Shroud Cay, Exuma Land and Sea Park.
Warderick Wells, Exuma Land and Sea Park.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Some Photos
Norman's Cay.
Shroud Cay, Exuma Land and Sea Park.
Warderick Wells, Exuma Land and Sea Park.
Shroud Cay, Exuma Land and Sea Park.
Warderick Wells, Exuma Land and Sea Park.
Warderick Wells to Georgetown
We departed the Exuma Land and Sea Park mooring in Warderick Wells with a nice east wind
blowing about 12 knots. We headed southeast for the island of Big Majors Spot. There isn't
anything on Big Majors Spot to speak of but it is a great anchorage very near Staniel Cay
which has a settlement.
The big attraction at Big Majors Spot are the feral pigs that beg for food from the boaters.
They hang out on the beach and when a dingy comes by they will swim out to beg for food.
If they are in the trees behind the beach and a dingy goes by they will come a runnin'.
They really swim pretty good and will go into water that is pretty deep.
Staniel Cay has a settlement and the gathering place is the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It is a
small marina that has a restaurant and bar. We had dinner there one night and watched one
of the NFL playoff games on there three big screen TV's. Sandy and I each had a rum punch.
They cost nine dollars for a eight ounce glass. Talk about steep!
We hung out in the anchorage for four days and went to the small grocery. The food prices
are about triple what we would pay in the states. We also purchased a cell phone to use
while in the Bahamas. The price for it was about the same as the states. I tried to refill
my propane tank but they ran out and I would have to wait until the next week for the fuel
boat to come in. I will try the next island.
There is a snorkeling site just off of Staniel Cay called Thunderball Cave. This is where
the underwater scenes in the James Bond movie Thunderball were filmed. We didn't go
snorkeling there because the current was flowing strong and the tide was rising. You cannot
get into the cave at high tide without diving under. We will try it on the way back north.
From Big Majors Spot we went south on a windless day to Black Point on the island of Guana
Cay. Black Point is the largest settlement in the Exumas with the exception of Georgetown.
We stopped here mainly to do laundry. Black Point has the best laundry facilities in the
Exumas. It was $2.75 for a wash and $2.75 for a dry and we were glad to have it. Just down
the street from the laundromat is Lorraine's Cafe. It is a small restaurant with an
internet room. We were able to check our emails and let my brother and sister-in-law know
where we were and that we were still floating.
The boat Chanticleer was in the anchorage both at Big Majors Spot and Black Point. We went
on a hike and had drinks with Steve and Roberta before going to dinner at Lorraine's. We
happen to hit happy hour at Scorpions Bar and the drinks were two for one. Wow, two rum
punches for nine dollars. The cruising guide lists Scorpions as the place to be. There
were about 7 people there including the four of us. I guess the guide needs updating. Our
dinner at Lorrain's was barbecue. Now coming from Texas where barbecue is king I really
wasn't expecting much from Lorrain's, and I was right. It was good, but not great. They
serve it from the kitchen and each plate didn't even have the same things on them. A couple
of plates had corn on the cob and others had cole slaw, all had ribs and chicken though. We
are not complaining mind you, it is just different and that is why we came over here, to be
different, and it was only $15 a plate, a real bargain down here.
A cold front was coming through with winds forecast to be in the 20 to 30 range. We decided
to stay put and ride it out. Chanticleer moved on south. We had a couple of rolly nights
but nothing too uncomfortable. There were about 25 boats in the anchorage.
After eight days at Black Point we decided to head for Lee Stocking Island about 30 miles
southeast. We had planned on leaving the banks side of the Exumas and go into the sound at
Dotham Cut which is just around the point from the Black Point anchorage. We left early and
when we got to the cut we could see breaking waves accross it and did not like what we saw.
We turned around and headed down the banks side to Little Farmers Cay and the cut there.
Just as we got back near the anchorage a fog rolled in and shrouded the entire area. We
could only see about 50 feet. Our Garmin chartplotter and radar showed us the way and the
fog lifted about eight miles south. We came around the Little Farmers Cay from the south
and went straight out of Farmers Cut into Exuma Sound. The cut had some waves which buried
our bow and gave us quite a ride for about 5 minutes. Once out of the cut everything
smoothed down. The banks side of the Exumas usually runs from 8 to 25 feet in depth. Once
on the sound side the depth dropped sharply to over 1500 feet. From Farmers Cut to the cut
at Lee Stocking Island took us about 3 hours. Going into the Lee Stocking Island cut was
very calm with just a few 1 foot swells.
