Provisioning for 9 people was a whole new dynamic, luckily the marina had a loaner car that we could take to the supermarket and stock up! Every nook and cranny on the boat was filled with supplies and we were ready to head out to other Bahamas Islands.
After a couple of days of getting using to time zone for the Breda Sandersons, we sailed east with a following sea/wind toward Highborne Cay in the Exumas. Part of the trip we sailed across the yellow bank, so named for the color of the water created by the relatively shallow depth. In addition, coral heads dot the bank so we had several “lookout” people on the bow, ensuring the captain knew when to alter course to avoid the dark spots in the water… usually coral heads that if hit, could cause boat damage. With all that help, we made it safely through, no problem.
We elected to start our Exumas adventure at the Highborne Cay marina. Most of the boats there were large motor yachts from Nassau or Cayman Islands or BVIs – it was impressive to see them all. The cay is privately owned and well-appointed and maintained. Included in the stay at the marina was use of all facilities, including loaner bikes (for adults and kids) to explore the island, stone barbecue pits and shelters with large picnic tables to eat meals outside, a beautiful beach on the south end with paddle boards, lounge chairs and floaties, and another lovely beach on the north end of the island with hammocks, volleyball courts, and more paddle boards for our use. Much more than a typical remote Bahamas Island would ever have but we weren’t going to complain about having all that at our disposal!
We stayed at Highborne for 5 nights, partly driven by the weather. Unfortunately, there were several days straight of rain and thunder, so we opted not to try to travel further south toward other Exuma Cays at that time. We made great use of the shelters provided to have meals and play games, as 9 people on a small boat can get quite crowded at times. Some highlights of the stay at Highborne were fishing, snorkeling, riding bikes around all the paths and trails, swimming, watching the nurse sharks feed at the dock by the fish cleaning station, and playing lots of fun games. One favorite was when each person was given an alternate identity, taped to their forehead. Taking turns, we each asked questions about ourselves to try to guess who we were. Great fun!
After looking at the weather forecast, which was for more storms and high winds later in the week, we opted to head back to Palm Cay instead of further south in the Exumas. It was a disappointment, for sure, but one of the realities of sailing is that weather is one of the biggest drivers of destination. We had a good trip back to Palm Cay, with larger seas than the trip over but still got to sail most of the way.
Back at Palm Cay, we made use of the marina amenities, including a lounge where we celebrated Maaren’s 12th birthday! Ava and Kirsten had made great decorations for the boat as well as decorated the cupcakes. Maaren made sure all the other people around us in the lounge got cupcakes as well.
In addition, the big Bahamas Festival called Junkanoo was happening while we were there. A famous body painting artist had a exhibition at Palm Cay and the kids got to see all the dressed up dancers as well as get some body paint of their own!
The only downer of the stay at Palm Cay was that Reed fell and broke his arm. We went to a local clinic and X-rays confirmed a fracture of the humerus, just above his elbow. With a temporary cast until he could see a specialist the following week, we were looking at 4-6 weeks of restricted activity and no swimming. He was pretty bummed out, especially given our plans for the last days of their visit.
Our last few days with Breda Sandersons we spent at the Atlantis Marina in Nassau Harbor. One of the big attractions for staying at the marina was the very large water park that was included with dockage fees. Eric and Karrie and Jasper took turns hanging out with Reed while others went on water slides with a tunnel that dropped through a shark tank! Everyone slept well each day after all that exercise.
The two-week visit flew by and before we knew it, we were waving goodbye as the taxi took the Breda Sandersons to the airport. They are already making plans to visit us again in 2016!
NOTE: The pictures below are not necessarily in order as they are from 3 different cameras and Weebly can be a pain to reorganize them.