We experienced the pigs and the grotto, what more did the Exumas have in store for us…

We motored around the corner to Pipe Cay by the old DECCA station, a concrete dock
used in the 1950s for British Navy supply ships. Oddly enough people refer to the pillars, which are just 4 steel I-beams sticking out of the water, as dolphins. On land there are several abandoned houses and fun trails to follow. We followed the trails to the other side of Pipe Cay and it was a desert. When the tide goes out it’s nothing but mushy sand. The anchorage we settled in was beautiful, ‘gin-clear water’. Mike & I went snorkeling and we spotted a lemon shark. Mike continued snorkeling and caught two lion fish which we panfried for dinner! Score!

 

Compass Cay Dundas Caves

We motored over glassy shallow water through conch cut. Despite the motoring, it was one of the more surreal and memorable days out on the water. We passed a marina on South Compass Cay (near His & Hers Cays) and radio-ed in to see if they would collect the two trash bags we had in our cockpit locker which were developing an odious funk. They said ‘sure for $25/bag’. $50 to drop off trash? No thank you, we’ll keep moving along. We continued to Dundas Rock and anchored near a mega power yacht. We found ourselves in 30 feet of clear water drenched in coral reefs all around. We were very cautious of where we anchored then immediately dove in. The reviews mentioned caves so we swam closer to the rock unsure where the cave entrances were located. By swimming close to the limestone wall we found 4 caves in total, all with easy ledges to swim under to explore the caves. Each cave was far larger than thunderball grotto in Staniel Cay. The rock formations looked smooth and eerie, stalactites and stalagmites dropped from the ceiling or stood tall from the floor. We expected to see bats but didn’t find any. It was an incredible experience and one of my favorite places to explore! If you do make the trip, just know it’s difficult to anchor your dinghy as there is so much coral growth, please don’t destroy it.

We moved over to Compass Cay N anchorage and had a heck of a time trying to get the anchor to stick all the while not sticking our but in the channel or running aground. It took forever but we finally settled and watched a barracuda sit under our dinghy. I named the barracuda Bartholomew. We’re decently sure he was looking for an easy snack out of Raymond. Raymond was the remora that now lived under our boat. Mike loathed the free-rider but I kinda liked seeing Raymond every day, I wanted to see how long he’d stick around. As you can see, it’s becoming evident Mike and I have been together in a confined place for a very long time.

Compass Cay is also known for its’ bubble baths’… at low tide, it’s less impressive but still nice. Pools collect on the banks side from crashing waves on the windward side. Very picturesque.  We even saw a crab in a conch shell making its way back into the ocean leaving a trail in the sand.

 Bells Rock – the windward side

O’Brien & Bell Island

For the day we anchored and explored the underwater sea park by O’Brien. We ventured a snorkel on the plane wreck, it’s a Cesna about 20 feet down with the cockpit in decent shape. The wreck should definitely not be attempted at or near max ebb/flood, our endurance of a 5 minute snorkel lay testament to that.  The underwater park was terrific. Mike and I had a blast snorkeling the area looking for groupers. We ate lunch and spotted Johnny Depps house from our anchorage and admired the sheer beauty of the location. We continued up, skipping Hawksbill Cay, to Warderick Wells.  (I’ve read that Hawksbill is home to some wells and ruins from loyalists, the Russel family, who made Hawkbill home.) At Warderick Wells, instead of grabbing a mooring ball, we went West to Malabar Cay. One of the reviews reported excellent snorkeling. It took us a few attempts but we found some good coral patches and fish. For the first time in a while, no shark sightings not even the adorable nurse shark kind.

  

Warderick Wells

A paradise not to be missed. There are hiking trails all around the island, blow holes, crystal clear water, curly tailed lizards & adorable hutia scattering about the woods. The Exuma Land & Sea Park headquarters are located here and provide really interesting material on the marine and terrestrial life on Warderick Wells. The rangers continuously plant and promote the growth of mangroves, weeds, trees, and corals. In the 17th -18th centuries when privateers / pirates combed these waters they also cut down the local forests; stripping islands like Warderick Wells dry and turning it into the Bahamian desert-like island with small shrubs we know it today.

