Exploring The Central Exumas In A Whirl Of Windy Weather.

Going out of the cut at Adderly Cut by Lee Stocking Island

The last week has flown by in a whirl of windy weather and stunning colours.  Because if the Bahamas are anything they are colourful, and no more so than when the sun is shining down in all its glory revealing the multitude of colours of the sea.

How can you not love those blues

We’ve spent a day at the quaint Little Farmers Cay with its tiny population of less than 100.  Anchoring on the west side of the island we went ashore, leaving the dinghy on the beach and walked around. We saw the rays and turtles that swam around the fish station in the harbour on the east side of the island and had a cold beer at the yacht club.  The islanders are warm and welcoming and after a hour or two of slow ambling and the cold beer we had circumnavigated the island. 

View from the yacht club at Little Farmers Cay

Moving on the next day we stopped at Black Point on Great Guana Cay to do some laundry.  Now this is not just any old laundry. This is the best place in the Exumas to do Laundry – nice clean machines, free wifi, cakes, showers; small shop, conch fritters and haircuts make this a very individual place indeed!  We strolled up to the ‘garden of Eden’, a misnomer perhaps –a back yard filled with driftwood art. And we ate lunch ashore – it seems no matter where you eat the menu is always the same: burgers, cracked conch or chicken sandwiches - Georgetown, Black Point, Stanial Cay or Nassau! We enjoy it all the same.

Hanging out at the Launderette at Black Point

From Black point we moved up to Big Majors Spot and ticked off in one day the sites for mum and dad - ‘pigs on the beach’, the ‘sharks by the fish station’, ‘lunch at the yacht club’ and ‘Thunderball grotto’.

Because the next day a strong weather front was due and we were staying put! It seems the weather gods have got it in for us as front after front has been passing through.  Sometimes they are fairly benign but sometimes they bring strong clocking winds, forcing us to try and seek shelter in islands where there are few places to hide.

A little squall passing through Big Majors Spot

 We have had a couple more nice days at Great Guana Cay, walking on the beaches in the afternoon sun at White Point and following the trail left by others at Hettys Bay across to Exuma Sound.  I think my parents wonder where I get this crazy love of beaches from as I drag everyone ashore and won’t leave until I have left no grain of sand un-trodden!

The magnificent beach at White Point

With yet another stronger front due Mum and Dad kindly offered to put us in a marina for a couple of nights to take the stress out of finding somewhere safe and comfortable to be.  Cave Cay Marina is a small no frills establishment.  No restaurant or bar and slightly grubby toilets and washrooms. But the laundry is free which is just as well considering the high prices they charge. The lagoon is a perfect hurricane hole but because the island is privately owned you can only use it if you are in the marina. We had to wait for high tide to get over the sand bar at the entrance and entered the stunning protected waters.  We enjoyed our two night stay there walking on the beaches, taking advantage of the laundry and meeting some of the other guest seeking shelter from the forecast-ed winds. The wind picked up in the early hours of the morning and howled all day long.  We were very grateful to be safely tucked up in this pricey but endearing hidey-hole.

On the dock at Cave Cay Marina

We are making our way slowly back to Georgetown.  As fate would have it the winds have died all together and it looks like we'll have to motor the last leg.  For now we have pulled back into Lee Stocking Island for a day or two more in this blissful spot.  Sim has the watermaker in pieces.  Its not looking good.  The membranes have gone. Its a shame they are so costly as a watermaker is very convenient. But we managed for nearly ten years without and what water we did buy probably didn't cost as much as the membranes!

Such a calm and balmy day from Big Galliot Cay to Farmers Cay

Enjoying an easy motor

Even the cat is out and about on deck

Little Farmers Cay

Hungry rays hanging out at the fish cleaning station

De main man!

Having a cheeky beer before the sun is over the yard arm!

A couple of unlucky boats washed up on the beach

The garden of Eden at Black Point - driftwood sculptures

The infamous laundry

In the cave at Thunderball Grotto

Sim playing in the caves

Having fun at Thunderball

An incredibly large spotted eagle ray

Anchored off White Point - Great Guana Cay

At Hettys Bay we followed signs (flotsam & Jettison) left by previous people 

marking a trail to Exuma Sound

The trails lead to Exuma Sound on the windward side of Great Guana Cay

Entering the cut at high tide to Cave Cay Marina

Pretty windward beaches at Cave Cay Marina

There were only 10 boats in Cave Cay Marina

Kissing Mermaids and Swimming Pigs

Fabulous sailing on the Exuma banks

 

We have whizzed through the Exumas at a rate of knots, only it hasn’t been at a rate of knots.  Despite the fact that we have been on the move daily for god knows how long (ok only about 5 days) we seem to sail no faster than a granny with a zimmer frame - I could get out and walk faster.  The odd puff of wind gives us the occasional burst of speed but generally we are left sailing on momentum.  But I can’t complain; balmy days of 3.5kts in flat calm gloriously blue waters are barely a hardship. The stops at the islands in between have all been Wow! And at the end of the day when you have good sailing, good snorkelling, good weather and good company what more can you ask for?

