Monday, February 25, 2013

Thompson Bay, Long Island

February, 25 2013

Yesterday (2/24) we traveled across Exuma Sound to Long Island (no not the one in New York) and then about half-way down the west coast to Thompson Bay.  Exuma Sound, although loosely defined by the outer islands of Long, Cat, and Eleuthera, is a deep water passage worthy of respect.  The fact that the trip is basically east, right into the prevailing east-southeast winds, adds to the complexity of the crossing. 

We waited in Emerald Bay until the forecast offered winds shifting to the south, which pretty much held true.  We departed around 6:30 AM for the fairly long day-trip. Early on, the winds had not clocked as far south as we would have liked, but they did offer a good motor sail at 30 degrees apparent for about 20 miles of the 30 mile crossing at which point we got a good close-hauled sail until we reached northern Long Island.  After turning south to head down the coast to Thompson Bay  we returned to motor-sailing.  We arrived a little after 4:00 PM after covering about 54 miles.

This location marks the southern-most point of this year's trip at around 23 degrees 20 minutes north.  This is the farthest south we have sailed in our own boat (we have sailed on charter boats in the Virgin Islands which lie farther south).   

After staying here for around a week and hopefully extending the 100-day stay immigration granted us when we cleared in Bimini, we will travel north along the islands forming Exuma Sound.   We also hope to travel to Rum Cay, an island that lies about 30 miles east of the northern tip of Long Island where historians mark Columbus' first landfall in the new world.


Tom
Anchored Thompson Bay
Long Island, Bahamas
Map of Cruise 2012-13

Friday, February 22, 2013

Great Exuma Adventures

February 22, 2013
 
We are still at Emerald Bay Marina waiting for a weather window to cross to Long Island.  This stay has allowed us to catch up on numerous boat chores and explore the island of Great Exuma.
 
A New Friend
 
Yesterday we returned to Big D’s restaurant in Steventon to have some more of Alvin’s fresh conch salad. Since the weather was a little squally we decided to sit inside.  As we entered, I noticed two young African Bahamian girls sitting at the end of the bar and thought it a bit strange since it seemed they should be in school. 
 
Shortly after we sat down at a table near the window, the younger of the two came over and started to talk to us.  Her name was D’Wan, she was  7 years old and in 2nd grade and she was singing a catch-phrase from a Disney show.  We are big Disney fans (strange but true) and we immediately had a lot in common with her.  She knew about the current Disney shows we watch and surprisingly knew about some of the older shows that are no longer aired on the Disney channel – apparently they run on some other channels.
 
D’Wan was a VERY smart little girl who loves school and is anything but shy.   Shortly in to our conversation, she told us “Ask me a math question – not  multiplication”.  After faltering a bit on Joyce’s first question, which I thought was a bit hard, she nailed that one and several more.  She sang the alphabet song  and then recited it slower with just one hitch when Joyce asked her if she could do it without the song – Joyce is tough!  (Comment from Joyce: she sang the song so quickly, I wasn’t sure that she had said all the letters).  When I asked her how to spell her name, she said “I will write it for you” and left to get a piece of paper.  After she didn’t return right away, I thought maybe we were forgotten. But then she returned with a little note, decorated with hearts and signed with her name.  She later demonstrated her cursive writing skills.
 
When Alvin brought our conch salad, we asked her if she would like some and we fixed her a little plate.
 
We told her a few things about ourselves and she shared many things in her life; for example,  she is losing her baby teeth and pulls them herself – “It hurts more when someone else does it”. She was investigating the salt shaker and the kernels of rice included in it to keep the salt from clumping, and shared many things about salt including that if eat too much you will get high blood pressure!  She ‘knows’ how to perform a physical exam, because “She watches when the doctor does hers”.  
 
D’Wan is a remarkable young lady, and we think she has a bright future – maybe as a doctor. 
 
Oh, just so you know, the kids were out of school on midterm break.
 
