We have not been in a place to drop off trash since we left Bimini. The Exuma Land and Sea Park’s rule is what you take in you must take out. We had a month’s worth of trash. Two contractor size bags full of smaller trash bags. We double bagged the larger bags to keep flying insects out and keep the smell in. We needed to drop off the trash.
I try hard to get rid of as much excess trash as I can before we leave port. We get rid of as much of the outer cartons and wrapping as we can. When I go shopping I take reusable shopping bags and reusable produce bags to keep the waste down. Anything we can do to minimize the amount of trash coming onto the boat means less trash going off the boat.
Some island towns in the Bahamas have dedicated drop off sites for cruisers to drop off trash. There is a small fee per bag of trash. While in Staniel Cay last year we found the town’s trash dump. The trash dump is free. Or, for a small fee we can drop off trash on shore at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. All we have to do is dinghy over to a dock that is the nearest we can get to the trash dump and walk to the dump. What could go wrong?
The winds were blowing and there were white caps on the water. We had been stuck on the boat for a couple of days and really wanted to get off and stretch our legs. And we needed milk. We were tired of the powdered milk we had been drinking while in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We will live without a lot of things but fresh milk was only a choppy wet dinghy ride away. We had to go.
We packed two huge bags of trash, folding crates, a folding push cart and two not so small humans into a ten foot dinghy and set off for the dump and a trip to town. Our dinghy was a bit slower with the extra load. The waves were splashing over the bow of the little dinghy on a regular basis. We got soaked!
As you can see by the crooked pictures, we were getting bounced around by the waves. This was also my view through my glasses. Nothing was dry after this ride.
Once we were behind a small island the water calmed and we arrived at the dock. Mark climbs the ladder on the dock.
The ladder was not very sturdy so Mark did not want to stop and pose on the ladder for a picture. I am not sure why, he was already soaked. 🙂 I handed him the trash bags and cart. Off he went.
Mark walked the quarter mile to the trash dump while I kept an eye on the dinghy. Someone had to sit there and enjoy the beauty of the area while making sure the dinghy did not get punctured by a nail from the dock. I volunteered. I sat in the sun to dry out after our wet and bumpy ride.
Mark dropped the trash at the dump and walked back. Then back down the ladder and onto the non-punctured dinghy. Since I did my job well we got to go to lunch at the yacht club. There are perks to the job.
This is how we take the trash out in our cruising life. And we used to whine about taking the trash to the curb every week. Silly us.