|
Oh my…our crew is certainly enjoying our time in the Bahamas. It has been everything the doctor ordered for our crew of three, who were a little lost from living on land for almost eighteen months, tending to Wild Horses as just one big on-going fix-it project. When we left Green Cove Springs, Florida, last December, we were very tired and weary from too much boat maintenance. Not now. The last few weeks have been filled with so many things that brings us joy. Well, maybe not everything was joyful. I mean, it is a boat so something always needs fixing 😉 and this go-around it was our marine toilet. No, we were not “filled with joy” while giving it some tender loving care ☹. Even in paradise, it isn’t all cold mojitos in the cockpit! Travel-wise, we have gone 165 nautical miles since we left the Mackie Shoal (on the Bahama Bank) in the middle of February. While we have been to the Bahamas twice before, and on a similar route, this mileage took us to several new anchorages that really wowed us. The first was Morgan’s Bluff on Andros Island. Although the anchorage is small and the location is remote, it was a safe place to rest our heads on our way to the island of New Providence. Even more important to our caravan of boat buddies (Tekana, Ancora and ourselves) was a lovely seaside beach bar offering Bahamian beer, yummy eats and the chance to chat about our travels.
The next morning, all three boats weighed anchor and headed off to a private dock on the south side of the island of New Providence. Stronger weather was coming in and this dock gave us a chance to be sheltered from the wind while also having access to amenities like fuel, groceries and hardware/marine stores. In addition to shopping, the pause from travelling meant we could get caught up on our chores. That laundry wasn’t magically doing itself like I had hoped! Oh, and our visit to New Providence coincided with Dean’s birthday (our boat buddy on Tekana) so we were thrilled to hop in a rental car and head to Nassau for some delicious sushi to celebrate the day. Sushi in paradise? Yes, please!
Leaving New Providence, we were excited to finally arrive in the Exumas island chain. We landed at Highborne Cay, one of the northern islands in the Exumas. Although this is a great anchorage for eastern winds, another strong cold front was making its way to the Bahamas within a few days so we needed to get to a better anchorage for the weather. Highborne has beautiful beaches but it is just a slice of low land separating the Exuma Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful, yes. A shelter in strong weather? Not so much. This is the challenge in the Exumas. Cold fronts swing through the area regularly and cause the wind to clock around from east to south, west and north. Protection from the strong winds associated with these fronts is important but, even more critical is getting protection from the sea fetch which can hobby horse a sailboat. Best case is that you are a little uncomfortable. Worst case is that your anchor gets dislodged. Yikes! Many of the other islands and cays in the Exumas offer great east protection but very few give you shelter for clocking winds. As a group of three boats, we decided to make our way to Warderick Wells, which is part of the Bahamas Land and Sea Park. This anchorage checked most of our “good shelter” requirements, missing only the western wind protection which was forecasted to last just a few hours.
Oh my. Warderick Wells. Not only were we well protected through the cold front, we were also treated to the beauty and adventure of this island. It has several snorkeling sites, soft white sand beaches and many trails to hike. The most iconic trail is the one to Boo Boo Hill, at the very top of the island. For decades, cruisers have hiked to the top of Boo Boo Hill and left their boat name for all to see – be it on driftwood, a bottle or other paraphernalia. Even more incredible to see is the 360-degree view from the top of the island, spanning a vista that includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Exuma Sound and the beauty of the island itself.
Later that week, once the cold front passed through, we decided to move further south to O’Brien’s Cay. This is a pretty little anchorage that also sits in the Land and Sea Park so sandy beaches and great hikes are prevalent. Our sights, however, were set on snorkeling in the Sea Aquarium. This is a coral-rich spot in the anchorage where the sea life is abundant. Thousands of types of fish swim around you, getting so close that it isn’t odd to feel a bump or push as they move about. We also spied sea turtles and Southern Rays during our two visits to the Sea Aquarium. We truly couldn’t get enough of it!
As enticing as it was to stay in the Land and Sea Park and discover more cays and islands, we needed to get south to the village of Staniel Cay. We arrived here on Friday and found a great anchorage spot in front of the famous Thunderball Grotto (from the James Bond movie “Thunderball”). Here we have easy access to town by dinghy so we can load up on fuel, some fresh vegetables from the local markets and also dump off some of our trash (which we are forbidden to do in the Land and Sea Park).
Most important though is that Staniel Cay has an airport. Jean’s sister will be flying in this week to spend a few weeks on Tekana and we will be joining them for their excursions around the Exumas. Playing tourist guide will be a fun way to re-explore the Exumas before we continue our way to Grenada!
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorVictoria is a hiker, dog-lover, blog writer and planner extraordinaire. Oh, yeah and she is kind of fond of living on a boat. Categories
All
Archives
March 2026
|
RSS Feed
