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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!

We continue to explore and enjoy the culture, weather and community here in George Town. Three Sons is moored in Elizabeth Harbor which is about a mile wide with George Town on the southwest side and Stocking Island on the northeast side.

Since arriving in George Town, we have been watching the “big blow” that was expected to stir up the water in Elizabeth Harbor. High winds were predicted to roll in on Monday night, February 5th and continue for a couple of days before calming down. Monday started out a beautiful day, sunny with just a few clouds. We spent time batting down the hatches, walking the beach, a dinghy ride and of course some time at Chat N Chill. We headed back to the boat around dinner time and got ready to sit still and rock.

We arrived in George Town, Exuma one day earlier than planned to avoid an either a really bad travel day or a 3 day delay waiting for lower winds. George Town harbor is a cruisers mecca. There were over 200 boats in the harbor when we arrived and the number is expected to rise close to 400 before we leave. George Town harbor is pretty well protected with Stocking Island running parallel with Great Exuma Cay.

Our next planned stop was an anchorage outside of Little Farmer’s Cay. Taking advantage of the weather window, this stop allowed for a good travel day, a interesting, tiny place to explore and a convenient anchorage.

We have found paradise!

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a 176-square-mile enormous open aquarium with pristine reefs, an abundance of marine life, and sandy cays. The park is a collection of cays and the surrounding ocean that spans 22 nautical miles long and 6 nautical miles wide. Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park is a no take zone by land and sea. The motto is “Leave no sign of your visit but footprints in the sand and ripples in the water.”

Seeing a small weather window, we decided to make a big jump over to The Exumas.

The Bahama Islands are more than 500 NM in total which is about the distance from New York to Charleston. The Bahamas consists of 700 tropical islands with only about 30 of them are inhabited by people.   These islands are grouped into several archipelagos, each having a different vibe and unique cruising features. For our second stop, we chose to visit The Berry Islands, one of the smaller, less visited archipelagos. This j-shaped cluster of nearly 30 islands and 100’s of cays, mostly uninhabited, totals no more than twelve square miles of landmass.

A magical night on the Bahama Bank!

Leaving Bimini one must transit the Bahama Bank to get to almost any other Bahama Island. Once again, the deciding factor on the day to move is weather.

Key Largo, Florida to Bimini, Bahamas

In boater lingo, a crossing is when a vessel moves from either side of the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. This was our first ‘crossing’ cruising from Key Largo, Florida to Bimini, Alice Town, Bahamas. It is also the first time Three Sons has been outside of the USA. Planning for this trip was a bit overwhelming, we did tons of research, figuring out where to leave from, how long the trip will take, what course to steer and what weather conditions are best. In trying to understand and finding the perfect weather widow to make the crossing we became mini (super mini) meteorologists.