Bahamas Bound 2017

Every year cruisers struggle to find a weather window to cross into the Bahamas, but this year is a bit different.  Rumor is that La Nina is changing the weather patterns, and just as we are finally ready to leave Marathon, the perfect window opens.  We will spend considerable time in the Gulf Stream so we are happy to go on what is considered “Trawler Weather”, in other words, very light wind and motoring conditions.  We leave Marathon as soon as it is light to avoid any lobster buoys and make a beeline to the deep water outside of the barrier reef, looking for a push from the Gulf Stream.  We find very little current but also find smooth seas that make for pleasant conditions in the Stream.  It seems like all of Florida is leaving with us, but we see very few other boats. We enjoy dinner at sunset while in the Stream

Sunset as we have dinner in the cockpit - the Gulf Stream isn't always terrifying.

and marvel at sunrise on the Bahama Banks with utterly glassy water.  

A dramatic sunrise the next morning on the Great Bahama Banks.

Twenty seven hours later, we arrive at Great Harbor Cay in the Berry Island chain to the welcoming waves of Chris and Laura on Temerity who crossed over from Miami but arrived prior to daylight.

Temerity greeting us as we arrive in the Berry Island - great to see them after several months.

Our two boats make way into the completely protected harbor of Great Harbor Cay Marina. Shortly after tying up at the docks we are cleared through Customs and Immigration by very friendly officers.  We will stay here for about a week as a strong cold front is predicted to pass through. 

This is our first visit to the Berry Islands, and we are looking forward to doing a lot of exploration. Great Harbor Cay has an interesting history.  Back in the 60’s it was privately owned and developed as a high end resort.  The likes of Jack Nicholas and numerous Hollywood stars had homes along the 18 hole golf course. There was an architecturally unique hotel and several high end restaurants. After a series of bankruptcies and the curtailment of the Bahamian drug trade, all that remains now is the marina, a beach bar, and an overgrown 9 hole golf course.  In more recent years, parcels of land have been sold along the beach, and lovely second homes are tucked into the tree-lined shore.

Our first adventure takes us to Shark Creek, a mangrove creek that bisects the island.  Temerity joins us as we take our dinghies through the creek at high tide.  In places the prop stirs up the bottom, and the mangroves arch over our heads obliterating the sky.  It is something out of “The African Queen”. Beneath us large rays lay on the bottom with their wings stretching from bank to bank. Eventually the creek widens out into a tidal lagoon where turtles dart about in our wake.  We are so busy navigating the shallow waters and overhanging branches that we never take a picture. The lagoon empties into Sugar Beach which encompasses the entire eastern shore of the Cay.  We have just enough time to investigate one outlying cay before the falling tide beckons us to dinghy back through the creek to the marina.

Great Harbor Cay is a wonderful place to do some biking. The roads are well maintained by Bahamian standards and have virtually no traffic.  Every car that passes gives you a vigorous wave – it’s just a friendly sort of place.  The marina has free loaner bikes which is a good thing as I blow out a tire on our first trip. The next day, with the replacement bike, we ride the entire length of the island, something over seven miles each way.  No one told us about the hills, but we enjoy the many vistas

Yes, the Bahamas have hills - the ocean is to the left, interior ponds on the right.

and stop at all the beach access points along the way.  Typically, the windward beaches are untenable during the winter easterlies, but we are having a rare period of westerly wind so I manage a wade or swim at each of the beaches.  

A refreshing dip at Lover's Beach

The northern beaches are tucked in between rocky outcroppings, 

Cave beach

while at the south end there is endless sand and fun exploration at low tide. 

South end of Sugar Beach

Meanwhile, a beach bar on this east facing beach, with easy access from the marina, becomes our regular hang out. And if we get bored in the evenings, the marina sponsors events such as a deep sea fishing contest, a potluck, and a barbecue night. 

Weigh-in at the fishing tournament.

The west winds are still with us but they are abating.  We leave our protected home in the marina and explore the eastern shore of the Berries with the mother-ship. Our first night is spent anchored just off our friendly beach bar.  

The view from the beach bar - our chairs and umbrella are set up in the sand.

