CODA STILL HERE IN THE BAHAMAS 2025 (31)

CODA : exploring the Exuma Islands, Bahamas.

10 February 2025 

Monument Beach, Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown, Great Exuma Cay, Bahamas 

Monument Beach anchorage from the top of Monument Hill.

Marc-  We enjoyed a hearty breakfast of french toast and sausages while listening to the VHF radio daily harbor update.  We learned that there are currently 297 boats in the harbor.

We were all set for our trail walking on Stocking Island. The Monument Hill trail has its own dock (showing its age but still safe to use) at Monument Beach.  The trail went through mostly palm trees until it started its vertical section.  There was even a section with nylon lines to help pull yourself up.  Our Nordic walking sticks were most helpful.  We were soon at the top enjoying awesome views of all of Stocking Island and Georgetown as well.  There actually is a Monument on top, though there is nothing written on it.  We descended the back side of the hill to reach the Ocean side of the Island and its incredible beaches and reefs.  

We walked several miles south on the beach before crossing back over the Island to visit the Chat 'N' Chill area.  Chat 'N' Chill is a beachfront bar, barbecue, tourist store and Island visitors gathering place.  Tables are set under palm trees and casuarina trees (often called Australian pine, but its not a conifer at all).  There are nearby volleyball courts and a a nice beach. We stayed for a bit and visited.  I walked down the beach to see what people were making a fuss about.  The next thing I knew a stingray was coming right up to me (at my feet). Apparently I was not his type and just left.  I think perhaps tourists may feed them so he was probably looking for food.

We stopped at the Island part of the Peace and Plenty Restaurant/hotel that we stopped in Georgetown for dinner last night.  Nice cabins and a large expansion going on there.  We made a brief stop at the bar before returning to Coda. (5.7 mile walk.)

Monument trail dock.

It is difficult to see how steep this trail is from a photo.  Let's just say the nylon line is necessary.

Trail starting to flatten out near the top.

A zoomed in look from the top of Monument Hill of Coda below 

with the Coconut Club in the foreground.

Down to the ocean side (the dark blue is a reef).

Oceanside reef on Stocking Island.

Ocean side beach on Stocking Island.

Things you see at Chat 'N' Chill beach.

There are no roads around here, only waterways.

While walking in the water.

I seem to have made a friend.

Awesome stingray.

Conch shell pile.

Now where do we go?

Wait we know at least two of these places.

Under the palm trees.

Great place for a swing.

Our return walk up the beach.

And there she is: Monument Hill.

Sue:  Well, it was good to get out and walk.  The Bahamian trails I have seen to date leave something to be desired (signage) but other than that they are fine.  If it was up to me to get us back to the boat we would still be out there, but thankfully Marc has a map in his head.  There was a great breeze on the ocean side, and there is pretty much always a breeze on the harbor side.  We used the boat shower for the first time, and it was surprisingly awesome.  

There was a kid with an electric surfboard in the harbor today.  He rides above the water (hydrofoil) and you see the fin of the thing.  We have never seen this before and have no idea how it works.

So that is what we did today:  breakfast, long walk, shower, lunch/dinner, some reading, and before we knew it the sun was setting.

  

CODA STILL HERE IN THE BAHAMAS 2025 (30)

CODA : exploring the Exuma Islands, Bahamas.

9 February 2025 

Elizabeth Harbor central anchorage, Georgetown, Great Exuma Cay, Bahamas  

Well anchored with at least 200 other boats here tonight.

Marc-  The weather forecast made me do it.  The long range weather indicated that the next (after today) good weather day to travel down Exuma Sound (Atlantic Ocean) to Georgetown was February 16th.  We were out of Black Point at 07:30 with light favorable winds and no waves as we sailed down to Little Farmer's Cay.  There were still many boats anchored around the Island after the Inter Island Regatta and other weekend festivities.  Sue suggested that we should anchor and check the place out.  Oh no. I was on a mission to take advantage of the 24 hour weather window so we proceeded.

As soon as we arrived at Little Farmer' Inlet you could see the turbulence of wind against tide.  The mistake that I made was assuming the conditions outside the inlet were as predicted (fairly calm seas and light winds.  The Inlet waves and turbulence lasted only 10 minutes.  The ocean conditions of six foot swells, intersected by SE wind driven waves of 3 feet,  made you feel like you were in the middle of a washing machine.  Unfortunately the latter lasted for 4 hours until conditions improved during our approach to Georgetown.  We anchored in the middle of the harbor so as to be able to get to the village easily as well as the barrier beach Island.

Sunrise at Black Point.

We had a short rain shower once out in Exuma Sound.  Quite a rainbow Eh?

Yes we made it to this colorful town.

We took the dinghy into the inner Harbor, which is called Lake Victoria, where we saw this little boat called "Barbie Boat," a traditional Bahamian racing boat.

Although we could not see the sunset, the sunset 

was reflected.

We went to a restaurant called Peace and Plenty where we ate at the bar and watched the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

7-0 Philadelphia.  It was all downhill from here for Kansas City.

