Long Island

Hog Cay
Thursday May 7th

    With the winds finally calming down and less threat of squalls we decided to move on to Long Island.  Winds once again didn’t cooperate so we motor sailed across the Exuma Sound to anchor on the north end of the island at Hog Cay. As we were about to make landfall the sky darkened and a mean looking thunderstorm set in over the area. We were able to wait offshore until the skies cleared and avoided the worst weather. This anchorage is protected but a swell still rolls in from the open ocean which is at least 5 miles to the north of us.

Thompson Bay, Salt Pond
Friday May 8th thru Tuesday May 12th

    After spending the morning exploring the shallow creeks of Joes Sound and a bit of snorkeling we move south along the coast to anchor off the village of Salt Pond where we meet up with our friends Bruce and Gay aboard Pearl. We spend our days hiking to the ocean side exploring the many beautiful beaches while the seas pound the offshore reefs. Even though the winds howl our anchorage is protected behind high hills. Still have at least one squall blow thru each afternoon but we have planned our excursions to be aboard by early afternoon.
    A highlight of the week was renting a car with Bruce and Gay and spending the day traveling to areas not accessible by boat. The island is 80 miles long but we were able to see many great spots. We took a tour of the extensive caves at Hamilton, Stopped for a picture at the tiny settlement of Buckleys,  visited Deans Blue Hole, drove thru the extensive abandoned salt ponds of Diamond Crystals and finally hiked to the Colombus Monument to take in the views atop the cliffs at the north point. Needless to say we managed stops to cool off at a few of the beautiful beaches since it was a very warm day.

Lunch stop at abandonded house

Cave tour