 
Ordination at Mt. Sinai Union Baptist Church
 
Yesterday we attended an ordination at Mt. Sinai Union Baptist Church in nearby Stuart Manor.  We had talked to the marina staff about local churches, but it did not look like we would be here long enough to attend one (last Sunday we were too tired and too little time after doing laundry starting at 6 AM).  John, the dock master, had offered to give us a ride to his church if we were here on Sunday, and later asked if we would like to attend an ordination at 7 PM on Thursday night.   A young man named Desmond Williams from Exuma was being ordained.  It was quite an experience.  There were at least 20 pastors in attendance, some from the Union Baptist Denomination but several from other churches showing their support along with members of the church, family, and friends – the place was packed. We clearly stood out in a sea of black faces.  The service, which included several songs from the choir, was highlighted by a sermon by Bishop Neil Ellis of Mt Tabor Full Gospel Church in Nassau. Bishop Ellis talked about the role of a pastor – he was very good.  Desmond had experienced significant spiritual growth while attending Bishop Ellis’church and they had a close relationship. The service was a ‘short’  three hours and it was a late night for us. 
 
We really enjoyed the service and the local senior pastor at Mt. Sinai and wish we could return for a regular worship service, but our current plans are to leave for Long Island on Sunday.
 
Tom
Emerald Bay Marina
Great Exuma, Bahamas
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Great & Little Exuma

February 20, 2013
 
We are currently docked at Emerald Bay Marina just north of Georgetown on Great Exuma.  We have rented a car and, in addition to helping us get a lot of provisioning done, it has allowed us to explore the relatively large island of Great Exuma and Little Exuma, the smaller cay to the south.
 
First a quick story about the ‘small world’ of the Exuma Islands.  When arrived at Emerald Bay we were assisted by a delightful young African Bahamian woman named Telecia.  As we talked to her we learned that she had been raised in the small settlement at the north end of the island called Barraterre.  The caretaker at the closed Marine Research center at Lee Stocking Island, that we had talked to while we were there recently, was from Barraterre so near the end our conversation, Joyce said do you by any chance know Ikemond?  She got a funny smile on her face and said ”Ikemond Black”?  We indicated that we didn’t know his last name and we both were not sure what exactly she was going to say about him, but she then said “Does he has hair like mine (dreadlocks)?  He’s my brother”!
 
We later drove to Barraterre and found a little straw work shop near the government dock owned by a woman named ‘Juletta’.  Juletta was born and raised in Barraterre but left to become a teacher in Nassau.  After retirement she returned to Barraterre.  She makes all her crafts herself.  Straw work is a traditional craft in the Bahamas, but in recent years has been diminished due to the availability of cheap imports from the Far East and other islands.  A recent change has banned the import of straw work and it appears to have revitalized the local industry.  Everywhere we went in Black Point, you saw people doing the weaving (plaiting).  They gather the Silver Palm fronds locally and do the weaving,  and then most send the weavings to shops in Nassau where they are sewn to create baskets, hats, and other straw items.   Juletta does it all, from gathering to sewing.  We enjoyed talking to her and bought several items as gifts and Joyce got a beautiful straw summer purse.
 
Another car trip took us south across the one-lane bridge to Little Exuma and another small settlement called Williamstown which had a number of interesting historical sites.  The first was the ruins of a Loyalist plantation.  The roadside sign said ‘Tombs’ and while there was a tomb, there were other buildings including the plantation house with the adjoining kitchen and slave quarters.  There is no map of the site so it takes a little exploring to find everything, but if you go there just follow the faint paths.  The buildings are not maintained and are in bad shape.  In particular, the plantation house was in much worse shape than it was in pictures we found on the Internet.   The huge termite mound on the roof may be related to this decline.  It will be a shame when these artifacts are gone.  The plantation, as with most Loyalist agricultural efforts, was a failure.  Even with money, equipment, and slaves, the Loyalists were not able to succeed agriculturally.  Most either left or turned to the sea for a living.
 
Plantation house with detached kitchen - note termite mound on roof
 
Slave Quarters

 
Peg-nail construction - iron nails were scare & expensive
 
 
 
Next we visited the ‘Salt Monument’.  High on a hill overlooking the salt pond, the monument guided ships in to pick up salt. Salt was a valuable and scarce commodity in the 19th century and the Bahamas was a major supplier.  The salt was obtained by a labor intensive process of drying sea water in the salt ponds.
 
