Sampson Cay

After 16 days in the Exuma Land and Sea Park we were ready for a hot shower and a cheeseburger, so Serenity pulled into Sampson Cay Club and Marina and took a slip ($2.75 per foot per night; turn down service and pillow mints not included).

Our two biggest issues were water and trash.  Many cruisers have water makers onboard, but we decided against one due to the cost and space requirements.  At Sampson we took on 98 gallons at a cost of $49.  So far we have spent $67 on water so I figure we have $4933 to go before justifying the expense of a water maker.  If you are a guest of the marina, Sampson accepts your trash for free.  Other places charge $2.50 per small bag and $5.00 per large.  However, at Sampson they want it divided into burnable, metal, and glass.  Pollie says that it was not fun going back through two weeks of garbage.

We were still good on diesel fuel, but needed gas for the dinghy engine (1 gallon = $5.19).  At their small convenience store we were able to restock the galley, but were careful with our selections because most items were not marked, just charged to the boat (with 5% service charge on credit cards).

At the restaurant/bar we had lunch (cheeseburgers) with our friends from Cambridge Cay who had interrupted their hosting duties to do laundry.  We also did “date night” and dined on Conch Salad ($10 each) and had drinks ($4.00 per beer, $8.00 per rum punch).  It was very fresh, because we were advised there would be a delay while the chef ran out the back door with a flashlight to pull the conch from a holding pen. 

They had a great place to wait for your laundry ($4.00 per load per washer, and $4.00 per load drier).  And the showers were quite nice ($4.00 for 8 minutes).  Our batteries were fully charged and we watched a “date night” movie at a rate of $1.10 per kwHr (used 5kw).  And, we were able to access the Internet ($10 for 24 hours or 200mb whichever comes first).

All in all, a very nice marina, but they may want to rethink their business plan.  Most "regular" cruisers give the place a pass due to the $2.75 per foot slip fee.  While we were there the only other boat that pulled in was a mega-yacht that did not use the marina electrical or water, and had their meals served onboard by white gloved crew.  So, we pretty much had all of the facilities and staff to ourselves.  Next time we will anchor nearby and use the facilities that we need, if they are still in business.