It’s Thursday afternoon and the wind has died down from the front that came through last evening. Chris Parker, the weather router, says that he expects that this will be the last of the major fronts to come to this part of the Bahamas for this season. That’s good so the winds should be more moderate going forward. The strongest winds are in the early winter, just like up north but not nearly as cold and strong.
With some luck we will be on our way to Thompson Bay Long Island in a few days. After that we will begin heading north to Cat Island and then Eleuthra prior to heading to the Abacos.
While the winds last night strong, nearly 20kts, they are nothing like those north off of Cape Hatteras, where there are gales. I understand that the constant wind will lessen as the season passes and that in the summer the winds in the Bahamas are in the 5-10kt range. Of course, that doesn’t take into account the hurricanes that blast through. Minor detail.
A few days ago Brenda and I rented a golf cart to do some beach exploring along with our friends Dick and Anne. It was great fun and we enjoyed spending some time on the shore. The beach went on for miles and there wasn’t a sole to be seen. Good thing that the golf cart didn’t break down. Things aren’t maintained here at the same high level as in the states, it seems. As we were motoring down the road we approached a hill only to learn that the cart doesn’t seem to have breaks. That was a bit breathtaking, I’d say. No loss of life though.
The beach was quite magnificent with large breakers hitting the shore. Pretty dramatic. 
Brenda and Anne aboard the “noble steed”. Pretty big tires for a golf cart.
On our way to the beach we passed the airport. There were a total of four planes in residence. However, these two don’t look like they are leaving any time soon. I understand that the one upside down was flipped by Sandy and the other was owned by a drug guy years ago. It seems that when stuff breaks down her it is just left and never picked up. Too bad as it does junk up the island and much of it isn’t this interesting. 
Yesterday I spent some time spearfishing and bagged one small fish but not enough to make a meal out of. I should have spent more time with my camera as I spied a fabulous spotted ray that swam gracefully by and a small turtle. The water was really amazingly clear. I expect that the visibility was well in excess of 100’.
These photos don’t begin to do justice to the beauty of the reef.There wasn’t a massive number of fish but what was there was really beautiful.
This little guy, a cow fish, is one of my favorites.
Angel fish are great too and come in a variety of colors.
And, of course, the blue tangs. They swim in schools of dozens. Pretty impressive.
Last evening, Brenda and I walked down town, such as it is, to enjoy a beer on the beach overlooking the government pier while the sun set. What a view.
On our way back we spied this lovely sunset as we got close to the marina. If this was a painting, you’d likely say that it looked fake. Nice fake, if you ask me.
Yesterday I was invited to go deep fishing with one of the locals. Ben, who is the paid captain of this massive sports fish boat, watches it for a wealthy lawyer from the states who almost never uses the boat. Quite a vessel. Ben and I went out on his boat, the one on the left. I doubt that we could have afforded the fuel for the big one. Yikes. Actually, with fuel here on Rum Cay at $8 a gallon, I can’t afford it here either. It has to be brought to the island in 50 gal drums, I am told. Not very efficient. Ben captains the boat on the right. Alas, we fished on the one to the left. I doubt that I could have even afforded the fuel to get the big one out of the marina. 
We had a great day of fishing and bagged a Mahi Mahi, and a big King Mackerel. The Mahi Mahi gave quite a fight including some spirited leaps into the air.
The King was like reeling in a big log that pulled like mad. The one that got away must have been huge as it seemed much more powerful than either one that we boated.
Ben did a masterful job of cleaning the fish. His knife was sharper than anything I have ever used. I doubt that I have a knife aboard Pandora that could have tackled something as large as the King.
The sharks appeared out of nowhere as if in cue to pick up the scraps. I counted eight at the peak of the cleaning process. I’d hate to land in the water and be mistaken for a piece of bait. Compared to these monsters, that’s all I’d be. The biggest run over 8′ long. 
Fish cleaning is a very public affair attracting all sorts of attention both on and below the dock.
Last night we had sauteed Mahi Mahi for dinner and Mahi Mahi fish burgers for lunch today. Brenda did a great job on both. And, we have 4 huge King steaks in the freezer. Good thing as our freezer isn’t totally packed any longer. Tonight we will have grouper as I went spearfishing with a guy from the marina today and he speared two.
A nice couple of days on Rum Cay. Friday we will be exploring a few more beaches with that nifty golf cart. Let’s hope that the hills aren’t too steep.
Now that most of the boats have left the marina and the new crop of cruisers haven’t yet arrived, we have the place to ourselves. This shot of Pandora really shows how beautiful the place is. 
What a spectacular spot. I expect that this will be one of the highlights of our trip but then I have said that before. I wonder what awaits… Hmm…
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