We left Cape Eleuthera at 10:45 a.m., crossing Exuma Sound, which has a depth of about 5,000 feet. We had about a 15-knot east wind and fairly calm seas with a few ocean rollers. It was a great travel day!
The water color went from a deep blue to a sapphire blue, once we crossed into more shallow water. We had another dolphin show on the Sound. We entered the northern Exumas via Ship Channel and traveled to Allan’s Cay for the night, which was 42 miles.
Allan’s Cay is noted for Iguana Beach, where iguanas meet you looking for handouts. There were a couple of tour boats from Nassau feeding them when we arrived. They appear tamed, however, they are not and must be treated with caution.
We anchored in a neat little cove in the southern end and had the local stingray checking us out. We had the cove all to ourselves since there was room for only one boat.
Needless to say, it was an exciting first day in the Exumas!
We can see a huge Batelco tower on Highborne Cay, which is only a couple of miles away; however, internet coverage is very slow!
Allans Cay to Normans Cay
The next day we traveled to Norman’s Cay, which was about 10 miles south. We anchored in the southern anchorage, very close to the beach to try to stay out of the current.
Normans Cay was once the base of a Columbian drug lord during the days of Bahamian drug trading. We walked around a rundown development on the southern tip of the Cay which was the heart of the operation. Remaining are haphazard houses and a deteriorated dock, supposedly you can see bullet holes in them. In the water just off of the dock is a ditched aircraft, which can be seen clearly through the clear water and sticks out of the water at low tide.
An airstrip that still services private planes is located at the southern end of the Cay. Between the airstrip and the beach is a good size restaurant (MacDuffs) and some rental cottages.
We toured the Cay by foot and dinghy.
Exuma Land and Sea Park
In 1959 the Bahamian Parliament set aside a 22-mile area to provide a safe haven and replenishment area for the wildlife native to the Bahamas and to educate the public in saving the beautiful environment. It includes 15 large islands and many more tiny ones. The Park has some rules that are strictly enforced, i.e., no taking or destruction of any marine mammals, fish, birds, plants, coral reefs or beach sand. There is no trash disposal, no water available and no fuel. Throughout the Park, there are beautiful reefs, underwater life, and walking trails.
Shroud Cay
This is the first Cay that is located within the Park. We traveled from Norman’s to Shroud Cay, about 7 miles, feeling our way into the anchorage through the shallow water and dodging the coral.
We took a dinghy trip through the beautiful mangrove creeks over to the gorgeous ocean beach. The clarity of the water and color has continued to be more beautiful as we head further south.
We saw white-tailed tropicbirds, recognizable by their long white tails, swooping overhead.
Waderick Wells Cay
We traveled from Norman Cay to Warderick Wells Cay, about 15 miles. The headquarters for the Land and Sea Park is located here. It includes a welcome center, gift shop, book exchange.
Moorings are available by assignment. Dinghy and snorkeling guides along with trail guides are provided.Our first day, we went snorkeling and saw some beautiful coral and sea life. After about an hour and half of snorkeling, we went to the beach and rested.
The next day, we took a walk up Boo Boo Hill, which is known for a schooner that sunk off Warderick Wells. Everyone perished and no bodies were found. Locals say that if you climb to the top of the hill at the bloom of a full moon, you can hear the voices of the lost souls singing hymns. Cruisers climb to the top and leave a piece of driftwood painted with information about themselves.
Cell phone coverage is almost nonexistent because we are 25 miles away from the nearest tower. We did, however, get spotty coverage and tried different areas of the park for coverage.
In addition to trying to keep in touch with Lisa, we wanted the coverage for the weather.
Speaking of weather, the second day we had a very heavy rainstorm, which washed all the salt off the boat. That night, a front came through with, with 30+ knot gusts. We felt like we were in a washing machine and the wind sounded like a freight train coming through the boat. Thankfully, it calmed down early morning to around 20 knots and was from an easterly direction. The winds continued to blow 20+ knots for four days, which delayed our departure south and made for some uncomfortable periods when the tide changed and the current was against the wind in mooring field.
Because the Exuma Cays are pretty low, there is very little protection in heavy wind, making travel and anchorages uncomfortable. Not a bad place to get stuck, but one of the days we didn’t get off the boat. We did a lot of reading, Diane finished a pine needle basket and we played Rummikub. TimeOut is a heavier boat and they don’t feel the chops as much.We walked all of the trails in the park, following the yellow markings along the paths.
