Day 71 - Grand Bahama Island to Spanish Cay

At 9:20 am we were on our way to the fuel dock and by 9:50 am left the marina.  Most of the boats that arrived the day before also left for other ports in the Bahamas.  Captain Randy had to plot the way carefully due to reefs, shoals and shallow water.  The area north and east of Grand Bahama Island is known as the Little Bahama Bank.  It is made up of numerous small cays, many uninhabited.  Some, such as Great Sale Cay have good anchoring spots if you want to be in your own little world.  The Captain passed on the first cut east as it seemed too risky, so we went further north.  The water was a little choppy, but not bad.  Captain Randy saw 2 dolphins on his side of the boat – the first we had seen in a while. 

 

We passed Mangrove Cay at 11:45 am and with it, 3 slower boats that had left from West End before us: Rambler, Sweet Dreams, and one other.  By 12:45 pm we saw Great Sale Cay, which looks like a large snake on the surface of the water.  The 3 boats were planning to anchor at Great Sale for a night or 2.  Shortly after that, Little Abaco Island was on our starboard side and more cays on the port.  At 1:40 pm we saw a tug pulling a barge loaded with sand and it looked like there was a second one following.  We also saw a few crab pots, the first we had seen in Bahamian waters.  Spanish Cay was in front of us, and we pulled into the marina there at 2:35 pm.  Miss Muffet, another boat from West End was next to us.  It had left West End very early to take advantage of high tide in going thru the cuts in the reef north of West End.

 

Utilities are precious and expensive in the islands, especially water.  It is customary for marinas to either meter usage or charge a flat rate for electricity and water.  Captain Randy used marina water to wash the boat.  It took 50 gallons to wash all the salt off, at a cost of $13.  We used the water in our tank for other uses but did shower in the marina facilities rather than on the boat to conserve our water supply.

Spanish Cay is 186 acres in size; 3 miles long and has more than 7 ½ miles of water frontage.  There are a few cottages for rent, a few homes, a 5000 foot hard landing strip for small airplanes, and that’s about it.  It does, however, host several fishing tournaments and is a popular spot for sport fishermen. 

The day was sunny and warm and we walked to the beach on the Atlantic side of the island.  There was a restaurant built out over the water but it had been closed since it was damaged by Hurricane Sandy.  A few small buildings sit at the same spot and we figured they were popular rentals during fishing tournaments.

 

We walked back to the marina and relaxed by the pool for a while.  We had lobster dinners in the small bar/restaurant on site.  It seemed like most of the people in the dozen or so boats that were there also ate in the restaurant that night.  The atmosphere was very homey, with the staff coming around to check on everyone and talk for a few minutes.

 

The marina charged $10 for internet access which was ok for email, but not much else.  We caught up on our email and prepared for the next day’s trip to Green Turtle Cay.  The wind was picking up and the boat was moving around quite a bit in the slip because the rocks/ break wall surrounding the harbor was not very good.