Month: March 2021

Highbourne Cay to Great Harbor is about a fourteen hour trip so we decided to stop at High Cay along the way. It looked like it would be a good anchorage providing protection from the SE winds. With clear water and no other boats it seemed perfect. We dropped anchor and then took a breather. Noticing a little roll we decided it was okay for one night. And then the boat rocked thirty degrees from side to side and a full cup of tea went flying. Then it rolled again and we didn’t even need to talk. We just started getting the boat under way and bringing up the anchor. Seems the waves refracting around the point set up a nice roll that would not be going away.

As we set out I started frantically checking ActiveCaptain for another anchorage. We had ninety minutes of daylight left so it needed to be within ten miles. Eureka! Little Gaulding looked like it might work. It was a tight run through the channel and then a couple ninety degree turns to get into a small anchorage. If there were other boats already there it probably wouldn’t work. But the first line of description for the anchorage was “no swell” so we decided to chance it. Plan B would be Soldier Cay but we would be arriving after dark and that is something we try not to do especially if we’ve never been there before.

We made the entrance and other than a small dinghy sightseeing there wasn’t another boat around. Gary stuck the Laa-Dee-Dah in the very middle of the anchorage and a good thing he did. The current caused the boat to do a 180 degree rotation through the tidal changes and water depth on the edges was very shallow. But the water was crystal clear and best of all, calm. A nice dinner on the aft deck followed by a georgous moon and we were happy. So much so that we decided to stay a couple days instead of moving on.

While there we were visited by a couple large sting rays, turtles and funniest of all, three remoras. Remoras in The Bahamas get to be about three to four feet long and look very intimidating. They can be identified by the large ridged area on their foreheads that looks like the bottom of a flip flop. Kind of a “Klingon” look for you Star Trek fans. They love food garbage so we gave them some leftovers and watched the feeding frenzy.

From there we retraced our route around the north side of the islands past the cruise ship playgrounds and are now anchored off of Great Harbor. We’ll be here until Thursday when we’ll move into the marina in time for BBQ Friday and Pizza Saturday to wait out the next blow. Hopefully we’ll be leaving on Tuesday to head back to Florida.

Our Bahama adventure is drawing to a close and I have to say I’m really going to miss the beautiful water, slower pace of life and of course the people that are always so welcoming and fun.

Because of Covid many cruisers decided to not come south this season or at least to delay their trip south until later in the spring. This meant that in January we anchored out at Shroud Cay with a couple other boats and it was spectacular not only because of the scenery but because it was peaceful. Leaving Eluthera we thought it was a good idea to take advantage and return to one of the most beautiful spots in The Bahamas before heading north.

What a difference sixty days made. Where before there were only a couple boats, this time we were surrounded by no less than fifteen super yachts with associated toys, people, noise, jet skis and dinghies running all over the place. We lasted twenty four hours and decided enough was enough and moved up to Highbourne Cay instead. While there we did take the dinghy into one of the creeks to go turtle hunting. Jet skis, otherwise known as “water lice”, are not allowed in the creeks so it was peaceful there.

Someone posited that it was more crowded because of Easter and spring break. I’m not sure that’s the answer but it definitely changes where we want to anchor. More and more we are happy that we are down here this season because everyone keeps telling us how “not crowded” it is. 

At anchor we are always at the mercy of the wind and look to the various cays and islands as protection from the worst of it. We dropped anchor at Oyster Cay just south of Highbourne but by the next morning we were rocking and rolling because the wind had shifted from the normal east/southeast to west. So we anchored somewhere we would normally never be. The windward side of Highbourne Cay has numerous coral heads and small reefs so we anchored in a sand channel between the reefs. The snorkeling was nice both from the dinghy and right off the back of the boat. On the second day the wind died down and the water became incredibly clear without any wind waves. It was like looking through a clear window and we could see everything on the bottom. This doesn’t happen often but when it does you have to take advantage of the situation and get in the water.

From there we moved to the northwest side of the island when the wind once again changed and today re-anchored on the southwest side. At this point we have anchored on all sides of Highbourne Cay and are currently surrounded once again by lots of super yachts with associated toys, people, noise, jet skis and dinghies running all over the place….

It took ten days for the winds to die down before we could leave Cape Eluthera Marina. While there we met new friends, drove around the island, had drinks at the bonfire and generally had a laid back time. When the winds died tho we were really ready to leave!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop was Rock Sound. We had seen it from the car but it always looks different from the water. A couple nice restaurants and a good grocery store make life pleasant but it’s been a few days and we’ve decided to head back to the Exumas for the last couple weeks before returning to Ft Lauderdale.

An interesting observation from a conversation the other day with a fellow cruiser. It seems that we are all food obsessed. I’m sure it’s the same with everyone who has been in lockdown back home. We either are preparing a meal, cleaning up from eating a meal, planning our next meal or provisioning for future meals. Oh well. At least we get to do it in a beautiful location!

The Exumas is probably my favorite place in The Bahamas. From stunning anchorages to crystal clear water, it can’t be beat. As much as we loved it,  it was time to move on to Eluthera and our slow journey back to the states.

But before we left the Exumas we still had a few places to visit. A stop at Staniel Cay to provision and we discovered the better anchorage is Sampson Cay just around the corner. For a slightly longer dinghy ride you get a beautiful anchorage with only a couple other boats. It’s a private island with signs posted and a couple nice houses but the water was crystal clear and I took the opportunity to float around for the afternoon. A stingray brought a friend out to visit and check everything out.

 

From there we travelled outside and up just past Cambridge Cay to O’Brians Cay, home of the Aquarium, a well known snorkeling site. It’s not called the Aquarium for nothing as we dropped in on a huge school of fish and a very active reef. The anchorage was just off of an island owned by Johnny Depp. Although we kept an eye out there were no sightings, pirate or otherwise.

While hanging out we were visited by friends that had been docked a couple boats down from us in Grenada. They were snorkeling and saw our boat so came over to say hi and catch up. 

The weather was up and down so we took the opening when we got it and headed across to Eluthera a day early taking advantage of good sea conditions. 

We are currently at Cape Eluthera Marina and will be here for a week or so while the winds have a party and kick up some serious wave action. It’s a nice marina with a decent restaurant, a dive shop and marina staff that is superb. We took the opportunity to go diving today, something we haven’t done since we’ve arrived here. Unfortunately because our underwater camera drowned we have no pictures. So although we saw a huge turtle we have no proof. Guess it’s like fishing and the one that got away.