Happy Birthday to Pat “Paddy” McGowan (Chuck’s brother) and Lisa Reavis, my beautiful niece.
We left Staniel Cay Yacht Club at 10 a.m. after filling the water tank, jerry jugs and seven one-gallon cans (74 gallons total). The islands that DO have water available is R/O (reverse osmosis) water. Dockage was $2 per foot, electric was $30 a night (we only took one night of power) and $10 for Internet. Fuel was $4.29/gallon. Gas for the dinghy and generator was $4.63/gallon. What a beautiful place!
There is a 5 percent charge for using your credit card on all of the islands and there are no banks. Also, the stores are all very small and most don’t take credit cards and have trouble breaking large bills. Note for next trip: have plenty of cash and small bills on hand!
Shortly after we left, we pulled out the sails and turned the motor off. It’s the first we got to sail without the motor in a while and it felt good. There was 13 knots of wind and seas were less than a foot. It was a beautiful day! Too bad we only had to go about 10 miles.
We arrived at Black Point Settlement at 12:10 p.m. Bum’s Rest arrived about 10 minutes after us.
We put the motor on the dinghy and filled it with laundry, a big bag of trash and the camera. There’s free trash here, so we put a donation in the box. We planned to do laundry when we arrived, but the water line in the town is broken, so no laundry today. It will be on in the morning until 11 a.m. when they’ll shut it down again to work on it. So we’ll probably head over early. There’s an actual laundromat here, like in the states. It’s the first one we’ve seen. Ida also sells marine supplies and offers showers and haircuts. Chuck may get a haircut tomorrow. He’s only had one haircut since we left in October!
It’s a nice island. We took a little walk, but didn’t get too far. Chuck is still trying to find out where the water is coming in and it was heavy on his mind, so we came back to the boat. We were up until midnight trying to figure out where it’s coming from and pumping it out. He took a dive under the boat and checked for any signs of trouble there. Nothing.
We found a little store with meat in their freezer! Adderley’s Friendly Market had chicken parts, breakfast sausage, shrimp, bacon and lunchmeat in the freezer. We were happy for that. We also picked up paper towels and a few other things. There was no meat in any of the stores in Staniel Cay and the boat only brings groceries in on Wednesdays.
Everything is expensive because it is brought in from Nassau or Georgetown and marked up to pay for fuel and labor. I paid $10 for three whole chicken legs. The only lunchmeat we’ve seen on three islands is Oscar Mayer chopped ham. Water is $20+ a case for 12 oz. bottles. I drink a lot of water and have to have it on board. If there is a next time, we’ll have to load up on more water. Three cases didn’t last us very long at all. Paper towels are $3.50 a roll. A can of Dole peaches or pears is $2.95. Bagels are $6 for a package of 5 frozen bagels. Bread is $5 or more a loaf and is frozen because everything spoils so fast.
Most of the islands have a nurse at the government clinic, a very small one- or two-room building in most cases. A doctor comes to the island once a month. They take donations of medical supplies. We left some supplies with the nurse on Staniel Cay.
It’s funny how the islands are all so very different. Each has its own personality. The people are friendly and very welcoming everywhere we go. Their economy depends on the boaters.
Patti and Wayne came over for dinner tonight: salad, lasagna and garlic bread.
Wednesday, March 10:
Today was laundry day! The first time in three weeks and I had four loads. The laundromat is great. Twelve washers and 10 dryers. $3.50 per washer or dryer and one dryer didn't dry all the way, so I had to buy an extra dryer token. Total laundry bill: $31.50. Boy, I feel for those who have to go to the laundromat all the time.
Patti and Wayne had pizza for lunch at DeShaMon and said it was good, so we're here now and just ordered a pizza for lunch. There's free Internet at two cafes here if you buy a drink or something to eat. We're eating on the screened in porch and have Jazzy with us. Wayne and Patti just arrived and are sitting across from us.
Chuck may change the oil today. I think we're going to Big Majors to feed the wild pigs tomorrow. It's right near Thunderball Cave where we snorkeled the other day.
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