We spend the day on the dinghy exploring the outlying small cays.  It is rare to ever see another set of foot prints.  

At low tide the sand bores dry out. Our beach combing cay is in the background.

A random starfish in the shallows.

We pull the dinghy up on one of these cays and start walking the sugar sand beach that faces east. 

The dinghy at anchor while we go off exploring.

The east facing shore of the cay

We soon discover it is the mother-lode of shells and beach glass.  Live conchs are tucked into coves amongst the sea grass 

Live conchs in the crystal clear water.  The ones we collected were dead and up higher on the beach.

and empty shells litter the water’s edge. It is not long before we become very selective about which shells and which pieces of sea glass are worthy of our collecting.  

Conchs, a sea biscuit, several unique shells, and lots of good sea glass - one day's haul.

This is by far the best spot we have found for beach combing in the Bahamas, and if it wasn’t for the westerly winds, we could never have accessed this cay.

The next day we sail a few miles down the chain to an anchorage known as Devils/Hoffman.  Most of the anchorages in the Berries are for shallow draft boats, but this spot has sufficient depth for our boat.  The surrounding cays are all uninhabited, but we are joined by a number of other cruising boats.  Temerity knows of a Blue Hole on a nearby cay so we dinghy over to a beach and hike up a trail to discover a remarkable blue hole tucked into the rugged landscape. The water is crystal clear, but as Chris discovers when he jumps in for a swim, it is still salt water which feeds into the hole through underground streams.

The Blue Hole from above.

And a water level view from a cave formed at its rim.

Later in the afternoon, other cruisers suggest that we go snorkeling on the east side of another cay.  We land the dinghies on a protected beach and proceed to swim between two cays to the oceanside reef.  At one point it is so shallow that we ride small waves on our stomachs over the rocks and chunks of dead coral that litter the passage. The outer reef is full of sea fans and a few stands of elkhorn coral. Small, colorful reef fish swim along with us, but the high point is an encounter with two beautiful spotted eagle rays.  It is a magical day, and we enjoy a majestic sunset in this isolated anchorage.

A view west towards the sunset with our friends' boat Gratitude in silhouette.

The next day we head thirty miles southeast to Nassau.  

A row of huge cruise ships signals the entrance to Nassau.

We will take a marina slip while another front passes through.  Our stop also gives us an opportunity to grocery shop at a Fresh Market, the last full service grocery we will see for several months, and have a fun dinner out at a nearby Chinese restaurant.  The winds are still up when we leave the marina, so we tuck into nearby Rose Island and anchor in its lee for the night before heading into the Exumas. 

This is the second year in the Bahamas for our friends on Temerity, but last year they skipped some of the stops in the northern Exumas, so we aim to show them some new and special places.  We have a glorious beam reach from Rose Island to Shroud Cay, the northern most cay in Exuma National Park.  Shroud is not a single island but rather numerous small cays linked to one another by mangrove creeks.  We arrive late enough in the day to only have time for an exploration of a nearby sand beach that uncovers at low tide.  Here, the only footprints are our own, and we find a treasure trove of sea critters including star fish, sand dollars, and a plethora of conch.  

 

Our location for a late afternoon exploration of the sand bar off Shroud Cay.

Live conch nestled in to a small cove

Star fish are everywhere.

A live sand dollaar.

Since this is a national park, it is also a no take zone, so everything both live and dead are to not to be collected.  But, the pictures tell the story. 

The next morning at close to high tide we leave with Temerity and also the crew of Providence to explore the only creek accessible to motorized dinghies.  It’s a long haul from the anchorage and part way there our outboard engine starts to falter.  Thank goodness we are in the company of two rescuers.  Our dinghy is hauled to a nearby beach, and we split up into the two functional dinghies.  Wandering into the interior of the cay via a wide creek, 

A mangrove creek like the one that takes us through the interior of Shroud Cay.

we emerge on the ocean side at a place called Camp Driftwood.  For many years a hermit lived here atop a hill in a hut constructed of found materials.  After he left, the DEA took over the location for an observation post that overlooked the drug dealers on nearby Normans Island.  Today, it is a wonderful perch to observe the beauty of the surrounding area.  

