My (Ally) trip to Staniel Cay was one of my all-time epic trips and I’m thrilled I get to share it with all of you. Many of you have asked why I didn’t stay on the yacht at each stop. Remember, this was a work trip for me and all of our staff stayed in hotels so we could keep the yacht clean and tidy. Why you ask? Well, The Sunseeker 74 Sport Yacht that we were traveling on, is brand new and this was our opportunity to show it off to potential clients.
Our crew left Chub Cay Sunday, August 14th early in the morning and headed straight for Staniel Cay Yacht Club. This would be our longest journey at 121 nautical miles and the trip took about 5 hours.
We passed by Nassau on our way and we rarely saw any other vessels on the sea with us.
Arriving to Staniel Cay
As we approached Staniel Cay Yacht Club, we had to sit out a storm before we headed to the marina. The marina is very small and tight and without assistance from the marina it would be difficult for us to dock. Since a huge squall was moving through, we knew their crew wouldn’t come out.
Staniel Cay is a fairly large and populated island (compared to the other cays in the Exumas). The Yacht Club is owned by Makers Air and they have their own airline that services Staniel Cay. For that reason, the yacht club flies in their provisions on a daily basis. This is why you have to order your “dinner” when dining in the dining room first thing in the morning.
Staniel Cay Marina
The marina has fixed linear docks, so you better be very good at docking. In addition, a smaller yacht (say under 40′) wouldn’t do great here due to the height of the docks.
Luckily, the marina office was located right at the end of the dock. Here you can buy ice and also make golf cart arrangements. By the time we arrived, they were completely out of golf carts, but I was able to have a staff member help me with my bags to my cottage.
Just across from the marina office are steps down to the water, you’ll find nurse sharks hanging out looking for snacks.
At night, the marina totally lights up and it’s an awesome scene.
Accommodations on the island
The yacht club does offer villas, but they were all sold out. I would love to come back here and stay in one. Apparently when you rent a villa, you get a Boston Whaler runabout with it. How fun!
I was able to find accommodations on VRBO at the Chamberlain Cottages. The cottages are walking distance from the marina, but if you have luggage, this is a long haul.
These are about seven cottages each have two bedrooms (some with only one bath). I was fortunate that my cottage (the swimming piggies) had a separate room and bath on the first floor, from the rest of the cottage.
Exploring the Exumas
Our group spent three nights on Staniel Cay. The first night we hosted a cocktail party for our clients at the yacht club. We really lucked out with awesome weather.
The following morning, I went on an excursion with Staniel Cay Adventures for a day of snorkeling and exploring. These guys were awesome! I highly recommend that you hire a local if you want to explore the Exumas. They know the waters, the tides and the special places to visit.
Had I known how far we were headed (45 nm) that day on a 27′ boat, I might have had second thoughts! LOL
Our first stop was the Exumas Land and Sea Park. Here they have a visitors center and a giant whale skeleton. I didn’t explore the island (I was worried about bugs), but I was told they had a number of trails throughout the island. Instead, our crew played with Seabobs before bad weather started moving our way.
Snorkeling the plane wreck at Norman’s Cay
The trip to Norman’s Cay took us about 45 minutes. It was certainly a soggy boat ride, as we got hit with a pretty bad rain storm.
As soon as I jumped in I realized the current was too strong for me (it was about 15 knots). So our guide handed me a line to hang on to while I snorkeled through the plane. Be sure to check out my YouTube video for the footage of my snorkel. It was a bit scary snorkeling around a jagged metal plane, but our guides really helped me out.
Back in the 1970’s and 80’s, Norman’s Cay was a frequent stop for drug transportation during Carlos Lehder’s drug running days with the Medellin Cartel. One story about the sunken plane is that it crashed due to the weight of the cargo on it.
Lunch & the Sea Aquarium
From the plane wreck, we headed to lunch at MacDuffs Restaurant located on the other side of Norman’s Cay. The food and service was fantastic. This is a very small restaurant, so don’t come in with a crowd, without reservations.
I was shocked by how many cicadas there were. They were so loud and they were shedding their shells on the trees.
Everywhere we went, the water was crystal clear and so incredibly beautiful. I don’t think my photos do it justice. Guess we’ll just have to come back.
After lunch, our crew took us to the Sea Aquarium. When we arrived, I was hesitant to jump in after working so hard at the plane wreck. But they assured me this would be epic.
Now I know why it’s called the “Sea Aquarium”. As soon as I jumped in, I was surrounded by hundreds of beautiful fish. Be sure to see my action footage on YouTube (link at the end of this blog).
Surprise ending to a fabulous day in the Exumas
It was almost 5:30pm when we finished snorkeling at the Sea Aquarium. I assumed we were headed back home, but instead our guides had one more surprise. With the tunes cranked, we were flying through the islands headed for a surprise. You really have to see my video footage to grasp this adventure. At one point we were in 1′ of water, as we approached a sand bar (normally covered at high tide). We all hopped off and soaked up the moment. It was such a cool experience.
Day Two in the Exumas
One thing that was on my bucket list for this trip was to swim with the famous pigs on pig island.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead I went with another group and spent the day on our Sunseeker 74 Sport Yacht. I actually didn’t get in the water to play, as I had thrown my back out a few days earlier and I needed to rest up.
While we were anchored out, this old sailboat came into the bay and anchored with us. Not sure what its’ story is.
As our day ended, our crew wanted to enjoy the sunset on another sand bar. We hopped into the AB Jet Tender and the six of us headed to a sand bar across from pig beach.
It was a great ending to such an epic journey.
Surprise stop!
On our way back to the marina, our crew felt bad that I didn’t have a chance to see the pigs. Next thing I know we were at pig island at dusk for a quick hello. They are very docile at night, and we didn’t spend much time with them. Still, I was thrilled to at least say hello.
One thing to note about Staniel Cay is that the island runs off of generator. Unfortunately, we lost power every night we were there. My cottages didn’t have power during most of my stay. So on the last night, I headed to the yacht club for a quick bite, since they were on generator power. Here I met an old sailor (he was in his 80’s) and he had traveled around the world on his sailboat for most of his life. It was so cool sitting there talking to him and listening to his stories.
Time to leave for Nassau
Three days was just enough time to explore Staniel Cay. I do want to return with Scott and share my experiences with him and much more. Things I wish I would have experienced were the Thunderball Grotto, Swimming with the Sharks at Compass Cay and Iguana Island. That just gives us an excuse to come back. Another thing to note, is it is very very buggy here. The noseeums are awful and you will need a strong bug repellant during your stay.
Tune in next week, as we head to the Atlantis Resort on Nassau, a much needed break after being on a pretty secluded island.
As always, thank you for following our journey and blog. Be sure to watch our video below and subscribe to our channel. You can also follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Cheers, Ally
