The Querrey's QUEST: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

1/1/2013 through 1/7/2013

COMPASS CAY, BIG MAJORS TO LITTLE FARMERS CAY

With the stormy weather gone the day was filled with brilliantly sunny skies, hampering the recovery for some of those young partiers from the night before. The rest of us spent the first day of 2013 soaking up the rays, swimming, exploring neighboring islands in the tender and chatting with neighbors.

COMPASS CAY

I spent a bit of my day being entertained and educated by the charming 87 years young gentleman on the M/Y Mascotte. His family hales from the top of the Chesapeake Bay and has had boats with the moniker of Mascotte since their 1885 sailing vessel of that name. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about his youth years; much of it spent sailing the waters. His stories about growing up and working hard in his chosen fields only go to prove my theory on lucky people. Usually lucky people work their butts off to attain that luck.

MASCOTTE

January 2ed found us ready to move on from Compass Cay, us and about half of the unusually large crowd along with us. There was a large sucking sound as Compass Cay returned to its normally peaceful self.

I have to tell you about one of my new ‘favorite’ boat names. Traveling with M/Y My Reward (we have encountered them many times over the last two years) is the Hatteras M/Y Seriously. But the real catch is the dingy tagged with No, Seriously. The radio conversations between the two are just too funny! When you are hailing another boat you call their name out three times then identify your boat. “Seriously, Seriously, Seriously,……..No Seriously.” We really have heard this called out on the radio, several times, seriously.

After traveling 10 NM in the glass smooth waters of the bank we dropped anchor at Big Majors, our home for the next few days. Dan dove on both anchors (Quest and Algonquin) making sure they were snug in the sand then we checked out our neighbors. Both Pirate and No Agenda are already hooked up here so the winter crowd is arriving. The massive Ohana and Terrible definitely caught our eye anchored way out in the deep waters. While in Staniel Cay we discovered that Michael Jordan was on Terrible and had made an appearance at the yacht club the day before.

TERRIBLE

OHANA
(MEANS FAMILY IN HAWAIIAN)

We are doing our best to adjust to the slow, laid back cruising life. With no strict schedule to follow you can wake up when the mood strikes you, however, the rising morning sun generally beckons to you through the open windows that stand welcoming the night’s cooling breezes. Shall we snorkel? Take the tender for a ‘look-see’ around the cays peppered all over these waters? Perhaps a little swim at the beach? Oh wait; let’s go visit the swimming pigs!! These feral porkers live by scouring the shrubs for roots but will happily swim out to the numerous tenders that bring tourist and tasty bits of food. They most certainly don’t appear to be going hungry and just the sound of an approaching dingy engine will bring them scurrying onto the white sandy beach and into the surf in search of a hand out.

SWIMMING SWINE

Big Majors is the perfect spot to watch the sun settle down for the night. Before 5:30 everyone is armed with cocktails and eyes glued to the western sky in anticipation of the imminent show. We love the evenings when there are a few clouds on the horizon to fracture the sun’s intense rays as the ball of fire slips out of our view.

THE CON TRAILS IN THE UPPER SKY, THE SETTING SUN AND THE
PASSING BOAT JUST CAME TOGETHER AT THE PERFECT TIME

Along with the spectacular sunset shows we have also been lucky enough to be audience to two nights of unexpected fireworks. Evidently, some of the “Big Boys” bring fire shows from the mainland and treat their charter guests to this awesome event. Luck us reap the benefit of their generous display.

Un-inhabited Big Majors (except, of course for the pigs) is just short dingy ride south to Staniel Cay where you can find the yacht club, fuel, three general stores, Ida’s kitchen for fresh baked bread, a restaurant or two, cottages for rent and the Staniel Cay Airport. Watermaker Air flies direct from Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale. Flamingo Air, charter planes as well as private crafts fly in and out of these picturesque cays several times a day. Yes, Paradise is accessible.

WELCOME TO STANIEL CAY

THE STANIEL CAY YACHT CLUB COTTAGES

STANIEL CAY YACHT CLUB

Monday morning found us preparing to move on. Dan and I made a quick trip to Staniel Cay to pick up previously ordered bread, a couple of things from the store and ice from the dock. By noon we were pulling up anchor and heading for Little Farmers Cay.

After passing Staniel Cay, Harvey Cay and Black Point at the north end of Great Guana Cay we had soon made the 19 NM trek to Little Farmers Cay Yacht Club where we tied to their bitsy dock and made preparations for the blow that was already making its intentions obvious. The quiet isolation here is welcomed after the hustle-an-bustle of the holidays at Compass, Big Majors and Staniel Cays.