The view from Camp Driftwood out over the ocean.

And looking back towards the maze of mangrove creeks.

Once again, before the tide drops too far, we head back to our boats and during the following rainstorm, Burt cleans the carburetor of our recalcitrant outboard. 

Soon we are back in business to make the short hop down to Hawksbill Cay, another cay in the park. Hardly anyone stops at Hawksbill, and that’s a shame.  Beautiful pocket beaches separated by rocky outcroppings dot the western shore.  At the north end, large sand bores uncover at low tide.  

We lead Temerity up there to explore and attempt to leave our dinghies in places where the water won’t dry out.  We take a long walk along the sand bores with nary another soul in sight.  

The spectacular sand bores on the north end of Hawksbill Cay.

Upon returning to the dinghies, we realize this is a trip best taken on a rising tide.  We push the dinghies into shallow water, but it is so shallow we need to pull the dinghies a VERY long way to arrive in sufficiently deep water to run with the engine.  We arrive back at the anchorage just before sunset. 

Sunset at Hawksbill Cay as a mega-yacht passes in the distance.

The weather here has been unsettled.  A trough (an elongated weak low pressure area) is lingering over the central Exumas.  At times it moves a bit north; at times a bit south.  The result is generally lively wind and rain showers alternating with clearing skies.  We have a brisk sail down to the settlement of Blackpoint where we spend a night.  Burt gets a haircut on a bench at the laundromat overlooking azure waters, and we indulge in happy hour at Scorpio’s Bar with many other cruisers.  With two for one rum punches, you always end up having two which isn’t necessarily a good idea when you have to negotiate a steep ladder down to the dinghy with an occasional shark swimming by.  Despite the indulgence, all survived intact.

Another short hop south is Little Farmer’s Cay, our destination for the weekend to observe the 5 F’s (First Friday in February Farmer’s Cay Festival), a favorite with the cruising community.  This is a combination of a traditional Bahamian sailing sloop regatta and an island homecoming in this settlement of 80 (but now much higher) people.   Race boats from Nassau and a large group of ex-Farmers residents arrive on a freighter Friday morning.  Others arrive by aircraft and power boats from surrounding settlements. 

Cruisers and locals all stake out a claim on the beach at Ty's Sunset Bar, right in front of the finish line. In the distance on the right, you can see one of the private aircraft parked by the runway, bringing spectators and dignitaries from all over the Bahamas for this event.

This year 18 Class C sloops will be racing, the largest number we have ever witnessed. Friday afternoon they hold a long distance races in very light air.  The boats are towed north and out of our sight, only to reappear hours later for a finish right in front of the beach bar. 

 

Glassy conditions for the distance race finish.

Loud music and hearty cheering keep us entertained.  

A dramatic sunset the first night at Farmers Cay foretells the change in weather the following day.

The next day three around the buoy races are scheduled, and the wind has definitely picked up.  The sloops carry three sets of sails and start the day with the medium sized sails but end up flying the small sails before the races are completed.  The race start begins with the boats all anchored along the starting line.  At the signal, the anchors are hauled (by hand) while simultaneously the sails are hoisted.  Chaos is the best word to describe the situation, but it is not long until they are all speeding on their way with bodies splayed on the hiking boards. 

The start horn sounds and crews begin haul up anchors and sails.

The boats begin to power up.

 

And they are off!

The wind picks us and one boat capsizes. They have no flotation so they are hauled back to the beach and bailed in the shallow water.  Of the 18 boats that races, four either capsized or had a break down. 

Again, the finish line is in front of the bar where crowds of onlookers cheer on their favorites. 

The crews put on a good show as they pass through the finish line.

Storm cells come and go during the day, and at one point all the small aircraft parked on the runway behind the beach bar take off in a hurry – there are no tie downs here if the storms decide to pull a big punch.  As the weather deteriorates, we head back to the boat at dusk and miss the trophy presentation.  The next morning we sail back to Blackpoint where we hear the good news that Smashy, the local boat, has won second place.  Several years ago, Burt helped launch Smashy after it was rebuilt by the boat-builder/owner.  We’re always pleased when the local boys do well.