The Exumas are made up of a long string of varying size islands that are in close proximity to another. Some are no more than large rocks. The Exuma Sound (Atlantic) batters the western shores making it forbidden for anchoring. It would take a very long time to visit all of them but we have excellent choices for those we will visit. The weather is wonderful. Since all the islands are narrow (about 2 miles wide) with water on both sides there is always a breeze making the mid 80’s temperature very comfortable. Evenings cool off and we find we frequently need a sheet as the breeze blows in through the hatch.

5/14/15 – We arrived at Highborne Cay where we found anchorage with good holding in sand.

Again, this is a private island so permission is required to go ashore or pay exorbitant, ($4.95 ft.) slip fees. Don’t think so. The guide books stated a strong surge made this a rolly anchorage so didn’t highly recommend it. However, there was just a bit of a roll. At night you felt you were in a cradle being gently rocked to sleep. Delightful.

Although this is the end of the season it’s surprising all the boats that are coming and going. To be so remote there are always several boats passing south or heading north to Nassau for return to the states. We had 19 boats in the anchorage the first night and all but eight left the next morning but it filled back up to 18 by the evening.

5/15/15 – Today we took the dinghy to Alan’s, Leaf, and SW Allan’s Cay. It was a 2 mile ride and a little choppy as we crossed the opening to Exuma Sound. Once there we were treated to a pristine and uninhabited group of islands with emerald waters. As we approached a beach on Leaf Cay, we could see some small iguanas on the beach. As I was pulling the dinghy to the beach more came out. Lynne was a little uncertain about them and fell out of the dinghy as she concentrated on them watching her watching them.

The guide books say they can be aggressive and will bite but Leaf Cay has less aggressive ones. They are curious and have been given handouts by other tourist. They do keep their distance and move out of the way as you approach.

 

Lynne wasn’t so sure they would always get out of the way so she moved very, very cautiously. Don’t think she was as enraptured by these wonderful animals as I was. They range in size from 2 to 3 feet long. These are Rock Iguanas and only exist here in the Bahamas. They are some of the rarest lizards in the world.

We walked to a second beach around the corner where we found a concrete stairway which led up the hill to a ruined concrete building. The building had an awesome view. Makes you wonder what happened to this home that is definitely in paradise. An iguana blocked Lynne’s path coming down. She wasn’t going any further until it moved out of her way.What a standoff. Fortunately, it found her to be boring and so moved along fairly quickly.

 

All along the beach are live conchs left stranded by the tide and many, many more in the water. I relocated the ones that were left in dry sand. All are mostly about 6 inches long and have a long way to grow. The larger ones are semi-buried and are empty shells. Some sort of green grass looking plant or animal attaches to some of the shells of the live ones.
Allan’s Cay, which has more aggressive iguanas, did not show any signs of life. We beached the dinghy at SW Alan’s Cay but it didn’t have iguanas to greet us. I think Lynne looked grateful.
The sand in the water had numerous large cones with about 2″ diameter holes going deep into the sand. Not sure what made them or if something lives in them. Contemplated putting my big toe in a hole but then thought I prefer keeping it to giving it up to an unknown. The sand here is like no other I have seen. It is very fine and compact so it does not shift much under your feet. It also does not cling to you like most beach sand and what does stick rubs off easily.

5/16/15- We pulled anchor and headed south to Exuma Land and Sea Park which extends 22 miles and includes 6 large islands and about 4 miles of sea on each side. This is a “take nothing leave nothing” zone. You could lose your boat if you got caught fishing or dumping trash here.

 

We originally set our destination to Shroud Cay but the wind was right and sailing was good; one of those days when you wished you could sail forever. Consequently, we kept going to Warderick Cay which is where park headquarters is. We got first-hand experience of the need for visual piloting as the charts showed our route to be OK but the water color changed and the depth got shallower than shown on the charts. This forced us to turn around and take a less favorable route around Long Rock Island and into Exuma Sound. The current through there was very fast and the boat only made 2.5 knots speed against it. Watching the waves hit the rocks gave us another lesson in nature’s awesome force. (See the movie.)
We arrived and tied to mooring ball 21 at 4:30 PM. Either we are getting good or it was just luck but the mooring pendant was the easiest pickup we experienced. Cost is $20.00 per night with no amenities. There is no telephone service here and no public restrooms ashore. They do have Wi-Fi available for $15.00 per day.

5/17/2015 – After paying our fees and buying Wi-Fi, we proceeded to explore the island. It became obvious that the perforated rock with its sharp edges called for more substantial shoes so we were forced to return to the boat for better shoes. While on board we made a makeshift boat sign to plant atop Boo Boo Hill. Couldn’t find anything except a plastic container top whose bottom had taken French leave.The walk across the island revealed varying terrain from moon like to desert to hills with sand dunes. The trek up the hill was quite a climb but we made it.

 

Our sign was duly placed and photographed. Since it was made of plastic, we had to bring it back with us. Wood only is allowed to stay. The guidebooks didn’t mention this rather important piece of information.
Boo Boo Hill is a remembrance of a ship that hit the rocks and all aboard died and their bodies never found. Lacking a Christian burial their souls are said to haunt the hill at night. It has become a tradition for boaters to leave evidence of their boats visit atop the hill.
Nearby Boo Boo Hill is a blow hole where waves hitting the rocks below the cliff have found a path to the top of the hill. At high tide they produce a geyser; otherwise only air is forced out.

After returning to the boat we tried our $15.00 per night Wi-Fi to discover that it did not work. There are so many ways you can be taken for a sucker but you would not think the government would be doing it.

