The Barnyard
⇚ Tuesday, February 19, 2013 / Stephanie / Uncategorized ⇛
To obtain protection from a northeast wind forecasted to blow 22-28 knots, we anchored at Big Majors Spot near Staniel Cay. This is a very large anchorage and popular spot for many snowbirds; we found about 50 boats at Big Majors Spot but still had plenty of room to anchor under sail. (We do like to entertain.) We arrived just in time to attend a benefit lunch for the Staniel Cay Library and made our way into town to taste conch fritters, conch chowder, johnny cake, and COLD beers. It was a tasty treat and we were happy to support the library. We savored our beers while chatting with newfound friend, Tom aboard sv/Juno. (We had a lovely dinner with Tom the following evening and look forward to more stories and cruising tips.)
Big Majors Spot has a fabulous tourist attraction which I have deemed The Barnyard. On the beach bordering the anchorage there are pigs. Yes, pigs, just lounging around on the beach. Apparently Bahamians leave the pigs at the beach and then cruisers feed them all of our scrap produce. This is not only a tourist attraction but an intuitive method of farming. You can imagine me squealing with delight as we hopped into our dinghy to go visit the pigs.
As we approached there were no pigs in sight, and then as we neared the shoreline two massive pigs came barreling down the hill toward the water. We'd been cautioned that the pigs not only swim but will try to board dinghies, so we slowed down and thew out the anchor anticipating what may happen next. Here they come! These pigs are tourist trained!
Getting a bit close for comfort.
We let the pigs settle down. They were grunting and squealing in disgust that we hadn't yet fed them. They lost interest and headed back toward the beach. We brought the dinghy closer and anchored in ankle deep water so that we could walk ashore.
Why yes, that is a potato in my pocket.
WOAH, pig!
Still hungry.
Happy to be in The Barnyard!
New arrivals means more food. Catch ya later, piggies!
Now we know for certain that pigs can swim.
Big Majors Spot has a fabulous tourist attraction which I have deemed The Barnyard. On the beach bordering the anchorage there are pigs. Yes, pigs, just lounging around on the beach. Apparently Bahamians leave the pigs at the beach and then cruisers feed them all of our scrap produce. This is not only a tourist attraction but an intuitive method of farming. You can imagine me squealing with delight as we hopped into our dinghy to go visit the pigs.
As we approached there were no pigs in sight, and then as we neared the shoreline two massive pigs came barreling down the hill toward the water. We'd been cautioned that the pigs not only swim but will try to board dinghies, so we slowed down and thew out the anchor anticipating what may happen next. Here they come! These pigs are tourist trained!
Getting a bit close for comfort.
We let the pigs settle down. They were grunting and squealing in disgust that we hadn't yet fed them. They lost interest and headed back toward the beach. We brought the dinghy closer and anchored in ankle deep water so that we could walk ashore.
Why yes, that is a potato in my pocket.
WOAH, pig!
Still hungry.
Happy to be in The Barnyard!
New arrivals means more food. Catch ya later, piggies!
Now we know for certain that pigs can swim.6 Comments
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From stephanie on Feb 20, 2013
You would LOVE them, they were so fun! -
From stephanie on Feb 20, 2013
We are bringing Bruce and Kath to the pigs. Apparently there are other too, pink ones, a black one, and piglets! Maybe they'll show themselves for our special guests. -
From stephanie on Feb 20, 2013
Hmmm we do need an alternative method of preserving meat now that we don't have refrigeration...I think we'll be revisiting those pigs! -
From Christy on Feb 19, 2013
Oh my gosh... Those pigs are hilarious! I can't stop looking at these pictures -
From Ken Jennings on Feb 19, 2013
Later, I'm off to get a McRib sandwich at McDonalds....keep 'em outta that salt water, I'm on a low sodium diet. A creative way to brine bacon I guess. -
From Grandma on Feb 19, 2013
Wow! That is some pig! I have never seen one with a snout like that on him. It looked almost like a short elephant's trunk! You have the most wonderful adventures. Is this where Bruce and Kathy will see pigs? The ones I saw when I Googled Swimming Pigs were much prettier pink pigs. That's amazing!