It’s 08:00 on Thursday and we are anchored, again, in Big Majors Spot; the home of the Bahamas piggies. You recall, this island is the one that has “wild” pigs. Wild is a relative term as they were clearly put here by someone as this is the only island in the Bahamas that boasts it’s own “native” population of swine. I should also note that there are chickens and roosters here too so if you like to waken to the sound of a crowing rooster, Big Majors Spot is your kind of place.
What’s so unique about this morning, following a particularly beautiful sunrise, is that it’s completely calm. With cold fronts coming through on a weekly cycle, and bringing strong winds from a variety of annoying directions, a day without wind is something to talk about.
The early morning light is a lovely soft yellow and to see all the boats, and there are plenty here, gently rocking on the water, is a calming sight.
I listened to Chris Parker, the weather router, today, as I always do, at 06:30and his forecast is for winds to be from the northeast for the next two days, perfect to send us down to Georgetown, our next destination.
I am hopeful that we will get there before the winds turn against us, which will happen this weekend or early in the week, but that depends on FedEx and Watermakers Air and getting our iPad delivered to staniel Cay, just around the corner.
It will actually be fine for us to wait here for a while if we miss this weather window as it’s a lovely place. However, having been in the Bahamas for more than a month now, I am anxious to put some more miles on Pandora and head south.
Speaking of sailing, we had a wonderful sail yesterday from Warderick Wells, about 20 miles north of here. The wind was in the low teens from the northeast, a perfect direction to head here. It was nice to be able to set the autopilot and read a book. A very nice sail indeed.
We had spent four days in Warderick Wells, which is very protected, to ride out the adverse winds from the last frontal passage. Just as we were getting underway and Brenda was preparing the lunch that we would have while sailing to Big Majors Spot, I tossed some vegetable scraps over the side. A moment later I heard some splashing just off the side of the boat. I came up on deck and was amazed to see a number of really large, about 4′ long, ramoras eating our cast-offs. They were darting this way and that, competing for onion skins and bits of broccoli. Ramoras have a distinctive patch on the top of their heads that they use to “stick” to sharks and sometimes boats, going along for a free ride. They eat most anything and by “sticking” with a larger shark “host”, I am sure that they have plenty of options. Legend has it that if a remora stuck to the bottom of a sailing ship, that their presence would stop a boat dead in the water. If that’s true, I hope that we don’t pick one up.
This shot clearly shows the “sucker”. An amazing creature, the Remora.
So, today we will find out if there is room on the plane for our packages and if FedEx delivers early enough to make the afternoon flight from Ft Lauderdale. Fingers crossed. If not, perhaps Friday morning. One way or the other, it will be good to have an iPad, a backup for navigation again.
We are anchored very close to the beach where the pigs congregate and it is fun to watch them through binoculars as they trot down to the water as boaters come by to feed them. It’s pretty funny to see them wade into the water and swim out to the dinks for handouts. I am pretty sure that pigs don’t fly but it seems that they do swim. Who knew? I guess that fat is lighter than water. Speaking of fat, I wonder if pigs suffer from cardiovascular disease. They say that eating too much bacon can lead to heart disease. I wonder if “being” too much bacon does the same thing. For inquiring minds…
So, today, what’s in store…
Brenda has wanted to do some snorkeling but has been a bit timid about it given the 8′ sharks that always seem to be cruising by. However, I suspect that this fear (a legitimate concern) is giving way to a desire to see the sights. We did see that there is a nice little reef very nearby that is well protected. We took our glass bottomed bucket (look bucket) there yesterday and took a “look”. I expect a visit will be on the agenda today.
Well, it’s nearly time for Cruiseheimers on the radio. That’s an SSB Net where folks check in each morning. It’s a great way to hear where everyone is and to connect with friends. It’s also a good way to learn about important issues such as what day of the week it is or if it’s time to move our clocks forward for daylight savings time. As you know, folks who live aboard small boats often forget what day of the week it is. Perhaps we should get one of those tear-off calendars, the type you see in hospital rooms, so we can always know. But, we’d probably forget to tear off the pages each day. As you may know, not knowing what day of the week it is can be a symptom of greater ills, or “cruiseheimers”. Right?
So, now you know why I always begin my posts with something like “It’s Thursday morning and…”
Quick… What day of the week is it? Thursday!!! However, don’t ask me the date as I have absolutely no idea.
OK, OK, I checked. It’s the 20th of March. That’s what computers are for. Right?