Shroud Cay

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After leaving Norman’s Cay we sailed about 5 miles down to the next island, Shroud Cay, where we anchored in the lee. This is one of the islands that we had heard about and we were really looking forward to exploring on kayak. Shroud Cay is actually an archipelago, or a cluster of islands connected by mangroves and a salt-water river system. The water inside the archipelago is very shallow (mere inches in most places), thus we had to plan our kayak trip around high tide.

We left to go kayaking 2 hours before high tide, allowing us 4 hours to explore the miles of intricate creeks inside the archipelago. The shallow waters and mangroves prove to be great breeding grounds and nurseries for many sharks, conch, and fish. As we started our paddle we noticed that the sea-grass was littered with hundreds of baby conchs, which slowly grow their shells and reach maturity in about 4-5 years. Along the way we also saw many baby snappers, bonefish, and schoolmasters (which were about the size of a dime- very cute). The highlight was seeing 2 young sharks, which scurried off as we approached. It was wonderful exploring between the mangroves, which were also filled with many different types of birds that would call out as we paddled along.

Worried that we might get lost amongst the intricate creek system, we kayaked along the main thoroughfare first. After a couple of miles we landed on the other side of Shroud Cay. We tied up our dinghy, trekked over the hill, and were rewarded with a lovely beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Of course the beach was littered with various flotsam and jetsam, including an old circuit board which Jay plugged away at (he he). And a make-shift hammock out of old fishing nets, which we stopped to enjoy for a bit.

Then it was back to our kayaks to continue exploring the other smaller creeks. We followed the first creek for a mile or so until it opened up to the Atlantic Ocean. On either side of the narrow gap that connected the ocean to the archipelago were two of the most beautiful beaches we have seen in the Bahamas. So we landed our kayaks and went off to explore. There was a small trail that led up to the top of a hill, to a place called camp driftwood. We were awarded with spectacular views of the Shroud archipelago and the Exuma Sound. It was awesome!

Unfortunately, the sun started to get low in the sky and the tide had turned. We spent the rest of our time at Shroud kayaking some of the other smaller creeks, making our way back to the Rum Runner. We loved our time here and the kayaking will always be a special memory of our trip.

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Photos

Kayak
Jay kayaking at the entrance of the archipelago- what fun!

The Entrance
The creek leading into the interior of Shroud Cay Archipelago.

Kayak
Jen kayaking in Shroud Cay Archipelago- with tons of tiny fish swimming in the shallow water below.

The Engineer
Jay hard at work on a circuit board, one of the many pieces of flotsam and jetsam we found on the beach on the Atlantic side of Shroud.

The Beach
The beach where we landed our dinghy and took a hike to the top of the hill, following the trail to Camp Driftwood.

The Beach at Shroud
One of the most beautiful beaches we have seen in the Bahamas, seen from Camp Driftwood.

The View
The view of Shroud Archipelago, from atop Camp Driftwood.

Leaving Shroud
Leaving Shroud Archipelago, as the sun started to get low in the sky.

Comments

[Gran]

Thanks
I enjoyed seeing and hearing of your adventures; keep them coming!!!