 

The Bahamas in total consists of 700 islands and 2,400 cays, 30 of which are inhabited. In 1783 American Loyalists settled in Great Exuma. Looking for a new and safer home, they brought cotton farming to Georgetown.

If you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean or James Bond movie Thunderball, you’ve seen a piece of the Exumas but where those films took place is only the tip of the palm tree my friend. The Exumas have so much to offer. We sailed near Georgetown with my parents but with guests and flights out of the picture we were ready to get out of the Georgetown circle.

Our first day we sailed right past Black & White, Childrens, Rat, and Lee Stocking. We spent the afternoon around Adderly, Zobo, & Leaf Cay dropping our anchor SW of Leaf Cay. We had 4 other boats anchor near us… talk about Time Square rush hour, Geez! Around the corner were iguanas but other than that, just your run of the mill paradise.

We sailed from Adderly to Big Major Cay inside the Bahama Banks. With cays and reefs on one side and shallow sand on the other side, there’s not a lot of room for fetch/waves to build up. Sailing through flat, shallow, sandy bottom, turquoise water,  THIS is why we’re here! To experience this kind of sailing. We drank Nates and soaked in the sun. We passed a beautiful island called Musha, for $38,000 a week you can rent the island and enjoy a dinner. When we passed it, we saw someone vacuuming sand from the beach to relocate it. I cringe to think of how many people make use of that….  you could give that money to an aspiring college kid, you could invest in someones struggling company, you could feed families. Nah, I think I’ll go paint my toes and do yoga for an afternoon with some friends on Musha… argh.

Big Major/ Staniel Cay – This is where it gets exciting. Pigs reside on the western beach of Big Major. The pigs are tame for the most part, becoming slightly aggressive if you bring them food. But! If you do bring food they will swim for it. YES Swimming pigs! We brought our dinghy up to the beach and immediately the largest pig came tromping over to greet us and ever so piggishly to see what treats we may have brought. Heads up, if you run, they will follow, I was a bit surprised that a pig of that mass could run on a beach so well.

We ventured on land and found piglets hiding under the palm trees with the mother pig. We watched them trot to a new palm tree when the mother pig left for food. Sigh, very adorable. If you do go to feed the pigs try and feed the smaller guys, they tend to get bullied out of their share of food.

From Big Major we took our dinghy around the corner to explore Staniel Cay. The island was cute with a few convenience stores we were glad to make use of. We enjoyed a large lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club which held a festive and loved nautical vibe. Seated next to us was a brother and sister who were tour guides and originally from the area, turns out the sister studies and lives in Worcester MA.

Staniel Cay is most known for Thunderball grotto. From the water it appears to be an amassed land formation in the middle of the harbor but if you anchor your dinghy at slack tide you can find ledges that you can swim under and find your way into the center of the limestone rock and see it’s really a beautiful hollowed-out cave. The sergeant majors are accustomed to being fed by tourists and will swarm you which is fun. It reminded me of St. Martin in Grand Case, but only, the sergeant majors there were far more aggressive to the point where I would keep moving my arms and fins just to keep them from hitting me. The water is beautifully clear and the fish plentiful. There are multiple ways to get in and out of the grotto some more difficult than others. Mike and I had fun finding them all. Diving under some of the ledges can be disorienting, particularly if you’re diving from a heavily lit place back into the grotto. The water will play tricks on your eyes and what looks like a pocket of air is really more submerged limestone. Thankfully those entrances are the difficult passages, there are far simpler ways in. The main entrance is straight forward, in fact at low tide, I don’t believe you would need to put your head completely underwater. We swam at high tide and behind me you can see the passage out is fairly direct.

We left Big Major to continue up the Exumas – but that’s in the next post…

 

 

Mike & I would discuss it from time to time, checking in on our thoughts, weighing the opportunity cost, career complications, money issues, and boat issues. I had been dreaming of leaving Boston to sail to the Caribbean for a while, and probably considering it more heavily than Mike. To the point where I had started saving up ‘just in case’ he changed his mind. In 2012, Mike put his heart and soul and savings into Gaia by undergoing a full engine re-power, installing a new fuel tank (the old one was steel and rusting from the inside out), and V-drive (yeah, Gaia is one of those bassackwards boats with a V-drive).

