Bahama

Mother Nature decides when we travel and where! Our time in the Bahamas is coming to a close. It is looking like we might have a weather window this weekend to cross over to the East Coast of Florida. Easter Sunday is looking like great conditions to cross the Atlantic and travel the Gulf Stream but we will see if Mother Nature is playing tricks. As we closely watch the weather, we are moving west to stage getting back to the states.

Our trip to Green Turtle Cay was uneventful, but we put a lot of effort in deciding to go. The trip from Great Guana Cay to any point west requires a short jump into the Atlantic before cutting back into the mostly protected Sea of Abaco. This jump is knows as Whale’s Cut as it goes around Whale’s Cay.

With the prediction of a ‘blow’ coming across the Bahamas, we decided to hunker down in Great Guana Cay. We cruised 8.5 Nautical Miles across the Sea of Abaco to Settlement Harbor and docked at Orchid Bay Marina. Great Guana Cay was also devastated by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. We took lots of walks along the beach and up and down the streets to get a feel for the rebuilding and devastation by Mother Nature. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful while we waited for the blow, so along with lots of walks, we spent time with other cruisers on the docks and visited the two famous beach bars, Nippers and Grabbers!

We decided on a quick visit at Marsh Harbor in order to stay ahead of a storm that was coming our way. Since reviews and word of mouth reports claimed anchoring was quite tight in Marsh Harbor, we chose to dock at Conch Marina and Inn. The marina is family owned by locals and had good reviews and space.

Leaving Little Harbour, our next stop was an easy cruise of 15 Nautical Miles taking 2 hours at 7.5 knots. During the cruise we were treated to a dolphin show. About 10 dolphins, including a few calves, played in our bow wake and jumped completely out of the water in front of us. Things like this will never get old and we were so amazed at each jump and leap!

Cruising to the Abacos but first a wonderful stop at Egg Island.

Spanish Wells, located on St. George’s Cay, is a district of the Bahamas located about a third of a mile off the northern tip of Eleuthera Island.  This beautiful cay is two miles long and half a mile wide with a population of about 1,600. The main industry of this cay is lobstering and there is not much here for tourists. Spanish Wells’ remote location makes it relatively difficult to reach.

Leaving Rock Point we were headed 25 Nautical Miles north to Governors Harbor. The weather was a little windier than forecasted but the cruise was fine. Upon arrival at Governors Harbor all the iffy reviews we read came true. After trying to set the anchor twice, we decided to abort and move to our plan B.

Although we love the Exumas and feel we have so much more to see here, we are moving east to Eleuthera. We made the 45 Nautical Mile trek across the Exuma Sound in just over 6 hours and 30 minutes.

A retirement goal was to up our snorkeling game!

Shroud Cay is an uninhabited, secluded island with absolutely nothing on the land. However, it is home to a network of mangrove creeks that crisscross through the island and trails which you can explore. Click below to see our attempt to fly the drone to capture the winding creek between the mangroves.

Our intention was to drop anchor at Compass Cay for one night and explore the area and then the next morning move north a few miles to O’Brien Cay. Once we dropped anchor at Compass Cay Outer Anchorage, we were uncomfortable in the shallow water.

Staniel Cay: Snorkeling, Sharks and Pigs!

When investigating things to do in the area we realized we missed a hike and stalactite cave on the cay just south of where we were anchored. Since our next destination was only 9 miles north (1 hour 15 minutes), we decided to back track in order to explore the cave. We did not in any way regret the decision!

After leaving George Town, our plan is to spend time exploring all the other cracks and crevasses, water and sand bars, that make up the Exuma. Exuma Islands are a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, referred to as Cays. This area is 130 mile long island chain, extending from New Providence (Nassau) to Great Exuma Island (George Town).

We spent 30 days in George Town, Exuma moored outside of Chat N Chill in Elizabeth Harbor. With the exception of spending the summer ‘on the Lane’ this is the longest time we have stayed in one place since retiring 16 months ago. Thrilled beyond belief that for 14 of these days, Three Sons entertained guests. Our hope is that next year more peeps take the journey down south to enjoy the area with us. George Town is the furthest south Three Sons will travel. This location is about 1300 miles south of MA and 350 miles east of Havana, Cuba.

Zach in Exuma!

A strong current from the ocean entering a cut with an outgoing/incoming tide and land close by forms a nice lazy river. We have been wanting to try out this location, but it is a 10 mile, windy dinghy ride through shallow water. We were happy to find other boaters wanting to take the trek with us.

We attended our first Junkanoo! What is Junkanoo? We enjoyed the afternoon at a great cultural event with fellow boaters and locals!

The anticipation of our first visitor felt like we were 5 years old and waiting for Santa! When the cab pulled up, we jumped off our bar stools and gave the taxi driver a hug for delivering our people!