| Just Another Lousy Day In
Paradise
Jump on a boat and
sail off into the sunset.
Find that deserted island and just hang out.
Maybe do a little fishin’
Maybe do a little partyin’
But mostly do NOT much.
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Sounds great, and we have all wished that we could do just that.
I have had the privilege to do exactly
that a few years ago. In the process, I managed to snap a few photos while otherwise
dealing with navigation, dragging anchors, squall lines, and a long line of
"sun-downers" – those drinks you share with new found friends while sitting
on the stern of your vessel watching yet another fantastic sunset.
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Staniel
Cay is just about the midway point down the Exuma chain of Islands from Nassau in the
Bahama Islands. For the winter group of migrating live aboard cruisers, this unobtrusive
anchorage boasts a winter Pig Roast on the beach and snorkeling in Thunder Ball Cave
featured in the James Bond movie. |
The
Bahamas are all low, limestone rocks that have not much vegetation on top. In a few places
the geology can be seen above water. Eroded by eons of wave action, this outcrop makes a
nice frame for the pink sand beaches of Highborn Cay. |
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Not
coral, but limestone, these formations are only found in shallow water where the wave
action is low. |
Housing
tends to be functional. Being in the path of many summer hurricanes and winter squalls,
concrete and cinderblocks are the norm. Why move the stump? The next storm will move it
and besides, it makes a nice place to tie up the dinghy. |
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The
Family Island Regatta is held each spring in Georgetown, Exuma. Bahamian sloops from as
far away as 300 nautical miles are sailed or towed into the harbor behind Stocking Island
to compete in four classes. These boats work. To be in this race every boat must have been
making money and be built in the Bahamas by a Family Islander. Their design is ideal for
running the shallow waters of the banks while the sails are simple to handle and repair. |
Ballast
is of the human form and uses construction lumber as a temporary platform for "hiking
out." |
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The "A" class
settles in on the starboard tack, up wind, with hiking boards out and ballast in place. |
"Headway"
at anchor in the Exuma Islands. |
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| Gregory F. White
453-7305
478-3848
gfwhite@jump.net |
