3/21/15
Great Harbor Cay, Berry Islands, Bahamas
Position: 25 44.866N, 77 51.597W
Posted by Bill

Yesterday we left our anchorage at dawn and motor sailed the rest of the way to the Berry Islands. We took a slip at Great Harbor Cay marina on Great Harbor Cay. We were surprised at how friendly the people were here and how well kept the marina was. The rest rooms are modern, well maintained and clean. It was a distinct contrast from Bimini. The Berry Islands are pretty remote, so there are not a lot of places to go eat, but the beach on the Atlantic side is gorgeous:

Shortly after arriving, we saw a small manatee next to our boat. This diver was cleaning the bottom of the boat next to us and the manatee just came up to him. He played with the manatee for quite some time.

One of the first things we did was check out the beach. Then we ate a big seafood feast and finished off the crab claws we got in Bimini, and the lobsters Kurt bought. It was good!

Today we got up early to go to the grocery store. There are 2 grocery stores on the island, and we learned that one of them got fresh produce delivered on the day we arrived here. On the small islands and cays, food is delivered on the mail boat, and produce comes every 2 weeks. If you want it fresh you need to get there early…and they run out quickly. So we all jumped in the dinghies and motored to the other side of the lagoon, tied our dinghies to a tree and walked into town. We checked out both grocery stores, and bought a dozen eggs and 2 heads of romaine lettuce…just under $10…wow!

With the light winds and the hot sun, it gets really warm unless you stay in the shade. When we got back from the store we were ready for a swim and some wallowing. Wallowing is where you just hang out in the water and shoot the shit, usually enjoying cool beverages. We mixed up a batch of Painkillers, walked to the beach, and wallowed the afternoon away. Here is a group selfie:

Later Matt volunteered to make a Mexican feast for our dining pleasure, and it was delicious! We all went back to our boats early, as we were tired from sun, sea and rum. I think the neighboring boats are getting jealous. They have seen our food feasts (which have been fantastic) and see how much fun we are having together. Every day they want to know what we are going to do next.

We have seen several buildings that look like condos, both along the beach and in the marina. This area is very remote, but if you like to hang at the beach, this is a good option. We have heard that the condos are very affordable.