In 2013, we left our apartment and moved onto Gaia as full-time liveaboards in Boston. We still talked about leaving and how great it would be… but at what cost to our careers?  We were back and forth and generally up in the air about taking a season off work – until one afternoon.

I remember it clearly. I was working a portfolio accountant job and it had been a particular arduous and drudgery-filled 10 hour day working non-stop from the year end close. I was mentally tired and wanted to enjoy the release of work by drinking a well-earned pint in the company of a friend. Mike told me to meet him at a bar in South Boston, Lucky’s. I waited for him decompressing whilst slowly sipping my beer, relishing each moment. Mike showed up behind me plopping down in the next stool and shrugging off his winter coat. 2014/2015 was a particularly cold and snowy year for New England. He handed me a card and tried catching the bartenders eye. He ordered a Guinness as I held the card curious as to the occasion. He told me to open it. The cover showed a woman sailing aggressively close hauled in beautiful and strange waters. I couldn’t help but think…. maybe…. maybe… Inside the card were the words ‘Change is in the air. Welcome the challenges.’ and in Mike’s scrawly hand writing “We’re Going South!!”

And thus, it began.

Boat preparation. Wedding preparation. Job preparation. Money preparation. It’s amazing we survived the first 6 months of 2015 and the mental stresses associated (and I suppose even more amazing we survived the following 6 months and the physical stress of blue water sailing). In the months of 2015 February, March, April, & May… when I pictured us in the Caribbean,  I thought of the Bahamas, the solitude, and expansive beauty of white sand beaches, and crystal waters. So arriving here in the Bahamas and experiencing it first hand after months of travel. It feels good, we feel accomplished, well executed and like nothing can shake us.

Bermuda, Antigua & Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Eustatius, St. Barts, St. Martin, USVI, BVI, Puerto Rico, and now The Bahamas.

8 months of cruising, 13 major island destinations visited, hundred or so anchorages, thousands of miles sailed… I may not be a seasoned cruiser with grey hairs and skin so rough I bleed the salt of the ocean but I’ve experienced enough to know the cruising life and what I like. So without further ado, I’ll write about the Exumas and what a treat it is to explore from SE to NW, the actual ‘thornless passage’.

Our time to relax was cut short by our need to knock off boat chores around the weekend. Stores shut down on Sundays and most establishments are closed or have shortened hours on Saturday.

We refilled the water tanks with four of our plastic compressible 5-gallon jugs – dockside in Victoria Lake. It took about 5 trips to top off our 3 tanks (hold approx. 50 gallons each). Had our propane filled on a Monday, did laundry, grocery shopping, and one last alcohol run. And last but not least we topped off the diesel fuel tank and gas tank on the dinghy. We went to the Georgetown Yacht Club for diesel and they were great but the nozzle was one of the worst we’ve experienced. Our fuel intake valve is narrower than most other boats and tends to “bubble up” quickly. Many! Many paper towels and cursing accompanied this particular fill up.

We still bring our own grocery bags when we grocery shop. The French trained us well. In Guadeloupe many grocery stores didn’t cary plastic bags at all. We made the mistake of not bringing our own bags…. only once. But now that I use my own, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s seems silly to keep using plastic bags, throwing them away, then going back to the store to use new bags just to throw those away too. Case and point of ‘reality’ is stranger than fiction. (Mark Twain once wrote ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’)

We spent one day fixing screens and cleaning the boat. And when it got too hot, we jumped in to cool off. Our last night in Georgetown we witnessed some amazing lightening storms in the distance. The wind picked up a few times but the anchor held strong in sand along with everyone else.

We greeted my parents at the hotel, Peace & Plenty, they were standing on a veranda looking out over the water. When they turned around to see us it was a tidal wave of hugs and smiles. Despite having traveled thousands of miles under sail for several months, they kept repeating ‘ I can’t believe you’re doing this, that you’re here!’  That made us smile even more.

From the moment they stepped onboard I knew it was going to be trouble. Of all our friends who visited, it was my Mom and Dad, who couldn’t keep still. The second I turned my back they were running foredeck or off the side boarding ladder into the water. Aiyiyi. It was going to be a long week. 😉

We began in Georgetown, the capital grounds for cruisers in the Bahamas. Peak season is in the winter months, so the anchorages we explored (in May) were largely quiet and we had our pickings of where to anchor.

