Treasure Cay

Lynn and I have discovered that, when in the Bahamas in winter, your travels are very much governed by the wind conditions. Northers blow through every 3-4 days and with them bring first a little short-lived rain, followed by high winds from which you need to seek out sheltered anchorages. After leaving Hope Town almost two weeks ago we headed to Treasure Cay where we planned to stay for a few nights. We’re still here! This is because it is a very nice place to be, but we have also been comfortably anchored for two such blows. We did leave very briefly for a night at Great Guana Cay, but returned the next day just ahead of yet another Norther. Today we are sitting through the last of it and are looking forward to the coming week and predicted calm conditions. Don’t get me wrong, on the whole we have had great weather and I estimate only about 5 days where we were compelled to stay on the boat and not venture out. Not much to complain about considering the nasty, cold winter being experienced in the north!

The best thing about Treasure Cay is the spectacular beach, which was voted one of the 10 best beaches in the world by National Geographic. It is a huge semi-circle with 3.5 miles of incredibly white, powdery sand. As usual, there is hardly anyone on the beach and you can walk for miles all alone. One day Lynn and I trekked the entire length and back. Our ultimate goal was to see a plaque on the point commemorating the arrival of the first Loyalist settlers in the Bahamas. We never found the darn thing, but our feet sure did ache! On the way back we saw one couple after being on the beach all afternoon. As we passed they commented that the beach was getting crowded!

We rented bicycles and rode around looking at houses and checked out the local ceramic place. We even spent a day relaxing and reading on the beach. Anyone who knows Lynn will understand that this was a very big sacrifice for him since he doesn’t sit around very well. We took the dingy out to a little secluded island and explored the rocks and beach, which didn’t take long as it was quite tiny. Of course we found the local bakery owned by Florence and her husband Captain Forty. So we continue to indulge in home baked pie and bread. Florence even made Lynn a special order apple pie that met his high standards! We returned the next day to sample her blueberry pie (OK, we bought the while thing), which was equally delicious.

On the windy days we passed the time playing games, reading, watching movies (or sleeping through them!), and working occasionally. We have learned that I rule in Scrabble and Lynn rules in Gin Rummy (not to mention that I am not a very good loser). Naturally, neither of us likes playing the game we don’t win…at least I don’t. Today Lynn was getting a little bored and resorted to rebuilding a head and making dinner.

The harbour is very serene and is a home to dolphins and sea turtles. Every so often we spot a turtle poking its little head up for a breather. I tried feeding them leftover chicken stew, but only managed to attract the gulls! It is also home to three 1983 50-foot Gulfstar Sailmasters, including ours. This is pretty amazing when you consider that there are only 16 total. We went over to take a look at one and found the owners there. As it goes with this community, they immediately invited us on board; it was fun to take a look at our sister ship. We really enjoyed meeting Midge and Allan, who came to visit our boat the following day and then took us out to lunch and to see their beautiful island home. It was probably just about anyone’s dream home, it certainly was mine.

So, picture this…you see a house you like so you walk up to the door and knock on it. When the owner comes out you ask them what kind of house it is and when they bought it. They happily tell you all about it and then invite you in for a look around. This is exactly what happens with boaters, so you are constantly meeting like-minded people. It’s what makes cruising so much fun…which is something cruisers like to have! While over at Guana Cay, we happened upon a big potluck dinner sponsored by the local pub for the people anchored in the harbour. We joined in and met even more people. We have collected a bunch of boat cards (like business cards for boaters) and have struck up new friendships, some of which will be brief encounters, and who knows, some may endure. But, best of all, Lynn and I have become better friends with each other. All the stress and worry of getting the boat ready has melted away and we are finally experiencing the joy of realizing the dream together…it’s a wonderful thing.