Paradise and heaven collided today head on.  We had a truly wonderful day exploring all the Exumas had to offer.  The wind continues to blows out of the east at 20+mph which has kept us in port at Sampson Cay.  The wind and waves are a bit much to be out in the big boat as well as the dingy.  So today we decided to hire “Fat Cat”, a local Bahamian guide and his 17 foot Boston Whaler to take us on a tour of the islands.

Fat Cat met us on the dock this morning at 9:00am.  We immediately headed south to Big Major, a cay where there are a dozen or so swimming pigs.  Yes, swimming pigs.  And we are talking about some big pigs; 600+lbs.  We fed the pigs some apples, potatoes and bread.  They swam right up to the boat.  Once the food came out, the pigs about tried to get in the boat.  It was amazing and very entertaining.

After our encounter with the local hog population, we turned around and headed north to Compass Cay.  Compass is only about 4 miles north of Sampson Cay and has a very nice marina along with a very friendly nurse shark population.  We met the local folks and walked over to the beach where we took a long walk on the powder white sand overlooking the turquoise clear water of the Atlantic Ocean.

Upon our return to the marina, another boat had arrived and began to feed the sharks.  They had chopped up some squid and then got into the water to feed at least 20 to 30 sharks all about 5 to 7 feet long.  We were all glad to be standing on the dock during the feeding, but the sharks were very docile and ate the food without showing any aggression.

From Compass, we continued our travels north into the Exumas Land and Sea Park, a national park that is strictly protected.  You cannot fish, collect shells or remove anything from the park.  They ask you only take pictures and leave only footprints and bubbles.

Once in the Land and Sea Park, Fat Cat took us over to a mooring ball along a small reef.  He took out some bread, tossed it into the water and immediately the surface came alive with the most beautiful and colorful fish you have ever seen.  We enjoyed our own little, private aquarium show.

We then took another short 15 minutes boat ride over to “Rachael’s Bubble Bath”.  This is a natural coral divide between the Atlantic Ocean and the sound of the Exuma Bank.  It is very hard to describe, but the general principle is that the waves hit this natural coral rock and the water blows into the air and washes onto the sound.  So you can sit on the sound side in a beautiful pool of water and have the fresh ocean water wash over you.  Another really neat experience.

After our excursion to the Bubble Bath, we were all getting hungry as it was now just after 1:00pm.  We headed back over to Compass Cay for cheeseburgers and an ice cold Kalik beer.  We sat and talked with the locals for while and enjoyed the idyllic location and scenery.  After our bellies were full, it was hard to get going again as the wind kept the temperature at a perfect 75 degrees.

As we headed back to Sampson, Fat Cat stopped the boat and donned some snorkel gear.  In the water he went.  After about 5 or 10 minutes, he came back with 5 giant conchs.  He tossed them in a bucket and said that would be our dinner tonight.

Once we arrived back to our marina in Sampson Cay, Fat Cat asked that we provide him with a bell pepper, an onion, tomato, 4 limes, an orange, and some salt.  We watch as he went about making us fresh conch salad.  Capt Keith tried to learn how to extricate the conch from his shell and then the process of cleaning them.  Fat Cat made it look very easy, it was anything but.

Fat Cat had quite a group of onlookers as he cleaned the conchs and prepared the salad.  Of course, we all dined on the conch salad for dinner.  It was very, very good.

Today was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  We had such a nice day and enjoyed the local color that Fat Cat provided, the stories and all the people we met along the way.  We have found the Exumas to be everything we expected and more.  The water is simply amazing.  Pictures and descriptions cannot command the full array of color that only your eye can see.

Until tomorrow, paradise and heaven have collided on the stern of Tempus Fugit.