My Mom and Dad quickly made use of the clear water when they first arrived. We eventually & leisurely motored across the harbor to Stocking Island and made landfall at the Chat n Chill. It’s a beautiful beach with picnic tables scattered under trees, a volleyball net, tree swings, the ring game – this place is ‘never never land’. It was crafted for adults, a place where day drinking and laughter lifted all your cares and land worries away. It was easy to get sucked into this place. And yet, after all the hype of hearing about the infamous Chat n Chill, I was a little underwhelmed. It was a beach bar that seemed to serve you a beer and usher you back out. So back out is where we went and the place I enjoyed the most. We left the Chat n Chill beach area and wandered to the eastern side of the island wadding through a narrow channel to get to the next beach.

From Stocking Island we sailed all day trailing thunder clouds until we anchored in Lee Stocking Island, near the old maritime research facility, abandoned in 2011. It was once the Perry Institute for Marine Science a research facility started in the 50’s to pursue marine research and sustainability. Sadly, in 2006 Perry died and funding dried up, a caretaker now looks over the grounds. A couple of cruisers dinghied over and informed us this anchorage had a lot of mosquitos but further south the pristine anchorage of Williams Bay had no bugs. We pulled up anchor and sure enough, yes, Williams Bay was astounding. Twin beaches, interesting limestone formations and a sandy bottom.

We went ashore and walked the adventurous trails taking in the sites.

 

We had a beautiful day sail to Farmers Cay in light wind and took the mooring ball in front of the yacht club in stunning clear water. The current was a bit strong but the wind was light. We tied our dinghy to the newly built dock and were greeted by Roosevelt. We enjoyed a traditional Bahamian dinner and even learned how to dance with Roosevelt once we were finished.

We explored the ship wreck across the channel and strolled the beaches around Little Farmers Cay. We made our way back to Georgetown at this point and stopped in Rudder Cut Cay. David Copperfield owns land around here and there’s a mermaid playing a piano underwater (made of stone in 15 feet of water). We anchored near the enormous cavernous limestone overhang, which was the highlight of the anchorage for me.

My parents asked to get as much time on the water sailing & thats exactly what we gave them. We had another full day of sailing, close hauled.

We stopped behind Rat Cay and enjoyed our afternoon with snorkeling the clear waters on our own secluded beach and enjoying ‘anchorage cocktails’ & bottle of wine.

We returned to Georgetown and strolled the small town and enjoyed the warm weather. We had our last beers together at the beautiful hotel, Peace & Plenty.

Thanks for gifts and giant bag of M&M’s, thanks for helping us sail, even more thanks for not crashing the boat into rocks, and thanks for coming to visit. Catch you state-side one of these days.

The day Jess n Justin arrived, it poured… I mean it poured hard. We had rented a car to run a few errands like laundry and groceries then pick our friends up at the airport. When the rain subsided we ferried our dry warm clean laundry and groceries back to Gaia. As we opened the hatch we found that we (cough..Mike cough) left the hatch above the aft cabin bed completely open. The neat and tidy bed we had made was drenched. Bugger. What a way to start off a vacation for friends. We picked them up at the airport returned to the boat and sure enough the sun began peaking out of the clouds just before sunset. It wasn’t going to be so bad… they’d just sleep on the settees. All the running around and being swamped by buckets of rain was all made better when Jess n Justin pulled out of their luggage 4 steaks from a cooler bag. The last time we had a decent steak was in …. New York? 8 months ago… god that long… yeah not cool. Mike and I were aside ourselves incredulous with happiness. We broke out the good wine and the good the silverware, the only silverware and went to work.

The next day we used the rental car to drive over to Dean’s Blue Hole. The free dive competition was gone but a few curious tourists and a class for free-diving was taking place. Jess and Mike were bold enough to climb to the edge of the limestone cliffs and plunge about 25 feet into the blue hole. Both had good form.

