Where we anchored Saturday night on the west side of Pipe Cay turned out to be quite rolly (is that a word?). There were five sailboats and a cat in there with us, all bobbling. Although the winds were predominantly from the east, there was a swell coming from the south that wrapped around the point to hit everyone broadside. So, in the morning, we launched the dinghy to scout out a new location. Just as soon as the dinghy splashed into the water, a nurse shark showed up to check it out. I’d already put the camera in the dry bag, so Todd quickly grabbed the phone to capture the image below before the about 5-footer lost interest and lazily swam away. After exploring the nearby cays, circling, and reading depths, we found our new spot and dropped a pin on the Lat and Long. Time to go get the SaltyMare.
Rather than taking the time to put the dinghy up top, we opted to tow it to the new spot. Goodbye, bobbing sailboats. We’re outta here. Hang on, Lil Filly!
The new location was not something we ever would have chosen based on charts or VPR (Visual Piloting Rules), i.e. use your eyes. The color of the water and the currents tell you a lot, like hey, knucklehead, don’t go there, etc. But we had carefully charted out a path in the dink and confirmed it on the charts once back aboard the Mare. Time to put on our big-boy trunks and be brave. We followed the deeper blue path to a small opening that crosses a layer of submerged rock to the right of those visible in the distance. Yes, rock.
Susie, you should breathe now.
All in all, we anchored in an absolutely ideal spot where the swirling currents flow around us but don’t roll us. We are snuggled in a small area between a nice house on Little Pipe Cay (left photo below) and a tiny unnamed cay with a beautiful setup – dockage, multiple houses, and their own beach (right photo).
With the anchor set securely (checked and it’s buried! yeah!) and the water temp over 80, it was definitely time for some snorkeling. Let’s check things out near the boat!
Just as we were wrapping up our swim, a huge Eagle Ray cruised over. He swam right past Todd, who was fortunate enough to still be in the water. By the time I got the camera, he was headed on his merry way. Perfect end to a fun day!
But, actually, I have to end this post with a different tale. We took advantage of the slack tide to swim and snorkel in our beautiful little anchorage. When I tired, I enjoyed one more lap around, then headed to the swim platform ladder, past the lone little fish still hanging out back there, and popped my head up out of the water to find…a gift. I felt like a school girl who’d just been presented a flower. What a fun surprise!
Our Travels 