Tuesday we stayed on anchor in Marsh Harbour to stock up on goods from the Grocery and Soft Drink stores. After lunch we met crews from five other boats to walk over the hill and go snorkeling at Mermaid Reef. Turns out that Mark Hill on an Island Packet 40 named Down Island wrote a book we have aboard by the same name. We interrupted his shower later to get our copy autographed. A few drips on the page made it more authentic!. Check out “Down Island” by Mark R. Hill on Amazon for a fast paced adult sailing adventure novel set in the modern-day British Virgin Islands.
Meanwhile, back at the reef there were lots of parrot fish, tangs and snappers all of which were friendly. This is where we shot our first underwater fish photos back in 2002. The kids all swam out from shore and enjoyed being close to the fish. The coral had deteriorated from our last visit, probably due to careless snorkelers.

Fishers Bay, Great Guana Cay

Wednesday was election day and we wanted to be away from the “big” city so we wouldn’t hear the celebrations. Pulled anchor at 0915 and motorsailed across the Sea of Abaco to Fishers Bay on Great Guana Cay where we were tied to a mooring ball by 1043. It was good to be back in clear waters.
Visiting Dive Guana we asked about the proprietors of the Guana Seaside Resort. We understand that they sold their little inn, but still live on the island. Didn’t catch up with them, but did learn about the major changes on this beautiful island. A huge resort is being built with a 240 slip marina and a golf course. Signs on the island say “Golf Courses need fertilizers, Fertilizers kill Reefs, any questions?” The third longest barrier reef in the world is so close to shore here that development is sure to have an impact on the reef. See www.SaveGuanaCayReef.com for more info. Also learned that the ship we saw on the reef by Man-O-War was a Canadian drilling vessel that went aground two years ago and hasn’t been removed. I’m not sure what is worse, the fact that it destroyed a big section of reef and is still there or that it was doing exploratory drilling for natural gas in the area.
We walked into the settlement and over the hill to Nippers pool and bar. It was probably one of the quietest days ever at Nippers as they couldn’t serve alcohol on Election Day. We walked down to the beach where the kids from Iceni along with Noah built a bear trap. They lured Beth into it before we left and were quite pleased when she fell in! Had hoped to go to the Wednesday pot luck at Grabbers, but that was canceled for election day.
The full moon rose and the elections passed quietly on Great Guana. We slept through whatever celebrations occurred. There will be a change of government here as the FMN beat the PLP.

Orchid Bay Marina and the Settlement at Great Guana Cay

Vacation Homes on Great Guana Cay