 

We set sail for Calabash Bay near the northern part of Long Island and found a trail that lead to the Christopher Colombus memorial. The walk over was easy and nice to catch up with old friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a night of too much chess games, we made our move to Conception Island. We thought San Salvador would be amazing but sailing there and back and seeing the island would eat up 4 days easily. Conception Island was only 30 nm, a far more manageable day sail. When we approached we caught a horse-eyes jack. Discovering that ciguatera was an issue for larger horse-eyed jacks, we had to set this big lugger back to his home.  As we settled down from the excitement another friend playfully swam by. A dolphin swam around the boat, twirling about in the water and playing in the bow wake. At this point we found Conception Island to be most welcoming. The wind was just north of East which made the swell that wrapped around from the south to be very subtle. When the sun set and the stars rose we were completely alone in paradise. The next night we moved to the the northern anchorage and found two other sailboats perched nearby. We dropped the anchor and found three large nursesharks nestled in the shadow of the boat. All 4 of us flung ourselves into the water to get a better look. They were pretty great. I think of them like sheep, cute and harmless but in a beguiling shark kind of way. We enjoyed the beach and were intending to leave early next morning but then we bumped into the folks on the nearby monohull – a chatty bunch from FL and then two brothers from the catamaran dinghy-ed over and invited us over for drinks which quickly escalated to a potluck. I believe it was the words of fresh caught seafood that sealed the deal for us. We decided we’d stay another night and party with our new friends tonight. We found out there was a great mangrove river to be explored and so much more to snorkel.

The next day we dinghy-ed to the mouth of the river. The entrance is shallow and the water color varies from crystal clear to an iridescent sparkle like diamonds. As we continued, the river forms to a more traditional turquoise color with deceptively fast turtles that dart away. At the junction of the river there was a deep pocket of water. It was near here we decided to jump out of the dinghy and float with the current. I stayed with the dinghy, while Jess, Justin, & Mike got up close and personal with the sergeant majors hiding in the mangrove branches, and the conchs trudging along the bottom, even the barracudas lurking in the back. We returned to the mile long white sand beach with a few beers and relaxed. I wrote in big block letters ‘ GAIA IN DA HOUSE’ – it seemed like the right thing to do.

We had a long slow sail to Hawksnest marina, Cat Island where we filled up on much-needed water and decided to stay the night by anchoring in the river. The sun was setting and it’s unwise to navigate in poor lighting when there are possible coral heads to hit. The river was shallow and with a draft of 5.3′ we definitely bumped the muddled ground at low tide but nothing major.

On Cat Island we explored New Bight, which was a great anchorage. We pulled up on the beach and found several bar and restaurants. We chose Hidden Treasure and Denice took great care of us. Jess & I started off with mango daiquiris. They’re served in a long stem margarita glass… or I should say margarita bowl, it was enormous with rum floaters ontop! Lunch was made jovial by our mid afternoon cocktails. But let’s not leave out the food, it was also wonderful – the grilled mahi mahi was spectacular. We burned off our lunch by hiking the tallest point in the Bahamas! Mt. Alvernia better known as Como Hill which stands 206 feet tall. Whew! And the top not only rewards you with a great view but an interesting peak into the past.

 

 

 

 

“It was named Mount Alvernia by Monsignor John Hawes, a Roman Catholic priest. It is said to be reminiscent of La Verna, the hill in Tuscany that was given to St. Francis of Assisi as a place where he could peacefully contemplate, and is reportedly where Assisi received the Wounds of the Cross. Monsignor John Hawes, known to Cat Islanders as Father Jerome, was a skilled architect and sculptor – a self-described contemplative and admirer of St. Francis of Assisi. Using local stone, he built The Hermitage on the peak of Mt. Alvernia in 1939, a small medieval monastery where he could get away from the world. Father Jerome is also known for building cathedrals and convents throughout The Bahamas, including on Long Island and New Providence. He died in 1956 and is said to be buried somewhere on the site of The Hermitage.” -bahamas.com

 

From New Bight we went to Fransesco Bay where we found a resort that had a trusting bar on the beach. The owner welcomed us and showed us a circular bar completely stocked with cups, ice, liquor, wine, beer, and juices.

 

Each party took account for every drink they made or took and tallied up their own order to pay for it up at the front desk. And then the owner walked away. And we continued to party.

