Blogs from Exuma, Bahamas, Central America Caribbean - page 13

The last anchorage that we visited in the Exumas before heading back up to Nassau was Hawksbill Cay, at the northern border of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. The main reason why we wanted to visit this uninhabited island was to explore the loyalist ruins there. The Bahamas have a very interesting history which includes pirates, rum running, and loyalist colonization (we recommend the book Wind from the Carolinas, which is a historical novel about the Bahamas and gives great insight to the islands). After the American Revolution, the citizens who were loyal to Great Britain progressively felt uncomfortable in America and were forced to flee. These loyalists were granted land in the Bahamas where they hoped to cultivate large cotton plantations, much like the one’s they left behind in the States. One of the ... read more

Maneuvering the boat in and out of marinas can be quite difficult, especially if there is a strong current or strong wind. The current thru Compass Cay marina was ripping due to the unusually high spring tides, which increases the volume of water flowing in and out of the narrow cut to Compass Cay. We were ready to untie the lines and cast off when one of Tucker’s staff told us that a 120 foot mega yacht was coming thru the cut, and it would probably be better to wait. And good thing we did. We watched as this 120 foot, 4 story, 60 ton mega yacht came into the marina, loose control, and completely crunch a 50 foot, brand new motor yacht that was tied up on the other side of the marina- holy cow! ... read more

Our next stop was Georgetown, the mecca of sailors and often the southernmost point of travel in the Bahamas (and as it happens to be, the southernmost point for the Rum Runner this year as well). It is at the southern tip of the Exuma Chain and is the jumping off point for the Turks and Caicos as well as the Jumentos and Ragged Islands. Georgetown is actually in Elizabeth Harbor, which is an 8 mile long natural harbor between the islands of Great Exuma and Stocking Island. This area, often just referred to as Georgetown, is home of 400-500 boats during the cruising year- amazing! And there are several different anchorages to visit within Elizabeth Harbor, including Volleyball Beach, Sand Dollar Beach, Monument Hill, Fish Fry Village, Georgetown, etc. Our first night there we ... read more

After our night of rocking and rolling at Big Galliot Cay we decided to move our boat to a more peaceful anchorage. The next island down, only a couple miles away, was Cave Cay. Our friends on the s/v Enee Marie were anchored out there as well, so we decided to join them. Cave Cay gets its name because it is riddled with caves. We spent the afternoon in our dinghy, exploring all the island caves. One of them was so big that we were able to dinghy all the way into it- what fun! The many stalactites were hanging down from the 40 foot high entrance and there was a big school of snappers swimming right below us. Jay wanted to come back with his fishing pole to catch dinner, but the day got away ... read more

After leaving Staniel we sailed all of 5 miles to Black Point, a wonderful little settlement on Great Guana Cay. Before we got a chance to drop our anchor in this protected bay we heard on the vhf radio, “Rum Runner, Rum Runner, this is Enee Marie. Is that you guys coming into the anchorage?” It was our good friends Scott and Sue who were anchored out at Black Point. So we made plans to meet up with them for lunch at Lorraine’s Café later in the day. Lorraine’s Café is in the heart of town and is quite the cruisers hangout. We have never been to a place like it before- we loved it! First off Lorraine is one of the sweetest people we have ever met, with a heart of gold. She welcomes you ... read more