When we pulled around the island to the anchorage Chanticleer was there as was the catamaran
Ajaya, Ajaya had rafted to us at the Dismal Swamp Canal in North Carolina last October.
That evening we had wine and cheese on Chanticleer with Phil and Nikki from Ajaya. The next
day Steve, Roberta, Sandy and I went exploring on the island and hung out at a secluded
beach where the water was clear as a tub and nice and warm. We first climbed Perry Peak
which is the tallest hill in the Exuma's. It is 39 meters high. It took a whole five
minutes to get up it but the views were gorgeous. Later we swam and waded in the bay off
the beach. We were finding a bunch of sand dollars, huge red and gold starfish and conchs.
We left them all where we found them because this is a protected area. A marine research
center is on the island and gives tours but not on the days we were there. Something else
to do on the way back. This is the first time we saw several sharks since being in the
Bahamas. We believe they were nurse sharks which are not supposed to be aggressive to
humans. I wasn't about to go interview them though. We had a full moon overnight and you
could see the bottom. We were anchored in about 6-7 feet. The water was so calm it looked
like we were floating in air.
After two nights we left to head to Georgetown since there was another cold front coming and
a wind shift to the west. Georgetown offers much more protection from west winds. The
forecast was for the winds to clock around from the east to south, west and back north and
east with the passage of the front. Squalls are predicted with gusts to 35 knots.
It took us about four hours to get to Georgetown. We anchored off of Sand Dollar beach to
the east of Georgetown off of Stocking Island. Yep, you heard that right, this is Stocking
Island without the Lee. We dinghyed the mile across the harbor to go into town to get some
groceries and scout out the situation. The wind had picked up and it was a choppy ride
across. To go into Georgetown you take your dinghy into Lake Victoria. It is a small lake
that is accessed by going under a bridge that is about eight feet high and so narrow that
only one dinghy can fit through it at a time. The incoming dinghys have right of way do to
the fact that there is a swell pushing you into the opening. It would be very easy to crash
into the walls going under the bridge.
We will be in Georgetown for about a week reprovisioning and doing a few boat maintenance
chores. We plan on going over to Long Island and Conception Island from here. Then maybe
down into the Jumentos Cays.
blowing about 12 knots. We headed southeast for the island of Big Majors Spot. There isn't
anything on Big Majors Spot to speak of but it is a great anchorage very near Staniel Cay
which has a settlement.
The big attraction at Big Majors Spot are the feral pigs that beg for food from the boaters.
They hang out on the beach and when a dingy comes by they will swim out to beg for food.
If they are in the trees behind the beach and a dingy goes by they will come a runnin'.
They really swim pretty good and will go into water that is pretty deep.
Staniel Cay has a settlement and the gathering place is the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It is a
small marina that has a restaurant and bar. We had dinner there one night and watched one
of the NFL playoff games on there three big screen TV's. Sandy and I each had a rum punch.
They cost nine dollars for a eight ounce glass. Talk about steep!
We hung out in the anchorage for four days and went to the small grocery. The food prices
are about triple what we would pay in the states. We also purchased a cell phone to use
while in the Bahamas. The price for it was about the same as the states. I tried to refill
my propane tank but they ran out and I would have to wait until the next week for the fuel
boat to come in. I will try the next island.
There is a snorkeling site just off of Staniel Cay called Thunderball Cave. This is where
the underwater scenes in the James Bond movie Thunderball were filmed. We didn't go
snorkeling there because the current was flowing strong and the tide was rising. You cannot
get into the cave at high tide without diving under. We will try it on the way back north.
From Big Majors Spot we went south on a windless day to Black Point on the island of Guana
Cay. Black Point is the largest settlement in the Exumas with the exception of Georgetown.
We stopped here mainly to do laundry. Black Point has the best laundry facilities in the
Exumas. It was $2.75 for a wash and $2.75 for a dry and we were glad to have it. Just down
the street from the laundromat is Lorraine's Cafe. It is a small restaurant with an
internet room. We were able to check our emails and let my brother and sister-in-law know
where we were and that we were still floating.
The boat Chanticleer was in the anchorage both at Big Majors Spot and Black Point. We went
on a hike and had drinks with Steve and Roberta before going to dinner at Lorraine's. We
happen to hit happy hour at Scorpions Bar and the drinks were two for one. Wow, two rum
punches for nine dollars. The cruising guide lists Scorpions as the place to be. There
were about 7 people there including the four of us. I guess the guide needs updating. Our
dinner at Lorrain's was barbecue. Now coming from Texas where barbecue is king I really
wasn't expecting much from Lorrain's, and I was right. It was good, but not great. They
serve it from the kitchen and each plate didn't even have the same things on them. A couple
of plates had corn on the cob and others had cole slaw, all had ribs and chicken though. We
are not complaining mind you, it is just different and that is why we came over here, to be
different, and it was only $15 a plate, a real bargain down here.
