Sunday & Monday April 17 & 18: Piano, Pigs, Pipe Creek

Internet stock photo

     Sunday morning we launched the dinghy and went around the point to dive on the sunken piano.  When first installed, it had a mirror finish.  Most of it is tarnished now but in a few spots the polished steel is still visible.  It’s a grand piano with the lid raised, complete with ‘quilted’ bench seat, on which the mermaid rests her arm.  (See the picture at the end of the previous blog.) The whole thing sits on a platform bolted to the sea floor.  It’s literally in the middle of nowhere, and we were surprised that it’s in that particular spot - it’s possible for someone to unknowingly hook it with their anchor.  We took turns diving the twelve or so feet to sit on the bench and pretend to play the piano - easier for Dan to do than me, because he sinks better than I do.  When we’d had our fill of the sculpture, we slowly snorkeled back to the Willie, Dan towing the dinghy along as he swam. 

     Rudder Cut Cay itself is private, but we went to the beach anyway for a quick look around.  Someone must come and remove all the debris - it was one of the cleanest beaches we’ve seen.  Not only no trash, but no shells or anything else.  

     Back on the Willie we made ready for departure.  The NE wind was still blowing strong enough for white caps, but we made easy progress through it all with just the mainsail, cruising the fifteen miles to Staniel Cay and nearby Big Majors Cay where the swimming pigs are.

     The last time we were in this area, we snorkeled in the famous Thunderball Grotto.  We’d spent one night on the back side of Big Major’s Cay, but the pigs weren’t on that side.  Apparently long ago some sailors dropped the pigs off, intending to come back and slaughter them for food.  Pigs have been there ever since, and have learned to swim.  They are now quite the tourist attraction.

     We arrived in the anchorage about four o’clock, dropping the hook amongst thirty other boats.  It’s the biggest gathering of cruisers we’ve seen since George Town.  Several familiar boats were here, including Jabulani, the power cat we met in Flamingo Cay.  We also met the owners of Baby Blue, a boat that once held a mooring near ours in Rockport, Maine.  Other boats we recognized from George Town.  Most of us are making our way North and eventually back to the States.

     We decided not to launch the dinghy that night, and so had a quiet, relaxing dinner and watched the people around us while the sun went down into a cloud bank most unspectacularly.  I guess not every night has a beautiful sunset.

     Monday morning we took the dinghy over to Pig Beach.  We decided not to bring food, as we’d heard the pigs can be particularly aggressive if they know you have something to eat; they will even try to board your dinghy.  They apparently knew we had nothing for them, because they were hard put to get up from their resting places in the sand.  When we ran the dinghy ashore, though, they all got up and came right over.  Some of them are really big!!  It was pretty exciting for a minute or two while Dan leaped out to push us back off shore, cutting his foot on a rock in the process.  The pigs grunted in disgust and didn’t come after us.  However, at that moment a launch came zipping around the point and they all got right into the water to greet him.  They obviously recognized the sound, as did the flock of laughing gulls and the roosters who also reside on the island.  The launch came from a restaurant in Staniel Cay, with a couple buckets of compost.  There was much squealing, grunting, crowing, and bird shrieking as the launch operator tossed the contents of the buckets onto the sand for the ensuing feeding frenzy.  He grinned at us, waved and took off and we hovered a few feet offshore to watch all the animals fight for the food.  Bahamas barnyard.  Amazing sight.

     Now that we’ve crossed the Exuma swimming pigs off our list, we weighed anchor to head North.  When we were in the Jumentos, it was so nice to be away from the crowded anchorages and all the hoopla that goes along with nearby resorts.  We’re a bit spoiled, I think.  We weren’t sorry to bid goodbye to Big Majors Cay - especially to those jet skis - to find something more quiet.

     We found it in Pipe Creek.  This is a narrow and very shallow channel between many little cays just South of the Exuma Land & SeaPark.  The chart shows a few anchorages but getting to them is tricky and requires trust in the dotted path on the page and a lot of visual piloting.  We slowly entered the area, mindful of the brownish-yellow spots that might mark sand bars, watching the standing waves that might mark reefs, and paying close attention to very dark spots that could be coral heads.  We didn’t go too far before Dan decided he’d been stressed enough and told me to standby the anchor.  

Pipe Creek Anchorage.

     It’s a lovely spot, and fairly private, although there are a scattering of second (or third) homes for the rich and tasteless.  There are no other boats anchored here, but there have been occasional motor boats and even a sea plane coming through.  Many of the surrounding cays are privately owned and they have a lot of power toys to get them where they might want to go.  Dan opted to rest and do a little sewing while I jumped in for a snorkel around.  A strong current kept me close to the boat, but there was abundant sea life to observe, and I found an unoccupied shell to add to my collection.  Back on the boat we spent a leisurely afternoon and a quiet evening while the NE winds still blew and occasional clouds threw a few raindrops our way.

Dan's leisure time included making a couple of fender covers.