Our first stop after exiting the Exumas Cay Land and Sea Park was Staniel Cay. As we neared the island, it was obvious that Staniel Cay was going to be a very different atmosphere than the solitude we just left behind. Surrounded by all of these mega-mega yachts, we instantly felt a stroke of jealousy. I wish our boat had a 3 story slide into the water, jet skis at our disposal, and cool vintage Italian speed boats to zip around on.
The mega-mega yachts were certainly an experience, but I couldn’t wait to do the ONE thing that I’d been looking forward to since leaving Florida. Swim with the pigs! We took the dinghy over to pig beach where we saw about 10 pigs hanging out in the water. These pigs are obviously very well fed by the tourists. They were HUGE. We don’t have a lot of food to spare on the boat, so I only brought one granola bar to offer to the piggies. As soon as we landed the dinghy, there were 10 GIANT pigs charging at me for my granola bar. I was so excited to feed the pigs, but in the moment I just dropped the food and ran. My experience with the pigs wasn’t exactly how I imagined it, but it was still pretty cool to see these wild animals swimming in the crystal clear Bahamian waters. Rob offered a pig some of his beer and made a drinking buddy for life. The pig continued to follow him demanding more. Once the pigs realized that we were out of food, they lost interest in us and moved on to the next boat that was coming to shore.
After the piggies, the next must do at Staniel is snorkeling Thunderball Grotto. Now the rock doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside, the cave opens up and rays of sunshine beam through the top. If you don’t like swimming near fish, then you won’t like the Grotto. There are hundreds of fish dancing in the bursts of light. The coral was gorgeous and it really felt like we were in our own life size aquarium. It’s easy to see why the producers of the James Bond movie, Thunderball, chose this location for filming.
With the swimming pigs and the Grotto checked off our list, it was time to find some fresh produce. We took the dinghy to shore and walked around the town. There were three small grocery stores and a bakery, where we picked up a few supplies. The general store even had the fuel filters we needed for the outboard engine. This was the first time in over a week that we saw a single home on an island, let alone an entire town, so we were happy to stock up and dispose of some trash; even if it cost $6.50 a bag.
While we were on Staniel Cay, we decided to grab a bite and a beer at the Yatch Club bar. It’s a cute and lively bar with pool tables and a water view. We hadn’t been out since my birthday pie at Lorelie’s nearly 3 weeks ago. It was nice to get away from the boat and meet some people. All and all, we enjoyed our stop at Staniel Cay, but after a couple of nights, we were ready to leave the crowds behind.
Our next stop was just a few miles south at Black Point Settlement. Now we have been told my multiple cruisers that Black Point has the BEST laundry. I know what you are a thinking, what could possibly be so wonderful about a laundromat that it becomes famous in the cruising community!?! We too thought it was strange that laundry at Black Point was a must do, but we saved all of our dirty clothes for this stop. We washed everything on our boat, even the cushion covers. This amounted to three loads. And I will say that it was a very nice laundromat. The dinghy dock provides easy access, there is free wifi, you can get a haircut for $15, order conch fitters (5 for a $1), and take a hot shower.
There was a cruisers happy hour at a nearby restaurant, Scorpio’s, so we decided to grab some Caribbean chicken wings and drinks. We met a couple of young cruising couples and exchanged boat stories. It was very nice to meet people with similar experiences. One couple had to replace their boat engine, not once, but TWICE, which made me feel fortunate that are boat issues weren’t nearly as severe.
We really enjoyed Black Point Settlement and would have stayed longer, but Baxter developed an ear infection and despite cleaning it with vinegar, it wasn’t getting any better. We knew he needed some antibiotic cream, but it was going to be difficult to come by. I was able to contact the ONE veterinarian office in the Exumas, which is about 45 miles south in George Town. A vet from Ft. Lauderdale flies in once a month, but we had just missed him. However, they did have some antibiotic cream that they would sell us, so we left Black Point Settlement early on St Patrick’s Day morning with a mission to find Baxter some relief.
On our way, Rob put out some trolling lines in hopes of scoring a tuna. We are now out of the Exumas Cay Land and Sea Park, so fishing is permitted. FISH ON! Another dolphinfish (mahi mahi). Well, it’s not the tuna we were hoping for, but were happy to have the protein. Fish tacos for dinner!
Hello, how did you go from Staniel Cay to Black point please ? On ferry ? Who much does it costs please ? Where can i find a ferry website to order a boat trip from this point to this other one please ? Thank you so much !