A cold front was coming through with winds forecast to be in the 20 to 30 range. We decided
to stay put and ride it out. Chanticleer moved on south. We had a couple of rolly nights
but nothing too uncomfortable. There were about 25 boats in the anchorage.
After eight days at Black Point we decided to head for Lee Stocking Island about 30 miles
southeast. We had planned on leaving the banks side of the Exumas and go into the sound at
Dotham Cut which is just around the point from the Black Point anchorage. We left early and
when we got to the cut we could see breaking waves accross it and did not like what we saw.
We turned around and headed down the banks side to Little Farmers Cay and the cut there.
Just as we got back near the anchorage a fog rolled in and shrouded the entire area. We
could only see about 50 feet. Our Garmin chartplotter and radar showed us the way and the
fog lifted about eight miles south. We came around the Little Farmers Cay from the south
and went straight out of Farmers Cut into Exuma Sound. The cut had some waves which buried
our bow and gave us quite a ride for about 5 minutes. Once out of the cut everything
smoothed down. The banks side of the Exumas usually runs from 8 to 25 feet in depth. Once
on the sound side the depth dropped sharply to over 1500 feet. From Farmers Cut to the cut
at Lee Stocking Island took us about 3 hours. Going into the Lee Stocking Island cut was
very calm with just a few 1 foot swells.
When we pulled around the island to the anchorage Chanticleer was there as was the catamaran
Ajaya, Ajaya had rafted to us at the Dismal Swamp Canal in North Carolina last October.
That evening we had wine and cheese on Chanticleer with Phil and Nikki from Ajaya. The next
day Steve, Roberta, Sandy and I went exploring on the island and hung out at a secluded
beach where the water was clear as a tub and nice and warm. We first climbed Perry Peak
which is the tallest hill in the Exuma's. It is 39 meters high. It took a whole five
minutes to get up it but the views were gorgeous. Later we swam and waded in the bay off
the beach. We were finding a bunch of sand dollars, huge red and gold starfish and conchs.
We left them all where we found them because this is a protected area. A marine research
center is on the island and gives tours but not on the days we were there. Something else
to do on the way back. This is the first time we saw several sharks since being in the
Bahamas. We believe they were nurse sharks which are not supposed to be aggressive to
humans. I wasn't about to go interview them though. We had a full moon overnight and you
could see the bottom. We were anchored in about 6-7 feet. The water was so calm it looked
like we were floating in air.
After two nights we left to head to Georgetown since there was another cold front coming and
a wind shift to the west. Georgetown offers much more protection from west winds. The
forecast was for the winds to clock around from the east to south, west and back north and
east with the passage of the front. Squalls are predicted with gusts to 35 knots.
It took us about four hours to get to Georgetown. We anchored off of Sand Dollar beach to
the east of Georgetown off of Stocking Island. Yep, you heard that right, this is Stocking
Island without the Lee. We dinghyed the mile across the harbor to go into town to get some
groceries and scout out the situation. The wind had picked up and it was a choppy ride
across. To go into Georgetown you take your dinghy into Lake Victoria. It is a small lake
that is accessed by going under a bridge that is about eight feet high and so narrow that
only one dinghy can fit through it at a time. The incoming dinghys have right of way do to
the fact that there is a swell pushing you into the opening. It would be very easy to crash
into the walls going under the bridge.
We will be in Georgetown for about a week reprovisioning and doing a few boat maintenance
chores. We plan on going over to Long Island and Conception Island from here. Then maybe
down into the Jumentos Cays.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Spanish Wells to Warderick Wells
We refueled and left Spanish Wells on Tuesday December 28th. We left around noon in order to time our arrival at Current Cut around slack tide. This is a cut between the sound at the northern end of Eluthera and the southern part of Eleuthera. As the name implies there can be a severe current flowing through the cut. While doing some research on it I found some web sites that claim that this is the best drift dive for scuba divers in the world. At times the current can get up to 10 knots. Our boat won't even go that fast so it would be impossible and dangerous to try to go through when there is a strong current flowing. We arrived at the cut around high tide and went right into the cut having the current flowing with us at between one half and one knot. As we came out of the cut we had to make a ninety degree turn to the right into a narrow channel. If the current is flowing to fast it can carry the boat right into the shallows.