 
 
Yesterday we had lunch at Big D’s in Steventon, a small settlement north of the marina, including conch salad, a Bahamian specialty.  We had been meaning to have this dish, but had not had the opportunity and this was a great way to experience it.  Alvin, prepared it before our eyes at an outdoor ‘kitchen’.  He started by opening a conch which he explained had been in the water this morning (fresh!).  He then finely chopped tomatoes, onions, green and hot peppers and of course the conch, topping it with freshly squeezed lime juice – it was delicious!  At the request of another guest, he prepared some coconut water, another Bahamian specialty and offered us a glass.  While interesting, it was not our favorite part of the meal.
 
We have enjoyed exploring Exuma and will probably have a few more days before we get a weather window to travel further east to Long Island.
 
 
Tom
Docked at Emerald Bay Marina
Great Exuma, Bahamas
Cruise 2012-13

 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Georgetown

Tuesday, February 19, 2013
 
As Tom mentioned in the last post, we are currently docked at the Marina at Emerald Bay – our first docking in over seven weeks.  I may have mentioned that we have the Yugo of dinghies, so we were not looking forward to having to use it to do all of our errands, especially after seeing a picture of dinghies three abreast up and down the whole dock at the market in Georgetown.  We needed to restock food and propane for the next two months, so we decided that a good way to do that was by docking and renting a car.  By doing this, we could do our errands in about a third of the time it would otherwise take, we would have a way to see the islands of Great and Little Exuma at will, and we would have good protection from the upcoming front.    Fellow cruisers may say that docking and renting a car is not having the full experience of cruising, but it doesn’t bother me to take the easy route every once in a while.  
 
On Friday, our first mission was filling propane tanks.  We had learned from experience that propane can be difficult to find in the out islands, and it often requires leaving it somewhere and having it returned days later.  But, our guide books said that we could go to the airport and have them filled; and this would be on our way to the market. We’d be able to complete this task in a matter of minutes.   At the airport, there was no propane to be found, and we were given directions to Sun Oil.  We both thought we had a good idea where to find it, and it would be a few miles away.  After about 15 miles, as the road started to narrow, we decided that we had misunderstood the directions.  We then found a very helpful woman who told us in detail which way to go and where to turn.  This was only after my saying that we really didn’t have any idea where any of the landmarks were that she was listing.  After finding the station, we were told that the barge was in the harbor refilling their propane, and we would need to leave our tank to be filled.  Just what we wanted to avoid.  But, we could pick it up in an hour or two, and it was ready when we returned!
 
When we were at Lee Stocking Island, we learned of a relatively new meat market about five miles north of Georgetown, which received rave reviews.  The market is Prime Island Meats & Deli, in LaFamilia Plaza, and it is run by Ron and Susan Kemp.  Ron is a native Bahamian who worked for many years in the States, as a meat cutter and in restaurant management.  Because of his background, he really understands customer service and meat products that cruisers want.  Since they were finding that cruisers were walking from Georgetown, they have started sending their pickup into town each morning (Tuesday through Saturday) at 10:30 to shuttle people to the store and back.  We arrived a few minutes before opening at 10:00, but they invited us into the store and they offered to keep any purchases in their cooler until we returned later in the day. We were so glad that we took advantage of their offer, because it allowed us to buy all of our meat, and sliced meat and cheeses before any of their supply was depleted by other shoppers.  Even though we were primarily interested in the meats, we did buy some rolls and potato salad.  Ah, non-sweet American rolls, what a joy!  And, the potato salad was awesome!  I predict the meat market and deli will both have great success.  Ron’s mother was the cashier the day we were there, and she told us briefly about her heritage.  Her ancestors were some of the Eleutheran Adventurers, a group of people who came from Bermuda to the Eleuthera, in the early 17th Century.  Their living conditions were terrible, and most of the group did not survive.  She definitely came from hardy stock!
 
In the afternoon, we visited Exuma Markets and were quite pleased with the selection of food and other items available.  Even though the container had arrived from the states on Monday, they were continually restocking the shelves.  This is so much different than the smaller markets in the settlements, but there is a price that has to be paid for this convenience.  In many cases, we paid twice what we would have paid in the states for the same item.  But, the stores in the states don’t have to have a container sent to them by somewhat erratic supply boats and then cleared through customs.  Although the stores in the settlements don’t carry as wide a variety of food, they tend to be cheaper than Exuma Markets.
 
It may seem as though I’m really hung up on provisioning, since many of my posts are related to shopping.  Not really true!  But, a good time of provisioning is a real score in my book.  Since Friday we have also made a lot of progress in cleaning the boat, washing clothes and other errands.  A clean boat feels soooo good!
 
