Staniel Cay Yacht Club
After arriving on Jon & Jen’s boat, we threw our gear in the front cabin and enjoyed a welcome aboard drink. It had been a few months since we saw them so it was great to get caught up on all their sailing adventures. They left Fort Lauderdale in January and spent the last month working their way down the Bahamas. We also spent some time getting to know the boat’s systems. This was our first time sailing on their boat as it had been in dry storage for repairs since we met them a year earlier. We learned how to work the salt water and fresh water foot pumps on the galley sink, how to flush the pump heads, where the safety gear and ditch bag were located, and which switches turn on which lights. Everything was similar, but a little more complex and robust than it is on our trailer sailor.
As we were chatting, Jen started to prepare the first of many great meals we would have aboard. The menu for dinner was “make your own pizzas.” Jen whipped up some fresh pizza dough, and we each made our own variety. Mine was first in the oven and I threw out a challenge that we vote on the best pizza after we tried them all. We sat in the cockpit enjoying the evening breeze and devoured four pizzas and several more drinks. After compiling the votes, Pizza Grand Champion was Jen with a great pesto pizza.
With our bellies full of pizza and our spirits feeling great with the help of the on-board bar, we decided it was time for a dinghy adventure over to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Jen and Brandy decided it was time to test their dingy surfing skills, which made for a great view on our trip.
Jen & Brandy Dinghy Surfing
We successfully made it to the yacht club without any surfing injuries. The yacht club has great dinghy landing beach surrounded by a rock wall to protect the dinghys from waves. The yacht club is really a small resort. The main marina is surrounded by really nice bungalows run by the yacht club. The main building houses a bar/lounge and a beautiful restaurant overlooking the water. As we entered the bar, we were greeted by Finnegan, the yacht club owner’s yellow labrador retriever. We met Finnegan before when we arrived at the Staniel Cay Airport, and he greeted us again with great excitement. He was in major island mode that night and spent most of his time lounging on the porch outside the door of the bar. Although I did notice he would change his lounging spot occasionally to maximize tourist petting opportunities.
The bar atmosphere was great. It had a good crowd for a Thursday night and everyone was enjoying their island time. The music got everyone moving and we enjoyed several Rum Punch and Kaliks (the official beer of the Bahamas). The owner and his wife were in the bar playing pool with some friends and he stopped by to welcome us. By this point we were all feeling pretty good, and I decided to show off some of my dance moves, thankfully Brandy captured the magic on video.
Shortly after my dance show, we decided it was probably a good idea to start heading back to the boat while we could still manage to find it in the dark. After a long travel day, it was great to collapse in our cabin and drift off to sleep with the motion of the boat.
Watch for our next post on visiting the famous swimming pigs of Big Major Cay.
The Sailing Rode
The Sailing Road
