Wild Horses arrived in Georgetown, Bahamas on Tuesday March 24. Although we have been here twice before, the feeling upon arrival is still the same. We are washed over with a feeling of accomplishment and excitement.
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Georgetown is an iconic place where many cruisers gather. For some, it is the furthest south that they will travel. A turnaround point. For others, it is a jumping off point. Some cruisers will continue south to explore the outer Bahamian islands, like the Ragged Islands, Crooked Island, or Long Island. Or, like us, it is a place to pause and re-group before continuing the even longer journey to the Caribbean. Wherever your plans take you after Georgetown, being here is a relief and an inspiration.

In Georgetown we can get a few groceries, fuel and marine supplies. We can hike, swim, snorkel and, most importantly, hang out with our fellow cruisers. If the weather was good for continuing our journey south, Georgetown would just be a pit stop for us. We would quickly grab the supplies we need and then take off to our next stop south in the Bahamas. As it turns out, we have another strong weather system passing through the Bahamas that will keep us here in Georgetown until the end of the first week of April. This is definitely not a quick pit stop!
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These strong weather systems have been a pain in our butts this whole season. They have slowed us down as we try to seek decent shelter from the strong winds, keeping us in anchorages far longer than we would normally have stayed. But, wait, is that really a bad thing?  Slowing down?  Having ample time to explore and learn about a new place? Truth be told, the weather hasn’t stopped us from enjoying our time here. Looking back over our time in the Exumas, I would say that lingering in paradise has been a joy😊.

​In fact, our favourite times were when we could put down the charts and schedules and really play tourist. Or, when a guest arrives, we get to play tourist guide. This was the case when our boat buddies on Tekana (Jean and Dean) had Jean’s sister Sherry visit for the first few weeks of March. It was an amazing time that passed by far too quickly!

​We said good bye to Jean’s sister Sherry on March 17, seeing her off at the Staniel Cay airport. The next day, both Tekana and Wild Horses moved south to Black Point Settlement. The winds were forecasted to be quite strong for several days (surprise!) and the Black Point anchorage has great protection. A bonus during our visit here? The village of Black Point was having its annual regatta. We got to see some great sloop races between the local Black Point teams and the visiting Georgetown teams. It was incredible, especially since the winds were really strong. The talented sailors thrilled us with their skills to manage the heavy winds in small skiffs that featured a huge mainsail that went the whole length of the skiff. Each boat also had an outrigger, which is a long beam on the leeward side of the boat. At least 3 of the 6 crew would sit on the end of the outrigger to try to balance the boat against the wind. Most of the time, this worked beautifully but not all the time. We watched four boats get overwhelmed by wind and pushed right over. And then they sunk! We were shocked at first but quickly learned that this is quite normal for these sailors and the boats handle it all well. Once sunk, the sailors remove the lead from the keel and take the mast off the boat. With the lead weight gone, the boat floats to the surface and is towed to shore. The only damage is to the crew’s pride!

Both the strong wind and the festival ended last Sunday so Tekana and Wild Horses made a plan to head down to Georgetown. This part of the trip is always interesting as it involves taking the boat through a “cut” to the Exuma Sound. For us, the nail-biting part is timing the Cut.  Depending on which Cut you choose, you may have a narrow or a wide passage, and/or a deep or shallow passage. Regardless, all of these cuts are notorious for having strong currents, even more so if you go when there is wind against the current.  This go around we took Dotham Cut, which is just north of Black Point Settlement. Our passage through was easy and before we knew it we were out in the Exuma Sound and enjoying a fabulous sea state and motor sail.

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!
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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).