And Zero at the Bone — Cupcake Afloat

This afternoon we made a last-minute change of plans to check out an anchorage we’ve explored twice by dinghy but never visited in Cupcake. Initially we intended to head to Thunderball (again) so we could fill up the diesel tank and seek shelter from a front blowing through this evening through Friday. But we’ve been to Thunderball and Staniel Cay so many times, that just before we committed to that course of action, we diverted to a tricky spot in South Staniel Cay.

Tricky tricky. But not too tricky for Cupcake and her salty crew. — Tricky tricky. But not too tricky for *Cupcake* and her salty crew.

South Staniel Cay is where we found the yellow submarine a few months ago when we explored by dinghy with Jennabird. The anchorage provides protection from WSW through NE winds, is devoid of other cruisers, and is lovely. The three drawbacks are: 1) the approach is super intricate, shallow, and rocky (but that’s really a challenge to be met, not a problem to be avoided), 2) it is off the end of the airstrip so we have been buzzed by every little plane coming and going, 3) there are lots of gnat boats scooting past leaving wakes.

The flights seem to be over for the day, the gnat boats are pretty much done by late afternoon as well. So now we are almost alone in this anchorage. There’s still a little bit of chop that needs to lie down (some leftover boat wake, some residual waves from the west winds) but overall the spot seems pretty secure.

The last of the fuzzy that needed to be scraped.

Ellen and I checked out the wreck of a small plane, then we finished scrubbing Cupcake’s hull.

Same day, calm as can be on the Banks at Lee Stocking.

After we left Lee Stocking a few days ago, we took the very shallow Galliot Banks passage to Galliot Cut. Part of the reason we went this route was because we thought the Sound would be lumpier than we would find comfortable, and part of the reason was we wanted to see if Cupcake could make it through the shallow spots on the Banks. No problem. It was a pleasant ride, even considering the squall we caught the edge of as we approached our anchorage.

We spotted the squall, monitored it on radar, and slowed down so we wouldn’t find ourselves anchoring during the worst of it. As it happened, we enjoyed the wind and rain because we had plenty of sea room to deal with the weather, then we anchored under bright, sunny skies once again.

Nine feet deep and it looked like about two.

In the morning, we snorkeled Galliot hoping to catch a lobster before the season ends on April 1. but none were to be found. What we did find was a group of four majestic spotted eagle rays flying in formation. They passed underneath us as we snorkeled, then made their way back to the deeper water. The largest of the group had a wingspan of at least 7’. Eagle rays are big, stately, graceful creatures. Also, they have spots.

We left Galliot late in the morning because we had a busy day ahead. Our next stop was Oven Rock on the southwest side of Great Guana Cay. We had read about a hike that led to a cave in a hillside, in the cave was a saltwater snorkel spot complete with blind shrimp, stalactites, and stalagmites.

When we got to the cave, there was another group of sailors there, one of them insisted we borrow his dive light so we could snorkel and really get creeped out. So we did, but I couldn’t bear it for more than a few minutes…seeing the dark water drop away into the black abyss was not my thing. Nevertheless, we did see plenty of those blind shrimp (also creepy) and pretty cool limestone formations.

Back out in the sunlight, we enjoyed the walk across another gorgeous Bahamian island before setting out through flat clear seas to the Castle anchorage south of Black Point. That’s a lot of activity for one day. And Ellen figures she hauled about 250’ of chain anchoring at all those stops.

Once the hook was set, we checked out the lovely crescent beach ashore. While Ellen and I were wading in the shallows, a shark came cruising by along the beach. Seeing a shark when I am in the water often makes me think of Emily Dickinson’s “A narrow Fellow in the Grass.”

A narrow Fellow in the Grass

Occasionally rides -

You may have met him? Did you not

His notice instant is -

The Grass divides as with a Comb,

A spotted Shaft is seen,

And then it closes at your Feet

And opens further on -

He likes a Boggy Acre -

A Floor too cool for Corn -

But when a Boy and Barefoot

I more than once at Noon

Have passed I thought a Whip Lash

Unbraiding in the Sun

When stooping to secure it

It wrinkled And was gone -

Several of Nature’s People

I know, and they know me

I feel for them a transport

Of Cordiality

But never met this Fellow

Attended or alone

Without a tighter Breathing

And Zero at the Bone.

Last night was a very calm one at the Castle, and when we awoke in the morning, we got underway to Black Point so we could do a couple of quick loads of laundry before getting anchored at South Staniel for the coming weather.

Moss drove from anchor up to anchor down.

When we left Georgetown we planned to take our time getting north through the Exumas, intending to revisit favorite places as well as stop at anchorages we skipped over on the way down. So far so good. It looks like we will take two or three weeks to cover the same ground our pals on Jennabird managed in about three days.