG drinks here

There was a new bar just a few paces from the government dock.  I thought it was aptly named for the clientele that visit the island.  From the breed in the photo, I was wondering if that slime quarterback Michael Vick might be part owner.

We had beached the dinghy on the town beach and headed back there with the idea of taking a detour before going back to FLUKE. 

The number one attraction in the area is Thunderball Cave where the movies Thunderball and Splash were filmed.  You can snorkel inside the cave, which is open in the roof for good lighting, and you will think you are in an aquarium.  The fish are used to being fed and will come right up to your swim mask.  We could see several boats outside the cave, and I knew there was a lot of laughter going on inside.  I love snorkeling in there, but didn't expect to have the chance to during this visit. 

The number two attraction is what I call Pig Beach, for reasons which are obvious in the following two photos.  Everyone at least dinghies close to shore to visit the “locals”.

Don't get my feet wet!

The pigs reside on a beautiful, sandy beach with a clear bottom and no rocks.  Some people anchor their dinghies and get out to pet the pigs, feed them by hand, and just float around in the water.  I don't think those people have ever seen pig poop like I have, which is why I will not lounge in the water with the pigs.  The bigger the pig, the bigger the stool.

Getting ready for the pig roast

The pigs are so conditioned to people bringing them something to eat that they swim out to every boat that comes near their beach.  If you don't have anything, they will just turn around and head back to shore or to the next boat they see.  The pigs get fattened off the scraps from all the boaters until they are big enough to meet the demand for a pig roast.

When we got back to FLUKE it was still early enough to pile Ursa in the dinghy and take her for a beach walk since she had been on the boat all day and would like the exercise.

Wear your water shoes

Even though the water is crystal clear and you can easily see the rocks, if your foot slips off you could get stuck by sea urchins which hide under the rocks during the day.

Eddie and I scavenged the beach for driftwood and other “treasures”.  All the cays in this area are frequented by people, and it is common practice to “mark your presence” by adding a stone to a cairn.  Cairns are generally located on a prominent point of land, but they can get started anywhere there are smooth rocks that people just want to pile up one on another.  There is just this strange urge to have to add another rock to the top, and some cairns end up being several feet tall.

Just one more rock

The following morning was devoted to a 3 hr. dinghy ride through the scenic Pipe Creek area, where we thought we could get protection from the wind coming out of the east.  We were fine most of the time, but there are ocean cuts which got pretty bumpy, and we ended up getting soaked.

Island sailors

We never get tired of seeing the colorful sights that abound throughout the tiny cays in this area.  Every turn brings another surprise and affords a new opportunity for exploration.

While the morning was for fun, the afternoon was for work.  The W & E Marine Maintenance Team took the dinghy to a pigless beach so that they could work on a problem with the dinghy motor's turning swivel joint.  It has been getting stiffer, and we are wondering if we have waited so long and let it get so hard to turn, that maybe damage has occurred in the steering mechanism behind the wheel in the helm too.  The WEMMT did a big grease job on the whole thing, and it does turn a bit easier.  However, it is in need of some more extensive exploratory surgery when better operating conditions are available.

Rather than stay longer at Big Majors, we decided to spend some more time in the Exumas by visiting Exuma Land and Sea Park, several miles north.  We headed up that way in the morning of June 18.