5/18/2015 – We are now anchored off O’Briens Cay and there are a few reefs here to explore. One is called The Sea Aquarium and we are anchored close to it. There is one park mooring ball here and we have taken it. If we can get away with it, we do not planning on paying for the mooring since the Wi-Fi was a rip off. The sea aquarium is a popular place as many dinghies are coming in from the mooring field at nearby Cambridge. They have several reefs there so The Sea Aquarium must be the better of the lot. Also several speedboats from resorts are bringing people. Another indication this reef is a must do.

5/19/2015 – While having our morning coffee a boat pulls alongside and calls out for us. It is the park warden and he is here to collect the mooring ball fee. I pay for two nights, $40.00 cash, and he gives me a receipt. So much for recovering the Wi-Fi cost.

After launching the dinghy we gathered our snorkeling gear to check out the reef before it gets crowded. It is a small but nice reef with a variety of fish and coral in about 15 feet of water.

Lynne was quite astonished to see the Shedd Aquarium research boat drop anchor near the reef.  The aquarium is located in Chicago and was quite famous at one time. Many years ago, more than Lynne will admit to, she used to volunteer there.  Sure is a small world.

Sleeping is difficult because the current opposes the wind and turns the boat to where the ball is against the hull and bangs. I have the pendant pulled up as tight as It can go but still have to get up several times to pull it away from the hull.

5/20/15 – Here piggy piggy! Just dropped anchor at Big Majors Spot which is next to Staniel Cay. Big Majors claim to fame is the pigs that live on the island that will come out to greet you and always want something to eat. I can see some out on the beaches now.

A Cal 34 sailboat with the jib for power is moving back and forth looking for an anchorage spot which shouldn’t be difficult since there is a lot of space. He approaches us then at too close a proximity, he drops anchor. I yell at him about being to close and he gives the peace symbol. Lynne takes it to be the finger and proceeds to use some strong language. He lifts anchor and unfurls his jib to leave and Lynne seeing he did not have an engine felt sorry for him and began to apologize saying he could stay where he was. He continued to move away and anchored about 200 feet away.

Tonight I fired up the grill to cook pork chops and as if on cue the kid in the Cal 34 comes paddling to the boat in his kayak. He says he has rum to share and wants to come aboard and that he had picked our boat because it was so good looking and wanted to see it. I tell him we are preparing to eat and do not have enough for him. Lynne, still feeling guilty, beckons him aboard then gets another plate and divvies up our meal to make it three. He drank my beer and I never did get any rum but after drinking the several beers he did swig on his Rum. He was from Colorado and was bumming around the Bahamas for a few months. He claims to only have spent less than a hundred dollars since paying his entrance fees and had been in the Bahamas for about 30 days.

It became late and I had to finally tell him we were tired from the night before and needed some sleep. He took the hint and returned to his boat. My take on the kid is that he was a really nice con artist and knew how to pick the right people. He probably gets a free meal every night. One good thing, we are out of the traffic lane, on anchor, and had a peaceful and quite rest tonight.

5/21/2015 – We visit the pigs at the beach and ironically Lynne feeds them scraps from last night’s pork chops. They didn’t seem to mind eating their cousins. These guys are BIG. They open their mouths for you to drop food in. Very intimidating to see this large hole with enormous teeth looking up at you.
Next, we move the boat around to Staniel Cay. We need a new pull cord for the outboard engine since it is becoming frayed. The general store might have one so we dinghy to their dock. The mail boat is in and unloading this week’s resupply of everything so the general store is closed while they pick up their shipment. That gives us an opportunity to drop our trash in the container without paying the $2.50 small bag/$5.00 large bag fee.
We proceed to walk to town and stop a golf cart to ask directions to Emil’s bread store. He gives us a ride there. Finally we buy a loaf of Bahamian Coconut bread from a woman who bakes it in her home. We knock on the screen door and are asked to come in. A wonderful smell of baked bread hits you full on as you walk into a room no larger than 8×10. A table is full of cooling bread plus a stove and sink. It’s amazing how they manage to make so much in such a small area. The bread was delicious and only $7 a loaf. Seems like a lot but a loaf of Wonder bread costs $6 so this is a bargain.

Back at the general store we sit under the pavilion for a couple of hours while they restock the store. Word got around quickly that the mail boat was in with fresh supplies (a very big deal for cruisers) so we became acquainted with other cruisers who shared their knowledge of our next stops.

Once we are allowed in I discover they do not have a pull cord in the right size. One of the cruisers (British) tells me he has some he will give me and his boat is anchored next to mine. We are learning the cruising family is as great as we’ve read about.

Before returning to the boat, we dinghy over to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and eat in the restaurant. Food was good, beer even better.

The tide was out upon return and we barely had water under the keel so we had to move to deeper water experiencing a bump or two on the way. Note to self – double check tide charts.

Anchoring here in Staniel Cay is definitely a mistake due to large launches and other boats coming from Big Majors making a lot of chop. They have no courtesy to slow down. Tonight we heard loud music until 2 AM and a lot of drunk people in launches playing the music loud as they returned to their ship. A little scary knowing a drunk was coming full throttle weaving in and out of boats. Does he see the anchor lights? How good is his eyesight?

5/22/2015 – The British couple brought over the pull cord just before they pulled out. They told us the Blackpoint community is having a BBQ for cruisers at noon tomorrow to help benefit the school. Cost is $10.00. We had planned to snorkel Thunderball Grotto today but decided to go to Blackpoint for the BBQ then return to snorkel and get water and fuel.
So saying goodbye to the Brits (they were heading north) we pulled anchor, sailed the 10 miles to Blackpoint and 2 hrs later were ashore for a shower at the laundromat, a very versatile laundromat. Cost is $4.00 for eight minutes but worth it.

After walking about town we stopped at Scorpio Restaurant for beer and a cheeseburger. The town is very quiet but it is Friday night and it became very loud with drum music which lasted until about 1:30 AM.