Joyce
Docked at Emerald Bay
 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Emerald Bay

February 15, 2013

Yesterday we had an uneventful motor down the Sound from Lee Stocking Island to Emerald Bay Marina http://www.marinaemeraldbay.com/ on Great Exuma.  Winds were light and variable and predominately right on our bow, so it was not a sailing day.

Emerald Bay is on Great Exuma about 10 miles north of Georgetown.  We will be using it as a base for much needed provisioning and some boat chores.

It has been about 7 weeks since Barefoot has seen a dock and both her and us can use a good washing (land showers - as much hot water as you want - aaaaah). 

Our last docking at Highbourne Cay was marred by our AC power system not accepting the shore power; some friends have the same charger/inverter as we do and had the the exact same problem there. The voltage is high (measurable) there and there may be a problem with their sinewave (too boring to explain) so we were pretty sure it was not our system, but we still had a little nervousness when we plugged in.  Thankfully it accepted the shore power and we have nicities like air conditioning and must-haves like a battey charger.

Emerald Bay is a nice resort/marina that is associated with Sandals.  As Royal Marsh Harbour members, our dockage is only $0.75/foot with free laundry.  This deal pays for our membership in one night.  We have heard that this deal may end after this month, so confirm its availability if you plan to stay dock here. 

You cannot use any of the resort facilities unless you pay a significant ($125+) daily fee since Sandals is an all-inclusive resort, but we are not really interested so that is OK. Our extra will  be renting a car for a few days, to travel to Georgetown for our shopping and to explore the island.

Tom
Docked at Emerald Bay
Great Exuma, Bahamas
Cruise 2012-13

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Lee Stocking Island

February 12, 2013
 
On Friday February 8th, we arrived at Lee Stocking Island after a 15 mile run down the Sound from Little Farmers Cay.  The tide was near slack low, so Adderly Cut  was relatively calm and we had good light to guide us into the anchorage.  Our guidebooks indicated that Lee Stocking was the home of the Perry Marine Research Institute and would provide good protection from the predicted upcoming strong easterlies.
 
Both of our guide books stated that the future of the mooring balls located here was uncertain, but as we approached the anchorage we saw several empty mooring balls and prepared to pick up one.  We then noticed that there was no painter (the line that you pick up with a boat hook to attach your mooring line to) on any of the balls and that the two boats near the field were in fact anchored.  We attempted to call the ‘Research Center’ on the VHF as recommended by the guidebooks.    After receiving no response to two calls, one of the other anchored boats responded that the Research Center had been abandoned and the moorings were not maintained and therefore not recommended.  There was plenty of room and we put down an anchor.
 
Our trip ashore on Saturday seemed to confirm what we had been told.  The facility was like a ghost town. And it appeared that they had just left leaving behind many buildings and a substantial amount of equipment (boats, trucks, tractors, etc.).
 
On Sunday  the wind blew strong out of the east as predicted and we stayed on the boat.  We were well protected from the strong easterlies.
 
On Monday when we went ashore we found that a caretaker had come up for the day from Barretarre, a settlement about 10 miles south.  He was very nice and confirmed that the center had in fact been abandoned about 1½ years ago.  Apparently their income sources had dried up and they ran out of money to operate.  He did say that the moorings had been serviced around when they left and were usable at your own risk.  At this point the moorings seem to be in pretty good shape and subsequent boats have used them.  Again use them at your own risk!
 
We have stayed here almost a week and have hiked the island extensively.  The highlight of the hiking here is Perry’s Peak which, at a 'dizzying' height of 123 feet, is the highest point in the Exumas. The easiest way to reach the Peak is to dinghy to Coconut Beach, which is around the point to the south of the anchorage.  It is easy to identify by a number of tall coconut palms.  The trail to Perry’s Peak leads up from the south end of the beach.  You can also reach the beach by two trails that lead off the east end of the airstrip.
 
