After spending the last few months kicking around the Exumas, we have finally moved along to the island of New Providence. Our Bahamas 3-month cruising permit expires on May 14 and our move to New Providence marks the beginning of our staged departure from the Bahamas. We are currently attached to a private dock on the south of the island (Nassau is at the top of the island) waiting out some strong winds. Once the weather is favourable, we will head towards the Mackie Shoal and then onto Bimini, before we make the leap across the Gulf Stream to Florida.
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When we left O’Brien’s Cay and the wonderful “Aquarium”, we sailed to Shroud Cay, just 28 nautical miles to the north. We were here just one year ago and had loved its quiet remoteness. This time around the anchorage is jam-packed full. Yikes! There are at least five superyachts, several dozen charter boats and a bunch of us cruisers mixed in between. Plus, new mooring balls that take up some of the prime anchoring spots. No need to worry though, there is lots of room for everyone. And we are still able to anchor close enough to “The Dinghy Route”. This is the real reason we wanted to come back to Shroud Cay. We had enjoyed it last year and were excited to get to show Caretta this little bit of entertainment that they had missed on their way south. The dinghy route is a narrow, twisty and turtle-filled natural waterway that takes you from the calm “Sound” side of the island, to the sporty Atlantic side. Using the flooding tide, you dinghy through mangroves and along sandstone banks, with turtles, stingrays and an occasional shark swimming alongside. Finally you arrive at the fast current-driven spin cycle called “the washing machine” on the Atlantic side. Our little 15 and 20 horsepower dinghy motors can do little to fight against the current, making our landing on the shoreline more like bumper cars making their final turn. 

​Although the dinghy landing is fast and rough (due to the strong current), the view is not. We have a beautifully long, sandy, white beach laid out in front of us, and edged with that stunning blue Bahamian water. Not only that, we have beer, beach chairs and a sandbar. Time for some relaxing in paradise!

Don't worry, Ocean got in on the fun! Click the buttons below to see her doing her best to "try" to swim at the sandbar and also how she relaxes after a big day at the beach.

After a few days at Shroud Cay, we decided to weigh anchor last Sunday morning and do a quick little motor-sail jump to Highbourne Cay. A strong east wind was forecasted for the upcoming days and although Highbourne Cay is not ideal for big weather, it thankfully provides enough protection from moderate wind and swell. We might be bumped around a bit but it wouldn’t be entirely uncomfortable.
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While the winds were still light, we opted to dinghy over to Allen’s Cay and check out the iguanas that freely roam about the tiny island. Just as they had last year when we were there, a few iguanas immediately came out to see what we were doing. This time, we came prepared with some lettuce and celery to entice them closer. As soon as the food came out, we had about a dozen iguanas coming towards us. They were definitely not shy once they knew they would be fed!

The first bit of strong winds arrived on Tuesday and although it was comfortable enough on the boat, taking Ocean ashore in the big waves was definitely not so comfy. With even stronger winds arriving on the weekend, we decided to email our friends Carolyn and Nick to see if they had any space available on their private dock on the southern coast of New Providence Island. They quickly confirmed that they had space for both Caretta and Wild Horses. Yay!
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On Wednesday morning, we weighed anchor and made the 40 nautical mile trip west to New Providence. On the way, we tried out a few new lures and actually got some bites. One got away but a Blue Runner was pulled aboard and will be used for bait the next time we fish (they are apparently edible but not very tasty). 

We arrived at the private dock by late afternoon, just in time for the daily happy hour with our hosts and a few other sailors staying on the dock. The camaraderie here is why we loved being here last year and why we were excited to return. Everyone attends the happy hour and brings a little appetizer and their favourite beverage. And then we chat! At the dock this time around were four sailors from Spain, a couple from Florida, a solo sailor from Texas plus Wild Horses and Caretta. We had great conversations with our dock mates, discussing travel plans, favourite cruising grounds, fishing (we need to step up our game!) and just about everything else under the sun. Andy (the solo sailor) even brought out his guitar and sang a few tunes for us. And Ocean? Well, she got to hang around the two other dogs belonging to other sailors plus Yaegar, our host's dog. Every evening was great fun!

Click on the link below to check out where we have sailed so far!

Heading south in 2022 and early 2023, we missed a lot. Yes, we stopped here and there to smell the roses but the journey to Grenada was long and it was just impossible to see everything we wanted to see. Plus, we had distractions. Not only were we new to being liveaboards, to managing new countries and to sailing in big oceans, well, stuff on the boat kept on breaking. ☹

But we learned from all of that. Besides getting our liveaboard sea legs, we learned that we prefer to linger. Hanging out in a great location for weeks at a time, absorbing all the little nuances offered to us from nature, the culture and, of course, the people is our happy place. Oh, and our boat has behaved of late and not given us any extra worry or jobs. Knock on wood that this blissful streak continues until we haul her out in Green Cove Springs, Florida.
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With our pace wonderfully slowed down, we are getting to just a few cays in the Exumas but we are enjoying them at depth. We are breathing in our freedom to go snorkeling one day, hiking the next and maybe just chilling on the boat after that. And when the weather looks good for moving on, well, we do just that.

