It was a treat to be back in one of our favorite anchorages, and Thomas Cay didn’t disappoint.
We spent a day snorkling around The Mice, which were the 3 small Cays south of us. Then, when the tide was low enough we rallied Iris and Karsten to dinghy over to the sand bar with the Little Pipe Cay Conch swing, for walks and photos.
After a couple of nights, we picked our way through the shallows and out to the Exuma Banks for a fun shallow water sail down to Staniel Cay, home of the Thunderball Grotto and Staniel Cay Yacht Club.
We got ourselves anchored and zipped over to the Thunderball Grotto for a quick snorkle ahead of the tourist boats. The current was pretty brisk, but once inside we could hold onto the safety line and watch all the fish and a big turtle swimming around.
It’s an interesting spot with overhead skylights in the roof of the cave, and a narrow entrance that zig zags behind a rock and under an overhang.
Next it was back for showers and a visit to the yacht club, with a few other cruisers who had the same idea. This time of year the place was hoping, and we saw crew off some of the megayachts we’d passed on our way in.
It was another enjoyable day with friends. Everything came together with the weather, sailing breeze, visiting the Grotto, and cocktails at the club. After last goodbyes to Iris and Karsten, we had an early night as we would be heading in opposite directions in the morning.