Moving thru the Exuma Chain

April 17th-Exuma Bound- Highbourn Cay
We set out under sunny skies and a gentle SSE wind motoring thru the Davis channel to the Exuma Sound. Had planned on making landfall in the Exumas at Wardrick Wells but after motor sailing for an hour finally decided this was a course to close to the wind. Turned about 40 degrees to the north and were able to sail a nice beam reach that would take us to Highbourn Cut. Chris reminded me that I vowed to never use this cut again after the past 2 times being tossed around as if we were in a washing machine in the entrance. Today I assured her that the wind direction and tide would make for a smooth passage. Thankfully after a great sail we enter the cut with smooth seas even with the tide  running out at 3 kts. Along the way we caught 2 small Barracuda(keepers) but after fighting a nice Mahi for what seemed like ages it broke free about 10 feet from the boat. Not sure but it looks like the knot in the monofilament let loose as the end was all curly.
Spent a quiet night at anchor.

Sat- Shroud Cay- I always forget how many Megayachts stop at Highbourn, This is the first stop from Nassau and a favorite for these big boats. They all sport multiple Jetskies and go fast runabouts spoiling what should be a peaceful anchorage.  We make our way south into Exuma Park motoring into steep chop anchoring at Pigeon Cay where we were entertained by the antics of the graceful tropicbirds.  Dingyed up one of the many creeks that cross Shroud cay enjoying a quiet afternoon on the beach.

Sun and Monday- Hawksbill Cay- Made our way south in the park to anchor at Hawksbill where we enjoyed a couple of days hiking the trails and frolicking the beaches on both the ocean and sound sides of the island. Scrubbed some of the fur and barnacles from the boat bottom. I normally would have attacked this project sooner but have been reluctant to press my luck with my neck problems.

Tues- Black Point- Motor sail south with lite winds and easy chop. Caught and released 2 big (40+inches) barracuda.  We had planned on making more stops in this part of Exuma but were making such good progress we decided to press south to anchor at Rock Sound and possibly make Georgetown for Regatta later this week. Boaters happy hour at Serpicos bar where we me up with fellow cruisers Bob and Nina on Moondance.  They are on the same schedule as us so it is nice to finally make friends heading in the same direction.
Wed- Lee Stocking Island- The day started out sunny with lite winds so we decided to press south. Motor for about an hour when the clouds rolled in and we were caught in the middle of a deluge with lots of lightening. Not much wind but visibility was very low. Kept dry in our enclosed cockpit as we tried to exit the storm. Finally reached Little Farmers Cay where we anchored just below the cell tower hoping this would give us some protection from the lightening.    After what seemed like ages weather cleared and we headed out Cave Cay cut into the ocean making our way to the anchorage at the abandoned marine research center on Lee Stocking.

Thurs thru Monday- Georgetown- After exploring the research center and finding that nothing has changed since our visit 2 years ago other than more vandalized buildings we headed south to exit into the Sound at Rat Cay Cut. Fished all day with no luck. Entered the huge anchorage at Georgetown to find what was approx 240 visiting boats. Many still here after spending the winter but also a large number here for the Family Islands Regatta.  This is a 5 day event that features racing in 3 classes of  traditional sailboats but is mostly a huge party that goes on all night.  Bahamians flock to the island from all over  setting up temporary food and drink shacks  and they sure know how to party.

racing thru the anchorage

    We needed to be near town for errands like laundry, shopping and to try to get laptop repaired but that also meant suffering thru blasting music until 3 AM each night.  We did enjoy being anchored on the edge of the racecourse and we took in the daytime festivities ashore. Had Bob and Nina from Moondance for cocktails and Conch fritters Sat evening.
    Found a computer guy in town who decided our AC charger had problems but no replacement available. Learned that we can still use the computer if we remove the battery and use the DC adapter we carry.  Won’t be able to take it ashore for wifi but at least it still works with our cellphone stick.
   Met up with friends Scott and Donna from Saltine and they convinced us to move with them to another better protected anchorage a couple miles away to weather out the upcoming bad weather.

Tues- After a trip to town for Gas, diesel, veggies and to exchange books at the library we headed off to a group of cays called Red Shanks. We had studied this area on the charts and it looked very narrow and shallow but turned out to be a fantastic spot. Anchored with 5 sailboats who all got together on the pristine beach for sunset cocktails.  A fierce but shortlived thunderstorm during the night had us scrambling to close up the boat.

Cocktails on the beach(daily at 5:30)

Wed thru Fri- Spending our days lazing about enjoying all the area has to offer between thunderstorms.  Weather is very unsettled after having been mostly tranquil the past 7 weeks. Good snorkeling and beaches all around. Plan on being here for a few more days until weather improves. Torrential rains and strong winds have accompanied  the thunderstorms and the worst always seem to come after dark. Moved the boat a short distance Friday to give us a little better protection as the winds shift.  Daily cocktail party on the beach where we get to meet our neighbors.