Barefoot tender on Coconut Beach - note palms on the right side of the picture
 
 
 
 
Williams Bay on the Bank-side from Perry's Peak
 
Beach on the Sound-side from Perry's Peak
 
Information for Cruisers not found in the guidebooks:
  • The Research Center was abandoned about 1 ½ years ago.
  • It does not appear to be any problem with going ashore at your own risk.
  • The moorings lack painters and have not been maintained in over a year, but can be used at your own risk (we didn’t).
  • The inner portion of the main dock is intact and features a ladder that can be used to land a dinghy, but again it is not maintained. As of this date, the third rung was loose – use with caution.
  • Information on the trails:
    • The trail head to Perry’s Peak is located at the S end of Coconut Beach, which is around the point to the SE of the anchorage and can be easily reached by dinghy. As of this date there was a sign at the trailhead. This is the easiest way to hike to Perry’s Peak.
    • Two trails to Coconut Beach lead from the E end of the airstrip. They are both pleasant hikes and can be used to reach the Perry’s Peak trail.
      • About 100 yards from the E end of the airstrip, the ‘Loyalist Trail’ heads SE along an old stone fence dating back to the Loyalist days ending up on Coconut Beach. As of this date there was a sign at the trailhead.
      • About 100 yards past the E end of the airstrip you will find the trailhead for the “Coconut Beach’ trail. This trail leads up over some headlands on the Sound and over to Coconut Beach.
         
Hope this takes some of the uncertainty out of a visit to Lee Stocking. We enjoyed our stay here and hope you do too!
 
Tomorrow, we are off to Emerald Bay Marina, which we will use as a base for our visit to Georgetown.  Some serious provisioning is on the agenda.
 
Tom
Anchored at Lee Stocking Island
Exuma, Bahamas
Cruise 2012-13

Monday, February 11, 2013

Exuma Weather Pattern (2013)

February 10, 2013
 
We are currently lying off Lee Stocking Island waiting out yet another strong easterly wind.  Another post on Lee Stocking will follow, but this post is about the weather pattern in the Exumas so far this year.
 
First a disclaimer.  This is our first year in the Exumas, so this is only based on observations this year to date.  These patterns may or may not be that typical, but seem to be very consistent so far this year.
 
Frontal passages in the south east United States (most of our experience being Florida) typically follow a relatively predictable wind pattern. First the prevailing easterlies start to clock to the south, then the west, then the northwest, and then through the north and back to east.  The strength of the front can be estimated by the speed and strength of the clocking winds – fast clocking strong winds indicate a strong front.  The strongest winds are typically from the northwest and north directions.  This is the pattern when the cold front clearly pushes or passes through the area.
 
This year in the Exumas has been dominated by a relatively strong Atlantic high.  This high typically keeps the fronts from passing through southern latitudes during the summer months, but it usually loses strength in the winter allowing the fronts to travel  further south. But this year at least, the fronts have not been pushing through the northern Bahamas, resulting in a significant deviation from the typical wind pattern.  As the front approaches, it stalls above or in the northwest Bahamas.  This creates a very weak clocking or light and variable winds ahead of the front in the Exumas.  These winds are good for motor sailing, but typically not very good sailing winds.  Then a strong easterly to south easterly  wind sets up for several days to a week.  These winds and the accompanying waves are challenging sailing, especially in that as you travel down the Exuma chain, you are usually headed approximately south east right into these winds.
 
Thus it has made it relatively hard to make progress down the Exuma chain and  has provided numerous periods when we need to get good protection and wait out the winds. This has not been a real problem in that we have not been on any schedule and have enjoyed all our stays.
 
A testimony to the strength of the winds this year is our relatively new Bahamian courtesy flag, which is getting very tattered.
 
 
 
The positive side to the weather pattern is that we have not had to seek shelter from any significant periods of west  or north winds.  Anchorages providing protection  from east winds are numerous in the Exumas, protection from west to north winds  is much harder to find.
 
Tom
Anchored at Lee Stocking Island
Exuma, Bahamas

Friday, February 8, 2013

Little Farmers Cay

February 8, 2013
 
On February 6,  we traveled from Black Point to Little Farmers Cay via the Bank and anchored on the west side of the island. We have spent two enjoyable days here, meeting some nice people and having a couple of great meals.
 
Last weekend was the '5Fs' festival here - First Friday in February Farmers Festival and the island was packed; we purposely avoided the crowds and came down after the festival concluded. This week there have been no more than 6 boats here, in total, and it has been a great opportunity to talk to the locals.
 
We first hiked over to the settlement on Wednesday morning and checked out the government dock. 
 
