05: Cruising: Bahamas
Norman’s Cay

Norman’s Cay

We left Allan’s Cay on Saturday, headed for Norman’s Cay – just a short fourteen nautical miles away. In the Exumas, the next beautiful island is only a short day’s sail away. Plenty of wind made for a really fun sail. We raced Surely Boo but they left us in the dust.

So, the Exumas are a chain of islands in the Bahamas that stretch north-south. Many of them are uninhabited and all of them (at least the ones we’ve seen so far) are surrounded by varying hues of the most ridiculous shades of clear blue water you’ve ever seen; their beaches soft, white sand; their vegetation scrubby bushes, stubby palm trees, vines.

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Another spectacular beach – Norman’s Cay. Working hard to keep skin covered and protected from the sun. Also working hard to get rid of the runner’s short tan on the upper thighs (not cute).

 

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What’s wrong with this picture?

 

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One picturesque beach.

 

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Dinghy’s having a great time too.

Each cay (pronounced “key”, remember? I’m having a hard time with that too) has its own flavor. Allan’s Cay’s schtick was the iguanas. Norman’s Cay, where we are now, has a sunken drug runner plane that you can snorkel about. The plane rests in only ten feet or so of water and houses schools of multi-color fish; its hull is almost completely covered with coral growths. It’s quite eerie.

 

Wait…drug-runner plane? What? Norman’s Cay used to be the home of this big drug lord back in the day (late seventies/early eighties)- complete with airstrip! Now it’s just an island with a few vacation homes and a really cool restaurant, MacDuff’s. We dinghied over to MacDuff’s yesterday to check it out. They are open from 12-3 for lunch and 5-8 for dinner. If you want dinner, you must call in (they monitor VHF channel 16) and reserve your dinner! For $7 you can drink ONE beer. For $15 you can have a mixed drink. And for $25 (yes, $25 whole dollars) you can have a hamburger (cheese costs extra, don’t you know! We in the Bahamas, man! Hamburgers don’t grow on trees here like they do in The States!).

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Taking the dinghy for a walk to the most spectacular beach ever. Water surrounding the backside of the beach was super shallow so we had to walk the dinghies in.

We are at a really nice anchorage with Surely Boo and have been having a great time with them exploring the island and playing games on each other’s boats in the evenings. Dave and Nikki are bad-ass sailors/racers and they are going to take us out on Free Range today and show us some of what they know.

 

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Dave & Nikki – Surely Boo!

 

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This is Time Out Island. Sailboats are way too small to have misbehaving brats aboard. If you’re being bratty, you take a trip to Time Out Island.

7 thoughts on “Norman’s Cay

    • Author gravatar

      What’s wrong? Nothing, your footprints are behind you. Tom

      PS: What happened to the around the word trip? You guys goofing off?

    • Author gravatar

      Looks like fun on the Cays – islands. Yes, cover up – don;’t get burned!

    • Author gravatar

      Sorry, I posted this to a different (earlier) blog by mistake. However:

      Hey kids, did you ever get a chance to check out the scuba stuff on board? Rumor has it that if you’re not scuba certified, there are “crash” courses available at some of the larger ports of call (“crash” may have been a poor choice of words?). Considering a $25 burger, how much could it cost???

    • Author gravatar

      Christmas in the Bahamas

      WOW

      Merry Christmas

      Dale & Merna

    • Author gravatar

      Merry Christmas cubbies! We’re thinking of you and reading about your adventures all the time! Sounds like it’s time to throw the engine overboard and comment to this sailings thing!

      We’re in Phoenix for the holidays. Enjoying running in shorts every day!

      We’re looking forward to meeting you guys somewhere soon. How about the Turks & Caicos? It’s nowhere near the Caymans and only an inch or so from the Bahamas! Just saying…….!

      Hugs, love and holidays wishes from us to you!

      Felix navidad! Joyeux noel! Frohe Wiehnachten!

    • Author gravatar

      Hello Sara and Stéphane

      Sun, Sea, Ship, Sail, Seaside Sand

      All this we can see of your beautiful pictures. We feeling with you.

      Have anymore fun and all the best.

      Mami and Papi

    • Author gravatar

      So happy you guys are living it up in the islands. You earned it !

      We are fully committed to winter here in Mo-Town. Skiing, Snowmobiling, Snow Biking, Ice Climbing, etc…..

      Melisa’s family is in town and we are having a blast.

      Take care out there !

      Tom & Melisa

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