Staniel Cay Yacht Club is one of those very special places. I have spent time in the New York Yacht Club in Newport RI and it can not compare to Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Located in the lower Exuma chain with the North Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side of the island, the shallow Grand Bahama Bank stretching 300 nautical miles south to the Haiti. The only access to Staniel Cay is by boat or small airplane. The Bahamian Mail Boat arrives weekly bringing passengers, mail and provisions. Water-makers Air flies out to Staniel Cay daily from Ft.Lauderdale Fl. World cruisers stop here for any equipment they need to be flown in from stateside and to rest and relax after open ocean passages The TERN had her autopilot repair parts flown in on Water-makers air.  Upon arrival, small cottages await the eclectic land visitor. Opportunities await the visitors like, snorkeling in the Thunder Ball Cave, spear fishing, great meals, views and great conversations at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Burgees (yacht club flags), from around the world hang from the rafters inside the Club. Hanging in the bar the picture of the clock says it all "WHO CARES"!!! Alongside the clock are pictures of Sean Connery commiserating with the bar patrons and the crew filming the James Bond thriller, "THUNDER BALL".

After long passages at sea cruisers come here to relax, eat, drink, make repairs, fuel up, and get needed parts flown in. The customs office here is far faster than clearing customs in Nassau. Most visitors and cruisers have their evening meal at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. After the evening meal they gather at the bar or outside lounge to commiserate with other sailors and landlubbers. They share their tales of ocean adventures with sailors and landlubbers alike. The accessibility of small air travel makes it ideal for the eclectic visitor. Here you can meet landlubbers, world cruisers and stateside cruisers, as well as mega yacht owners. All come here to enter a world unlike any other. Here they can eat, drink, commiserate and forget about the world outside.

Boats of all types set their anchor here not so much to replenish supplies as there are no supermarkets, marine stores or hardware stores. The quickest way to get parts here is to have them flown in from Fort Lauderdale, FL on Water-makers Air. Fresh produce and mail arrive on the Mail Boat, weather permitting. Fuel comes in when the fuel boat is available. It's not a bad place to hang out and wait. The only dock is at the yacht club with very little space available. Fresh food except fish are very limited with only two grocery stores. Even canned goods can be hard to find on the store shelves. The island is very small with no food production here. The island gets its only fresh produce once a week via the Mail Boat. This is gobbled up mostly by locals. Fresh home baked bread and canned goods are usually available. The cruisers come to this remote island to relax and get out of the wind. There are many other little island anchorages that provide shelter from winds from all directions unlike most of the other barrier islands in the Exumas which only provide protection for easterly directions. Beaches here are white and empty of tourists. The nearby Thunder Ball cave is a short row and of course the snorkeling is second to none in the cave as well as the surrounding islands The only land attraction on Staniel is the yacht club. The nearby cay, Big Majors Spot has wild pink pigs that will eat carrots out of your hand. In Nassau there is marine supplies, fresh produce,  supermarkets along with, gambling, tourists, cruise ships, cars, foul odors. Here in Staniel Cay you will meet other world cruisers and a handful of eclectic landlubbers yearning for a glimpse of the cruising lifestyle. The nearby uninhabited islands offer the opportunity to set your anchor and enjoy the many sand beaches in peace and quiet. Real quiet with only the sounds of waves hitting the ocean side beaches when the wind comes up out of the east.

At the end of the day the visitors that went snorkeling for fish bring their catch to the yacht club to be filleted and cooked for their evening meal. Schools of nurse sharks come to enjoy the feast, with daring snorkelers swimming amongst them.

Hanging from the rafters in the yacht club are Burgees from all over the world. My yacht club burgee from the Coasters Harbor Navy Yacht Club in Newport RI is hanging proudly amongst them.