Staniel Cay, Bahamas - Day Four

Our fourth day at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club found us heading out in search of some new beaches. We decided to cruise out to Sand Cay after seeing it in the distance the last few days. The winds had shifted to more out of the south now so our calm side of the islands started to become more exposed to the weather. No worries, the ride was pretty good and we made it out there in no time. Again, we found ourselves alone on this beautiful piece of The Bahamas. While my dad set out exploring for shells, I went snorkeling.





The beach was amazing and my dad quickly found some new treasures. The Milk Conch shells were everywhere. The snorkeling here was great. I saw some great sponge and coral formations, beautiful fish, a Sea Cucumber and even a Barracuda!
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After spending some time exploring Sandy Cay, we loaded up again and headed north for a short trip to Twin Cay. It was time for lunch so sat out on the beach, enjoyed the views, and ate our wonderful lunch that the yacht club staff had made for us. After lunch, Dad and I ventured out again for our own versions of exploring; he on the beach, me in the water.

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My dad found some tiny treasures and I found a yellow and black striped fish with blue marks on its fin that I had never seen before. Can anyone ID it for me? I even spotted a Bristle Worm as well as a tiny Banded Shrimp hidning in a Sea Anemone. This place is amazing!





After lunch we made the short trip back to the sandbar at Little Pipe Cay, but we were a little late. We had missed low tide and most of the sandbar that gave us all the treasure before, was already submerged. I promised my dad we'd try to time it better tomorrow. It was getting late so we started to head back, but not before another stop at Thunderball Grotto so I can chase the Queen Butterfly fish again with my camera. I managed to get some good shots, but some were closer than I was ready for since she seemed to be chasing me this time!




After some good naps and enjoying the peacefulness from our deck, we headed back to the club house for dinner. Oh yeah, lobster again! We found a boat named "Sugar Bear" moored at the yacht club. I had to get a picture since that is the nickname my wife uses for our oldest daughter! I went ahead and signed up for wireless internet since I wanted to start watching the weather for our flight home and to be able to file our flight plan when the time came. For those that know my Dad, it didn't take him long to start playing Solitaire!