Big Major Cay

 After visiting Black point Settlement, we returned to the Staniel Key area where our 3rd Buddy Boat, Atlantica awaited with Jose and Char Pagan. After a 10 day delay in their departure, Jose and Char finally caught up with us at Big Major Key. Our cruise took on a whole different character. Jose is the ultimate extrovert. He organizes work parties, play parties, and expeditions. We have rotating dinners together on Atlantica, Sand Castle and Wind Dancer as we anchor at Big Major near Staniel Key. To solve our battery charging problem, Jose recommends that we remove the isolator between the batteries and the alternator. It works! We can now charge our batteries at about 20% an hours versus 2% in 8 hours! Luke and Jan loan us their 2nd computer, and voila, our communication problems are solved. I love this buddy boating thing!

Also in the Staniel Key /Big Major area are two sights not to be missed. Thunderball Cave, the cave used in the James Bond movie Thunderball sits on a small island nearby. The cave has holes in the ceiling where shafts of sunlight filter through the water in a dazzling display of light. Schools of fish sparkle in and out of the cave entrance hoping for a handout. ANd if that isn't interesting enough, then just grab your dinghy afterwards and ride over to the bay at Big Major where the swimming pigs live. These pigs are used to handouts from the dozens of boats anchored in the bay and will eagerly wade out for a treat. They really should be called the wading pigs, because they turn back to shore when their feet cannot reach the bottom. The other treat for us at Big Major was the nightly display at sunset, always beautiful, always different.

Rick and Cookie diving Thunderball Cave