Sue:  It was a miserable day.  It was supposed to be a calm day on the water, and it wasn't.  It was a relief to get to Georgetown.  I can hardly believe how big the harbor is.  We walked around Georgetown Village.  It was 5pm by the time we got there, it was Sunday, and everything was closed but some restaurants.  It's the biggest city we've been to yet (we never did get ashore on Nassau) but I didn't see much to explore another day on our brief walk around.  Tomorrow we'll check out the beach and walking trails.

CODA STILL HERE IN THE BAHAMAS 2025 (29)

CODA : exploring the Exuma Islands, Bahamas.

8 February 2025 

Black Point harbor anchorage, Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay, Bahamas  

Kathleen's cave exit (Atlantic Ocean side of Great Guana Cay).

Marc-  We started the day off with a fantastic ocean beach tour by our friend Kathleen.  Great exercise.  

She led us out from her cottage and down a small trail to a beach with numerous coral headlands.  Sue and Kathleen spent time looking for shells and coral (they found plenty of both).  Unfortunately there is plastic and other kinds of trash on the beach.  I searched the tidal pools for living creatures.  I found mollusks, small fish and birds.

The first beach headland (Kathleen's cave entrance is to the left of center).

Kathleen and Sue.

A brain coral the size of a basketball.

The last headland.

We walked back across the bay at low tide to our dinghy.  Kathleen's cottage looks out at this AND at the ocean.

After lunch we headed over to Staniel Cay (5 miles away) to refill our diesel and water tanks.  It is an impressive resort town with Thunderbolt Grotto of James Bond fame in its harbor.

We stopped over at a Cay called Big Major's Spot to see the swimming pigs.  Farm raised pigs live in structures just off of the beach and often swim out to be fed by visiting boaters.

Two tides a day keep everything clean here.

A rather fast swimmer.

Visitors feeding the pigs.

German boat here to see the swimming pigs.

Boats returning from the inter-island regatta at Little Farmer's Cay.

We were enjoying dinner at Lorraine's Restaurant while our laundry was being done at Ida's Laundromat next door.

Sue:  We had a nice time with Kathleen.  It was great to see Black Point from her point of view.  She has  been coming here for 15 years.

The restaurant photo posted yesterday is Lorraine's, where we had dinner tonight.

We'll have to return some day to Staniel Cay, as it seems like a fun place to explore.  Marc got a brochure when he paid for the diesel, and it's more like a photo album than just a brochure. The first and last pages are vellum.  Marc said the yacht club was super ritzy (had to go in to pay and I stayed in the boat).  There were a lot of boats in the harbor, including one from Hyannis, MA and one from Germany.  We didn't take the time to look at other boats; we got the diesel and water, saw the pigs (definitely worth the short trip; they were fun), and returned to Black Point.  We are leaving tomorrow because of weather.  There are 2 more good weather days, so we will go to Little Farmer's Cay, or Lee Stocking Island,  tomorrow and then Georgetown, a big place we can be stuck in for a few days.

Traditional Bahamian Class C boats.

Coda out there beyond the mooring balls.

CODA HERE IN THE BAHAMAS 2025 (28)

 CODA : exploring the Exuma Islands, Bahamas.

7 February 2025 

Black Point harbor anchorage, Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay, Bahamas  

The anchored boats are careful to stay out of the freighter freeway to the Government Pier.

(Photo taken from Black Point Yacht Club.)

Marc-  We did a morning trip of 25 miles arriving at 12:15 anchored right in front of the beach in 8.9 feet of very clear water.  It is very hard to determine depth in water this clear (without a depth finder).

Sue contacted our friend Kathleen Patton who came to the dock to give us a grand tour of the place.

White sand beach named "Plain Beach" on the south end of Little Bay.

While the roads were a bit bumpy it was fun to get driven around in a cool golf cart.  We even saw a bobcat when driving near the dump (brings back memories of Vermont when small towns had dumps).

We passed many homes in various stages of construction.  Apparently only Bahamians can own real estate here.  Others simply lease the land.  Most homes are made of reinforced concrete block.  Some of the roads are paved but most are not.  The highpoint was going to the Plain Beach.  This beach is breathtaking and has a castle set on a hill nearby.

Wow!

The blue cottage on the right of the yellow one is Kathleen's.  It straddles the Isthmus with both bay and ocean views.

Cottage Bay view.

We enjoyed lunch at the Black Point Yacht Club.  Locally caught fresh seafood.

View from the impeccable laundromat.

What no ice cream?  Kathleen did say there was a good supply of ice cream at Adderley's Friendly Market.  All we had to do was follow the village children headed over for ice cream on their bikes.  

Sue:  I don't think the photo of the lunch spot is where we had lunch.  We need to double check that.  Anyway, we had conch fritters as an appetizer, Kathleen had a conch burger, and we had shrimp tacos.  Very good food.  

It's quiet in the harbor and in town because a lot of people have left for nearby Farmer's Cay, where there is an annual festival called "The First Friday Festival."  It is famous for its sailboat races (the Bahamian class C sailboat), the winner of which one year was Will Patten, et al!