 
 
 
Little Farmers is much smaller than Black Point and has a smaller and older dock.  The Cay is serviced by the same mail boat (Captain C) as Black Point and Staniel Cay, but the water in the harbour here is not deep enough for the mail boat to reach the dock; the boat anchors off and the supplies must be brought in on a barge.  It was at the government dock that we met our first local - 'Altimous' (Ali) who runs a small bar and liquor store near the dock.  A few locals were moving their boats off the dock before low tide and Ali jokingly said to me "You are next".  I didn't understand what he meant and asked for what?  He responded "To move your boat".  I told him our dinghy was on the beach on the west shore.  He again jokingly said, "Well, if it is well on the beach, it might be there when you get back"  I assured him that our dinghy was, hopefully, secure with an anchor up on the beach and a stern anchor.  Ali was very friendly and jovial (a word I don't often think of using, but seems perfect). As we met more folks, we were pleasantly surprised that Ali was not the exception, but the rule. The Little Farmers residents seem universally very friendly and jovial (that word again).  
 
We then walked up to Farmers Cay Yacht Club, a small marina at the north end of the Cay.
 
 
 
 
After entering, we were warmly greeted by Roosevelt Nixon, the owner.  He had been working on his roof and had tar on his hands so we jokingly did an 'air’ handshake.  After a drink and conversation with Julian (sometimes bartender and Bahamas Electric employee), we ordered lunch which was delicious. As we ate, a party of three Bahamians sat down behind us. At one point one of the women from this party said, "Is this your first time to Little Farmers?"  I responded yes, to which she said with a  big smile "Mine too!"  She explained that she was a government doctor from Nassau making rounds on three of the Exuma cays for the first time.  She was loving her visit. Doctors are supposed  to visit the out-islands monthly, but there is a shortage of doctors, so the Cay had not had a visit for several months; there is, however, a resident nurse, that was also part of the lunch party. The doctor was raised in Nassau; her father originally came from Cat Cay. She said that her father was very serious about his children's education - she joked, "My father didn't build us a play room, he built us a study room".  It had obviously paid off, she attended college, medical school, and did her residency in the US before returning to the Bahamas. She intended to try to convince her supervisor to let her regularly do rounds at Farmers and the adjacent cays.
 
We again returned to FCYC for lunch the next day, returning to our boat via the island airstrip.  No TSA here Mon, just need to keep alert for incoming traffic!
 
 
 
 
Today (Friday) we plan to move a little farther south to Lee Stocking Island in advance of some more strong easterlies.
 
 
Tom
Little Farmers Cay
Exuma, Bahamas
Cruise 2012-13

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Black Point to Little Farmers Cay

February 5, 2013
 
Well after spending over 3 weeks on two separate visits to  Black Point, we made our way south today about 14 miles to Little Farmers Cay.   The motor sail down was uneventful except for the wind being more on the nose than predicted – seems like our life story.
 
We certainly spent more time in Black Point than most, but enjoyed our stay there very much.  The harbor provided great shelter (almost all the time) for some strong winds and we got to know some Black Point people pretty well.
 
As we talked about in a previous log, we spent quite a bit of time with the extended family of Paymon and Basil Rolle.  Paymon is a wonderful godly woman and a great baker. We attended Gethsemane Baptist Church where she is a leader three times.   This last Sunday Paymon, while doing guest acknowledgements, jokingly  introduced us as “Tom & Joyce - they are not really guests anymore, if they attend any more they will need to become members”.
 
As we got to know Paymon and her family, even more than ever,  we realize how hard they work and how important family and place is to them.   Black Point is their home, and they desire to stay there, even though it is a hard life.   Somewhat paradoxically, even though many of the family members have left Black Point to live in Nassau and other places, they often send their children to live and go to primary school at Black Point.  Paymon’s grandson ‘LG’ has lived with her since he was five so he can go to primary school here; he will return to Nassau when he is ready to attend high school.  Black Point is a much healthier environment for kids to grow up in than Nassau.  LG misses his family, but when he returns to Nassau, it isn’t long before he can’t wait to get back to Black Point!
 
Now we have the community of Little Farmers Cay to explore.  It is smaller (about 55 residents) and has a bit more boating ‘infrastructure’ than Black Point (a marina and some moorings).  We will be here at least a couple of days – I don’t think we will be here 3 weeks, but you never know!
 
Tom
Anchored at Little Farmers Cay
Exuma, Bahamas