 

 

The next day was a bit slow in more ways than one. The wind had died and we had a very long sail from Cat Island to Georgetown Great Exuma. The seas were so flat and so calm, we slowed the boat and jumped in. It was a fantastic trip all around but again the friends had to return to Boston and we, we had to prepare for our last round of guests…. my parents…. bum bum bum!

Hogsty atoll was such a beautiful experience. If you’re sailing through the area and the conditions are right I highly recommend diving/snorkeling the reefs and wrecks!

 

We continued on our journey past Castle Island. As beautiful and pristine the anchorage appeared, the swells on either side were too much for us to handle. We motored up the coast to the SW Acklins anchorage. (SW Acklins from aloft – right->)

You’ll notice none of my pictures show buoys or channel markers outlining channels or warning of shoals and reefs. You really need to depend on your eyes so it’s important to sail with good sunlight in unknown waters. At first I was nervous, having never navigating by eyesight alone…. but with decent sunlight it’s a cake walk. The waters are clear and after you see one reef or jetty of submerged rocks… you know what to look for going forward.

From SW Acklins we spotted a few small skiffs skimming the horizon but no neighbors to speak of since Matthews Town the day we cleared in. We crept to the South of Fish Cay where the current carved out a deep enough area to anchor in sand. Everything in front of us was all too shallow for Gaia and in 10 knot winds, we had zero bouncing waves. Another sound night of sleeping!

From Crooked Island we went to Long Island and had another beautiful downwind sail. We tucked into Little Harbor finding ourselves alone again. The cut into the protected anchorage is narrow and East-facing. Don’t time this cut incorrectly or it’ll prove to be a dicey and uncomfortable motor into steep strong standing waves. We timed it perfectly at slack tide and found the harbor to be curiously inviting with a half submerged boat in the shallows. I enjoyed my morning coffee watching the occasional green turtle surfacing.

The following day we made anchor in Clarence Town and the nearby marina had a nice laid-back bar we really enjoyed. From there we hitchhiked to Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole In The World (cool! blue holes are water filled sinkholes).  Most known blue holes in the world average 110 meter/360 feet deep. Dean’s Blue Hole is a whopping 203 meters/666 ft deep. A couple of locals picked us up no problem and dropped us off…. on a beautiful white sand beach…. with about 30 other people and a …film crew… (?). Not what we were expecting either. The International Freedive Competition was camped out and taking place before our very eyes.

We watched as five deviously laughing young men surprised someone, picked him up by his arms and legs, ran him over to the water and tossed him in. The man they threw in the water was William Trubridge, who earlier that day, set the new world record of free immersion diving to 124 meters (407 feet). Good grief! The idea of diving with weights and a scuba tank past 90 feet scares me…. I can’t imagine swimming freely for another 327 feet. We wandered the premise enjoying the sights and watching this close-knit world of free divers around us. We eventually strapped on our own dinky snorkel fins and mask and swam around the blue hole. The diving competition took place within a square, marked off by 4 floating pcv tubes. Friends and spectators could hang  off them and watch. As curious spectators, we floated in the warm clear water with the pros. We asked questions as to how athletes started and met their depth. We learned the long wire that hung straight down had flags at predetermined depths for each diver to reach and retrieve their own flag. Upon their ascent two aiding free divers swam down 100 feet only to assist if something was awry. When the athlete surfaced they were required to perform basic functions to show they were stable. It’s not completely uncommon to witness a diver black out or show problems breathing. Not to fear, there are completely qualified and trained medics standing on the raft and in the water to help should any serious problem arise.

We stayed and watched several divers. They were beautiful, elegant swimmers. They disappeared into the abyss with purpose and rose back to the surface like slow rising smoke or an unearthly ghost – it was fascinating. I watched one woman ascend from afar by diving down a few feet. Through my own mask I could see her face. Her nose pinched off by a plug, and her eyes closed. She was completely zen and relaxed. If it wasn’t for her feet effortlessly moving I would have thought she was asleep.

We made our way back by hitchhiking again. A diving competitor from Germany, generously stopped for us and gave us a ride back to the marina. She kindly listened to our elementary questions on the sport and we hung on to every word she had to say on what it was like to dive down that deep.

Seeing Dean’s Blue Hole was beautiful and unique and a great start to visiting Long Island…