At Black Point Settlement, we strolled around the town every day and checked out the nearby blowhole. That is a definite “must do” if you happen to be there during high tide and the wind is raging from the east!

​On one of our town walkabouts, we stopped and chatted with the gentleman looking after the Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) system for the island. Just like anywhere else, access to clean water is critical. Here they desalinate the ocean water using a reverse osmosis system just like we do on the boat (ours is a Rainman), only their version is huge!

Click the button to check out Ocean enjoying some free R.O. water from the town tap.

​Most of our past week has been at Staniel Cay. This has been a great snorkeling stop for us. First, we went to Thunderball Grotto which was the location of the James Bond movie “Thunderball”. We enjoyed this last year and to do it again this year was just as fun. Still wanting more snorkeling, we decided to do something a little different and checked out a few dive spots south of Staniel. The current was strong and the waves sporty but the snorkeling was great. 

Thankfully no sharks were spotted during our snorkeling adventures but we did see plenty at the dock!

​One of the best things about the Bahamas is its diversity of experiences. At Black Point, there is a town with groceries and restaurants. Same thing at Staniel Cay but here it is also littered with super yachts and resort dwelling tourists. Today we moved just three hours north in the Exumas to O’Brien’s Cay and we are back in total remoteness. There are no stores or locals, just clear blue water, pure white sand, snorkeling and, oh yes, more superyachts. It is an odd feeling to be sharing space with these big boats! An 80 foot yacht decked out with every toy known to man sitting adjacent to little old Wild Horses. My, my, my.

​A ”must do” at O’Brien’s Cay is snorkeling the “Aquarium”. This is an incredible dive spot that gives you the sensation as though you are inside a tropical fish tank. Fish are everywhere, especially if you bring along some bread or oatmeal to entice them a bit closer. Even a turtle got in on the action. The whole scene was mesmerizing!

​How do you top that? Well, you add a beautiful sunset enjoyed from the cockpit of your boat as you quietly say goodbye to another incredible day. We are grateful for every minute of it.

Enjoying the blog and want to see exactly where we are right now? Click the button below!

​Although Ocean is always suited up for a swim, some of her activities require some extra gear to get the most fun out of everything she does.

Here is her Top Five list of “Must Have” Activity Gear for the Cruising Dog

#1 Sunglasses
These great sunglasses protect Ocean’s eyes from the saltwater spray when we take her around in the dinghy. Oh, and they look pretty cool too!

#2 Dog Ramps
Ocean has two! She has a sturdy one that she uses for swimming off the stern of Wild Horses. That plank won’t work for snorkeling off the dinghy so for that we purchased a Solstice PupPlank. Hot Tip – It also helps us get back in the dinghy too 😉.  ​

#3 Hiking Boots
Trails are not always sandy and smooth! Our hike to the Pool Cave at Farmer’s Cay was full of sharp coral rocks. We needed our running shoes and Ocean needed her hiking boots. Problem solved!

#4 Fitted Lifejacket
Ocean wears her lifejacket whenever she swims off the boat or off the dinghy. Styling as always!

#5 Paddleboard
This is one piece of gear that we haven’t yet purchased. Thankfully our buddy boat Caretta let Ocean borrow one of theirs. Ocean isn’t quite in love with this piece of gear yet but give her time!​

What else?

Our time in the Exumas hasn’t just been about Ocean. Her staff (aka Me, Mike and our sailing buddies on Caretta) have also enjoyed lots of activities in the Exumas.
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At Rudder Cay, we got in some great snorkeling.  One of the highlights there is “The Musician”, a full-scale sculpture of a mermaid and a baby grand piano. This was an incredible gift to snorkelers by the illusionist David Copperfield, who owns the nearby island Musha Cay. In 2011, he commissioned the sculpture and then had it sunk in 15 feet of water as a surprise for anyone who happened upon it. These days, its location is well-known and snorkelers, like us, make sure to dive down and get a good look.

​We also took our dinghies over to the nearby Guana Cay to search for conch and see some of the underwater beauty of the area. It was a gorgeous place to snorkel and we were rewarded with several conchs for a feed later that night with our boat buddy Caretta. 

​At Farmer’s Cay, we got a chance to hike to “Pool Cave”. This is a well-formed cave with dripping stalactites and mounds of stalagmites (both are formed calcium salt deposits) as well as a natural swimming pool.

We have done a bit more hiking at Black Point Settlement, getting to see the Atlantic side of the island.

And, yes, a few cool aquatic and land animals have crossed our path.

​Oh and we may have enjoyed a few good meals and a couple of drinks in between it all!

Check out where we are today and where we are headed next!