The Trip: 1/9/12 Warderick Wells to Georgetown

Hi everyone,
Since we left Warderick Wells, we have had a lot of fun. We have been steadily working our way down the Bahamas, and every place that we visit has new and incredible experiences for us. We visited Staniel Cay, home of the swimming pigs who will swim out to meet your dinghy in hopes of getting food. At the same island is the legendary Thunderball grotto, namesake of the James Bond movie Thunderball. We were able to snorkel into Thunderball grotto, and see the cave where James Bond found the nuclear weapons in Thunderball. Because the limestone that makes up most of the Bahamas is porous and dissolves easily, there are lots of natural limestone caverns and formations on almost every island. This makes for interesting hikes, as well as interesting snorkeling. On some of the smaller, less inhabited islands that we have visited, the snorkeling is incredible because the reefs have not been damaged by thousands of visitors. In Cambridge Cay, there was a coral reef with hundreds of tropical fish which came within inches of snorkelers. One of the fish actually came close enough to nibble Julia's fingers when she hopped in the water. During the course of our trip from Warderick Wells to Georgetown, we managed to make a few new friends and meet a few old ones. We became friends with people from Full Monty, R Cabin, Virage, Good Trade, and What If (we refer to people by their boat name). We also met Misty, who we originally met in Great Bridge in the United States.
Georgetown, where we are currently located, is one of the larger, more developed islands in the Bahamas, second only to Nassau, and it is a popular Christmas destination for boaters. As we few stores to buy gifts at, my Christmas gift to mom and dad was two polished conch shells that I caught and cleaned myself. Julia's gift to them was a sketch of an island scene for dad and a decorated sand dollar for mom. I found a bracelet for Julia at a local shop here on Georgetown, and her gift to me was a lunch out at Chat 'n' Chill Bar and Grill, a beachfront bar on Volleyball Beach. Volleyball Beach is a large beach popular with cruisers and vacationers alike, and every day all the kids from different boats come to play volleyball and meet new people. It is one of our favorite spots to visit after we finish our school work for the day. All in all, we are having a lot of fun and I hope everyone reading this is too.
Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year!
-Paul

Adding our Island Cat 2012 sign to the pile at Warderick Wells.

Julia surrounded with fish.

Taking a hike at Cambridge Cay.

A parrot fish swimming near a coral reef.

The swimming pigs at Staniel Cay.

Going fishing!

A sea turtle cruising over the sand bottom.

Catching my first lobster!

The beautifully-colored houses at Staniel Cay.

We walked by the airport at Staniel Cay on our way to the grocery store. This was the extent of their security.

During the ride back from the Staniel Cay grocery store, the connection between the fiberglass bottom of our
dinghy and the inflatable tube separated, flooding the dinghy with water and nearly sinking us. Dad and I had to winch the motor off the dinghy to make repairs.

The entrance to Thunderball Grotto. Unfortunately it is dark inside the cave, so we didn't get any good photos of the inside of the cave itself.

We went for conch fritters at the Ocean Cabin restaurant on Little Farmers Cay. This is their hours of business.

Julia and I on the front porch of the Ocean Cabin.

Mom and Dad standing inside the Ocean Cabin.

Before we left the Ocean Cabin they made us sing an ode to Little Farmers Cay. This was the first, and probably last, time that I will ever be asked to sing at a restaurant...