Jerry's posts to Staniel Cay

On 1-19-16 we motorsailed on down to Wardrick Wells and anchored in 7' of water 
next to the south mooring field.  The next morning we dinghied in to our private little sand beach and hiked the macheted trails to the ranger office and to Boo Boo Hill.  I felt an affinity for all the signed driftwood on the hill due to my unique sailing abilities.  Back on the boat  I turned on the watermaker noticing  a slight drip from underneath it that turned into 2 or 3 drips so I shut it down and changed the order of things to do today.  I had also discovered a design flaw in the Beta engine that allowed the raw water intake to vibrate against the motor mount creating a pencil lead size hole.  It immediately went to the top of the list.  JB Weld, 2" of 1" hose and two hours and it was marked off the list.  We saw a conch moving across the floor of the bay but did not get a pic.

On 1-12-16 decided to head out to the atlantic side and fish our way down to Staniel Cay.  About half way out the channel the storm clouds that we were racing to beat, spit out a water spout about ½ mile in front of us.  So, not really wanting to see what the inside of a waterspout looked like we did a quick 180' in the narrow channel, tucked tail between legs and tried to see just how fast the new engine could move us.  We cleared the channel, put up the fishing gear and settled into a mundane motorsail to Staniel Cay where we could buy a can of sardines to supply the fish for supper.  At Staniel we planned to snorkel the Thunderball Grotto but the wind and current were to bad and the forecast worse so we will do it coming back.

1-13-16 we pointed the bow towards Black Point where the best laundry is located.  The next day we dinghied in with laundry, to the laundry/convenience store/restaurant/wi-fi and the owner Miss Ida gave me a haircut.  I remarked to her that with her entrepreneurial attitude she could be a millionaire if she were in Miami.  No reply, just cold silence!  The next day when Sally & I were walking we stopped to chat with a girl that had been in the shop.  We asked directions to the blow hole and she pointed to a mansion on a hill overlooking both the ocean and Bahama Banks, and said "turn down the path next to Miss Ida's house & cottages".  I then learned Miss Ida was a multi millionairess in the Bahamas so I did not go back to the store.  It rained for the next two days so I worked on the watermaker.  The manual said a slight leak was normal but did not define slight so I kept at it.  One of the bars was having a Friday night cruisers party that we were going to attend but Sally started worrying about an approaching front so we headed down to Farmers Key and grabbed a mooring ball at sundown