Sat May 2nd thru Wed May 6th- Spending our days exploring this fascinating area. Hiking and snorkeling on Crab Cay which is the site of yet another failed development. Still wind and scattered thunderstorms but we manage to get out most days. Monday Chris spent baking, it’s a good thing it doesn’t rain often or our waistlines would expand even more. On Wed we decided to move back to Kidd Cove  for a few provisions in Georgetown prior to moving on but after a bit of shopping found the anchorage was a bit to rough for our liking and we were back to the peace and calm at Red Shanks and another happy hour on the beach.
    Our plans this year were to continue south to explore the island chain called the Jumentos. This area requires settled weather as it offers very few protected anchorages and no services for the boater. With the weather predicted to be unsettled for the foreseeable future we modify our plans and decide to cross to Long island.

exploring loyalist ruins- Crab cay

another failed resort- Crab Cay

Beautiful bridge to nowhere- Crab Cay Development

canal to nowhere- Crab Cay

South to Eleuthra

Fri-April 3rd,  We head out into what seemed to be favorable winds and seas but after 2 hours the winds turned on our nose and we were pounding into rough seas. Caution prevailed and we decided not to beat ourselves up making this 70 mile trip and we returned to port.
    The following morning the seas had calmed and even though there wasn’t wind for sailing we decided to try again. We motored south all day making good time in the long swells. Hooked a huge fish that I apparently wasn’t patient enough with and lost it when the 150 lb test braided line parted on it’s first leap. Not sure what it was but judging from what we saw I can’t imagine getting it aboard. Had fuel problems again as we were closing on our first landfall of Egg Island but by then we had enough breeze that Chris was able to sail us into the cut while I changed both filters and primed the engine. Only another 6 miles brought us to the protected harbor of Royal Island where we have spent many peaceful nights in the past. Even with the engine problems we still covered the 65 statute miles in 9 hours.

Sunday - After a peaceful night at anchor I decided I had to tackle the source of our fuel problems that have plagued us since leaving Florida. Since the tank is only half full I am able to pump it dry with an electric pump into the spare cans I carry and then  flush tank clean. This entails unbolting it so I can tilt it to get all the remains out. Needless to say this means working in a very  confined space which is the reason I have put this process off. The end result was that I removed  1.75 ltr of water from the bottom of the tank. Hopefully this is the end of our fuel issues.
    Spent the afternoon snorkeling on the north side of the island then on our return were invited aboard a neighboring boat from Montreal for cocktails and interesting conversation.

Meeks Patch-April 7th, A short motor to Spanish Wells where we anchored out and made the trip to town for groceries and fuel.  This is one of the best kept towns we have found in all the Bahamas. The residents who are descendants of white loyalists are hard working fishermen and supply all the spiny lobster for the Red Lobster chain.  The boats, homes and grounds are all well kept and we always feel welcome when we visit.
    For the evening we motor the short distance to a small island called Meeks Patch where we anchor off a pretty sand beach.

Glass Window- April 8th, We  fly thru  Current Cut running with the tide adding an extra 4 kts to our speed, unfortunately as we exit the cut this means we pound into a steep chop for a while as we motor into the wind. We anchor off the beach at the Glass Window and enjoy the protection of the high hills.
  We hike to what has been one of our favorite spots, an abandoned castle looking house on the Oceanside cliffs with great natural pools kept filled by the seas. To our disappointment someone is in the process of renovating and building additions so we no longer have our private paradise.  Spent the afternoon relaxing on another pristine beach the in the morning made our way back to the Oceanside to enjoy the morning sun at the Queens Baths, more natural pools in a cove in the cliffs. This is a national park site but unmarked so it gets very few visitors.

Oceanside coast North Eleuthra

oceanside beach

Anchored off Glass Window

Hatchet Bay-  April 9th- motor south into a moderate chop with a stop at Hatchet Bay. This tiny town is perched on the hills looking over a natural harbor. We have made this stop to visit Island Boy, a fisherman we normally buy frozen lobster from. We find him with empty freezers as his boat recently burned when another boat caught fire and drifted into his resulting in a complete loss.  We move on to another favorite spot, Hatchet Bay where we anchor and go in to find John, who we normally buy Stone crab claws from.  We end up dealing with one of his workers and even though I brought him a 6 pack of beer the deal wasn’t nearly as good as in previous years. Still had a great couple of dinners.

Fri and Sat- The wind is still making travel south difficult so we spend two days wandering around and hiking to the ocean beaches.

Governors Harbor- Sun, Mon and Tuesday- Seas have calmed considerably so we motor south to Governors Harbor. This colonial town sits on the hills overlooking the commercial harbor. The homes are all well kept but appear to be mostly owned by seasonal residents.  We enjoy time on the pink sand beaches that line the ocean side. Are able to get our propane filled and provision with a few fresh veggies.

Pink snad beach, oceanside Governors Harbor

oceanside Governors Harbor

Rock Sound- Wed and Thurs-Motor south with light winds and calm water. Anchor off of town where we bought Conch from the local fisherman.  They gather at the town dock nightly to clean their catch and the locals flock down to buy dinner. A staple of the locals are small snapper that they fry whole.  Some shopping and hiking about filled our time. Thurs evening the boat Floridian pulled in and we friends Lynn and Paul for drinks. They brought us fresh caught Mutton Snapper fillets which made a great dinner.(I didn’t have the heart to tell them we still had a freezer full)