Rudder Cay & Musha Cay

We left George Town and sailed up Exuma Sound pulling into Rudder Cay Cut so that Sim could kiss a mermaid. Rudder Cay belongs to DavidCopperfield who bought up this little bit of paradise and surroundings cays.  To enhance an otherwise already perfect location he has added amongst other things an underwater sculpture by Jason DeCaires Taylor, the same guy who made the sculptures in Grenada.  The work is called ‘The Musican’ and can be found at 23˚52.163N 76˚14.157W.  It is a great piece of work with both piano and mermaid glittering in the crystal clear water - Sim got to kiss his steely mermaid while I played the piano.  If you want to stay on this island and race goldfish, ride a giant tortoise or take part in the Musha Cay Olympics prices start at $37000 per night for a group of 12! – I kid you not.  All the while we can anchor for free, snorkel the sculptures, explore the caves and snorkel the very colourful coral that was almost under our boat. I wonder who gets the better deal?

Underwater Sculpture known as The Musician

I tap out a tune

Sim kisses the mermaid

The Cave

Inside the Cave

Lovely coral gardens 

Black Point

In Black Point you will find a friendly little town.  If you need laundry, water, provisions or wifi here is a great place to be – we didn’t need any of these but were happy to hang out while John hunted for another geo cache.  We all took a walk up to the beach at the head of the bay beaching combing while the tide was out then rewarding ourselves with a beer at Lorraines where she lets you help yourself!

Hunting for the geo cache

Black Points main street

You'll never get lost

Sim inspecting an anchor in the water

Sim proving he is an island

Cute little starfish

'im 'n' 'er

Pretty little church

Staniel Cay & Big Majors Spot

This is another fab spot anchoring in soft mountains of white sand that looks just like a moonscape under the boat.  The main attraction here is the underwater cave called Thunderball Grotto which has made an appearance in the odd film including of course the James Bond epic from where it gets its name.  The cave is full of colourful fish and coral.  Quite amazing that so much of it still alive considering the amount of abuse it gets from careless snorkelers. Swimming out the other side and letting the currents take you past all the coral gardens was very cool.  The other attraction is the pigs on the beach. Not any ordinary pigs but pigs that swim – watch your hands and your inflatable dinghies as these giant pork chops have scary looking teeth.  I wouldn’t want to be feeding these babies at the beginning of the day when they are hungry!

Outside Thunderball Grotto

Inside its teeming with fish

Skylight in the roof

Lovely coral heads outside the grotto

Coral very much alive

Small orange jellyfish

Huge shell with hermit crab living inside - yes I let him live!

Scary swimming pigs

They just stand there with their mouths open

Hawksbill Cay

This bay might not look much from your boat but step ashore to the beach and you will be blown away by the colours looking out across the bay.  You can walk around the inner ponds or even take your dinghy in at high tide.

The beautiful Hawksbill Cay

The water was like a warm bath

Sim takes a look inside his hat

Hawksbill Cay is part of the Exuma Cays land and sea park

View out across the bay

An inside lagoon that dries at low tide

Sim dingies inside the lagoon

 

Highborne Cay

Another short stop over with more lovely beaches.  This place was filled with mega motor boats. The big Wow here were the amazing shells we were finding in the water under the boat.  Sadly for me they were still alive and I begrudgingly put them back. We sailed out of Highborne early the next morning as a squall line developed in the distance - its nearing that yucky time of year with convective squalls and waterspouts - which we hope wont become too much of a theme. One thing we are always happy to see though are dolphins playing in our bow wave.

Helmet conch shell

Khaya Moya and the waterspout

Dolphins playing in our bow waves.

It seems as usual we are on a bit of a mission.  Seeing as we have only completed half the miles it will take us the get to the Chesapeake since leaving Grenada last year we still have over 1200nm to go. We have just arrived in Nassau on New Providence Island and are waiting for good weather to take us to across to Florida.