About a mile past the cut on the south side of Current Island we anchored for the night. The weather was calm and in the mid 60's overnight with clear skies. It was so dark we could see stars right down to the horizon. There was only one other boat near us.
On Wednesday we left early for the 40 miles to get to Allen's Cay in the northern Exuma island chain. We made good time and pulled into the anchorage around 3:00 in the afternoon. As soon as we got anchored Steve and Roberta from Chanticleer dinghyed over to us. They are the boat we were rafted up to in Vero Beach. They had arrived from Nassau about 30 minutes before we arrived.
We only stayed at Allen's Cay for one night. On Thursday we headed down to Norman's Cay which was only about a 14 mile sail. Chanticleer was right on our stern as we made the sail. We both pulled into the anchorage at Norman's around noon. We stayed at Norman's for four nights. During our visit we hiked on the island and did some beach combing to look for shells. We also snorkeled the nearby reef which didn't really have that much sea life. I was particularly looking for lobsters to catch. We were able to see fireworks on New Year's Eve from an island to the southeast of us. There isn't any settlement at Norman's and not much really going on.
We departed Norman's on Monday the 3rd of January and motored the 6 miles southeast to Shroud Cay. This is the start of the Exuma Land and Sea Park which extends to the southeast another 20 miles or so. After anchoring we took the dinghy and explored the northern end of the island. We went to one of the beaches and walked on the sand and in the shallows. We found several conch but had to put them back. The park does not allow any taking of fish, shellfish or lobsters.
We just stayed one night at Shroud Cay and then had a nice sail 18 miles down to Warderick Wells. We were able to get a mooring buoy in the north mooring field. There is a cold front coming in with winds predicted to be 25-30 knots from the west and northwest. This is a good protected spot and the moorings were filling fast.
We took a hike to Boo Boo hill and beach and went to some blow holes on the ocean side of the island. It is called Boo Boo hill because it is supposed to be haunted from a ship wreck in the 18th century. Very scenic area with many different colors of the water. I have some great photos but won't be able to get them uploaded until we have a faster internet connection. We also have one of the better snorkel sites just 100 yards from the boat. We have already snorkeled there several times. There are numerous varieties of fish and some huge lobsters. The water is still a little chilly so we have to wear our wet suits when we snorkel.
We will be here until after the cold front passes through and then continue moving southeast.
About a mile past the cut on the south side of Current Island we anchored for the night. The weather was calm and in the mid 60's overnight with clear skies. It was so dark we could see stars right down to the horizon. There was only one other boat near us.
On Wednesday we left early for the 40 miles to get to Allen's Cay in the northern Exuma island chain. We made good time and pulled into the anchorage around 3:00 in the afternoon. As soon as we got anchored Steve and Roberta from Chanticleer dinghyed over to us. They are the boat we were rafted up to in Vero Beach. They had arrived from Nassau about 30 minutes before we arrived.
We only stayed at Allen's Cay for one night. On Thursday we headed down to Norman's Cay which was only about a 14 mile sail. Chanticleer was right on our stern as we made the sail. We both pulled into the anchorage at Norman's around noon. We stayed at Norman's for four nights. During our visit we hiked on the island and did some beach combing to look for shells. We also snorkeled the nearby reef which didn't really have that much sea life. I was particularly looking for lobsters to catch. We were able to see fireworks on New Year's Eve from an island to the southeast of us. There isn't any settlement at Norman's and not much really going on.
We departed Norman's on Monday the 3rd of January and motored the 6 miles southeast to Shroud Cay. This is the start of the Exuma Land and Sea Park which extends to the southeast another 20 miles or so. After anchoring we took the dinghy and explored the northern end of the island. We went to one of the beaches and walked on the sand and in the shallows. We found several conch but had to put them back. The park does not allow any taking of fish, shellfish or lobsters.
We just stayed one night at Shroud Cay and then had a nice sail 18 miles down to Warderick Wells. We were able to get a mooring buoy in the north mooring field. There is a cold front coming in with winds predicted to be 25-30 knots from the west and northwest. This is a good protected spot and the moorings were filling fast.
We took a hike to Boo Boo hill and beach and went to some blow holes on the ocean side of the island. It is called Boo Boo hill because it is supposed to be haunted from a ship wreck in the 18th century. Very scenic area with many different colors of the water. I have some great photos but won't be able to get them uploaded until we have a faster internet connection. We also have one of the better snorkel sites just 100 yards from the boat. We have already snorkeled there several times. There are numerous varieties of fish and some huge lobsters. The water is still a little chilly so we have to wear our wet suits when we snorkel.
We will be here until after the cold front passes through and then continue moving southeast.
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