Staniel Cay
Finally the wind calmed down to 15 knots out of the east, so Duetto decided to head south to Staniel Cay. We needed water, a break from lumpy mooring field and had done all there was to do in Warderick Wells. TimeOut decided to stay another night.
Our 24-mile trip to Staniel Cay was not as rough as we expected. We went to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, our first dock since leaving Cape Eleuthera. We were able to get water ($22) and get rid of our trash for $5, which had accumulated since leaving Eleuthera.
We were greeted by nurse sharks at the dock. They hang around in the harbor for handouts from the fishing boats.
Staniel Cay is known as the cruising headquarters for the central Exumas. We saw many mega yachts in the area and lots of huge homes being built, which indicates a good vacation spot and second homes. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club (SCYC) seems to be the epicenter of the universe. There is a small airport, but no airport building, per se, so the SCYC posts arrival and departure information.
Thunderball Grotto, an underwater cave featured in several Hollywood films (007 Thunderball), is a mandatory snorkeling trip. Because of the heavy current, we had to time snorkeling with slack low tide. This also allows entrance into the cave by keeping your head above water.
Another must see is the beach that features the swimming pigs. You don’t want to get too close because they become very aggressive looking for a handout. They have been known to get into dinghies and biting onlookers.
We did a walking tour to find the grocery stores and bakery to see if we could get some provisions. Stock was sketchy to say the least on produce but between the three stores, we were able to get what what was absolutely needed.
We had a fabulous dinner at the SCYC for a reasonable price.
The remainder of our Exuma travels was going to be between Staniel and Cambridge Cays, within about a sixteen mile area, with Cambridge being at the northern end. This area offers great snorkeling, dinghy exploration and beaches on both the ocean and Exuma bank side. In between the Cays is a protected inner passage, Pipe Creek Alley, with a narrow deep channel. It is an area of amazing water color, from white to turquoise to sapphire blue and is gin clear. A few of the Cays are privately owned and some of them are within the Exuma Park.
After looking at the weather forecast and what we definitely wanted to do before leaving the Exumas, we decided to go Cambridge Cay to do our exploring from there.
Cambridge Cay
From Staniel Cay, we traveled to Cambridge (about 12 miles) and picked up one of the Exuma Park moorings. That evening, we attended a happy hour on the beach and spoke to folks who spend a lot of time in this area. Our plan was to spend a few days snorkeling and dinghy exploring.
We snorkeled Rocky Dundas Cave, which was beautiful inside. Once inside, we were able to stand up to look around. Outside the cave, we saw fish and beautiful coral. The best time to snorkel the cave is low slack tide to avoid strong current.
We took a dinghy ride through Pipe Creek Alley and explored beaches on both the ocean and bank side.
We spoke to TimeOut, who traveled to Black Point, which is just south of Staniel Cay. Their plan was to travel back north from there, with no particular agenda.
Departing Exumas
After two days in Cambridge, we starting talking about heading back to the US. We had planned to go to Nassau, Chubb Cay, Bimini then US. After evaluating the weather prediction one week out and feeling that we had seen all we wanted to at this point, we decided to return through the Abacos.
We had a couple of days of good weather to get to Abacos, with a strong front coming through after that. So the next morning we headed for Spanish Wells, Eleuthera. Once we got to mid-Eleuthera, we evaluated our progress and decided to head directly to Little Harbour, Abacos. We passed through North Bar Channel at 6:15 p.m. and were anchored off Tiloo at 7:15. It was a long day (170 miles, 11 hours), but there is something to be said about being back in familiar territory. The next day, we traveled to Leeward Marina, Green Turtle Cay to wait out the front that was bringing strong winds for a few days. We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by Dianne/Dave on Argonaut and Ben/Margaret on Diva. Both spent the winter in Boat Harbour.
It is Sunday, April 22, and we are planning to stay at Leeward until at least Wednesday, based on the current weather prediction. It looks like we may have a crossing weather-window on Friday, April 27.
Our next posting will be about our crossing back to the US, which we are truly looking forward to! We will spend about a week in Stuart putting Duetto away for the summer and visiting with friends, Dan and Lenora. Then its off to CT!
