The Exumas, Allens Cay to Shroud Cay

Allen’s Cay

Capitalizing on the last of the fair weather window, we arrived at Allens Cay in the Exumas chain of islands about 1:00pm. We dropped the anchor, then dinghied ashore to feed the iguanas.
We knew the iguanas liked grapes, and thought that they might also eat apple…..wrong! They must be well fed by visiting cruisers, and they certainly are picky about what they like.

Another swim in the gin clear waters, followed by happy hour and a feast of Bahamian lobster tails with Tim and Jan from Lamb Chop was a fitting end to three hard days of travel. Now it’s time for a couple of days of rest as we wait for Toucan Dream and RSVP to catch up with us.

“Big Bird” is relaxing in Allens Cay, knowing that the ice supply is not yet in jeopardy, and neither is his comfortable accommodation.

The following morning we awoke to winds howling and gusting to 32 knots out of the NNE, just ahead of the approaching cold front. The strong winds combined with tide surge made this anchorage bouncy this morning. Again, we are thankful that the weather held and allowed us to have a smooth, albeit long ride from Miami to the Exumas.

The wind is forecast to howl for at least another 24 hours before veering to the East, so we opted for a quiet day aboard, just reading and catching up with boat chores. No phone or internet service available on this uninhabited cay.

We were awakened at 6:00am to the sound of the anchor drift alarm, alerting us that the boat had drifted outside of the set perimeter. Following a visual check, we realized that the wind had shifted to the East, causing the boat to change position. It was another breezy morning with the tide and wind competing with each other and once again giving us a lumpy ride in the anchorage. These winds will delay the arrival of Toucan Dream and RSVP, who are caught in the Abacos, waiting for calm weather to cross over to Eleuthera and then the Exumas.

Following our morning coffee, I threw the coffee grinds overboard, and as they splashed into the water, causing a plume of brownish cloud, a small shark darted out from beneath the boat to investigate. The splash and color in the water attracted him, perhaps it looked and sounded like breakfast for him. He was about 24 inches long and I suspect it was likely a young lemon shark. Thankfully, the waters here are gin clear and one is able to clearly see anything approaching in the water. I will remember not to thrash or splash in the water, since sharks are attracted, thinking this is a creature in distress and possibly the next meal.

Norman’s Cay
Shortly after 9am, we upped anchor to cruise down to Norman’s Cay, a 90 minute run. Due to the strong easterly wind, the Exuma Bank was choppy but not uncomfortable.
Norman’s Cay is one of the larger Cays in the Exumas chain, and was once under the unfriendly control of drug lord, Carlos Lehder, who used the cay as a haven and hideout. Law enforcement have driven the drug smugglers away, and today the abandoned ruins, shot up building and wreck of a submerged cargo plane are all that remain of that era. With its spectacular reefs and protected harbor, Norman’s Cay is once again, a favorite stop for cruisers.

 After anchors were down, we headed to shore in the dinghys to do some exploring and to have lunch at McDuff’s, a small, rustic resort, with the beach on one side and the airstrip on the other.

Menu was limited to conch, burger and catch of the day - mahi mahi. Kalik beer was chilled and quenched our thirst as we ate delicious conch fritters, with actual conch inside, imagine that! The fritters were followed with mahi mahi for three of us, and one burger, and more Kaliks

After lunch we took the dinghies to the south end of the island to see the submerged cargo plane wreck from the drug lord era. We walked one of the small beaches which harbor many young conchs in the shallow, warm water; all too small to be harvested.

Shroud Cay

Yet another breezy day with 15 knot winds still from the East. We departed Norman’s Cay about 9am, bound for the short run (less than an hour) to Shroud Cay, which is part of the Exumas Land and Sea Park. The park is a national protected reserve, allowing sea and plant life to regenerate and flourish. Within the park boundaries, fishing, taking anything alive or dead from the waters is prohibited, as is beach shelling and the disturbance or removal of any plant life.

Mooring balls are now available, and maintained by the Exumas National Park. Unsure of how secure the moorings were, we opted to anchor at the north west end of this uninhabited island sanctuary.
A picnic lunch was packed, and we headed out on a dinghy exploration through the crystal clear streams amidst the mangroves. Our destination was the sand beach on the east side of the island, where the surf should be crashing ashore as a result of the East wind.

The tide was falling and we found a few shallow spots where we had to get out and drag the dinghys through. Mission accomplished! We found our way out to the beach, but as a result of low tide, we had to anchor them in the shallows and walk the short distance across the sand dunes to the east coast.

We could see the surf breaking out against the rocks, and could hear the crash of the waves against the shore long before we crested the sand dune onto the beach. We were greeted with a spectacular array of ocean colors, ranging from the white surf to the dark azure blue of the deeper water.

The virgin white sand stretched for miles, being marred only by small sand rifts created by the wind, and the occasional piece of plastic trash that washed ashore with the wind and waves of a storm.
As we walked the beach, the wind was causing the sand to sand blast my legs.
Not wishing a sand filled sandwich, the group opted to return to the dinghies and have lunch on one of the beaches closer to our anchorage on the sheltered west side of the island.


It is so beautiful and tranquil here, and we are still waiting for the two catamarans to depart the Abacos, so we made the decision to dally here another day.

Happy hour and sunset was enjoyed on the beach with Tim & Jan from Lamb Chop and a delightful young couple, Adrian and Nicki from South Africa, who were sailing the Bahamas and Cuba aboard S/V Pako. As dusk approached it was a flurry of activity as we packed up and headed back to Kaos to avoid no-seeums and mosquitos.
BBQ  burgers were enjoyed, along with commeraderie, and a . wonderful bottle of South African Cabernet Sauvignon was shared amongst the group, courtesy of Adrian and Nicki. It was one of the nicest Cab Sauvs that we have enjoyed in a long time. To bad it is only available from the small boutique winery back in South Africa.

Another day in paradise!

Miami to Exumas, Bahamas

Finally, on November 15th, the north winds abated and veered to the South East. Kaos and Lamb Chop elected a 6pm departure from Key Biscayne, just south of Miami, with Cat Cay as our destination, and entrance port into the Bahamas. The crossing was comfortable and uneventful, even in the midst of the Gulfstream. Winds were freshening from the South when we arrived in Cat Cay in the Northern Bahamas at 1:00am. After some assistance from the night security guard, we got tied up at the dock and headed to bed.

The Dock Master and Customs lady start work at 7:30am, so, after a kick start from our morning coffee, we head off to do our in clearances. As we passed the Nordhaven docked behind us, we realize it is “Total Return” with friends Molly & Russ aboard. While chatting and catching up, a young Bahamian approaches and asks if we want some lobster tails, so at. $70 per dozen, we decide to split with “Total Return”.

As we arrived at the Customs cottage, the agent was on her way to clear a small private plane that had just landed on the airstrip alongside a mega yacht..

Customs shares the cottage with the local police, with each having two wicker chairs on the verandah over looking the harbor. The four of us planted ourselves comfortably in the chairs to await the return of the Customs agent…….no rush, we are now on island time!
Upon her return, check-in was simple, showing passports, boat and dinghy documentation and parting with $300 for our 90 day cruising permit, which includes a license to fish. Cruising permits are now only issued for 90 days at a time, but can be renewed for up to a year in 90 day increments.

“Big Bird”, the Thanksgiving turkey, is happy to have arrived safely in the Bahamas and is currently enjoying his exclusive quarters in our ice maker. We are waiting for the two catamarans, “Toucan Dream” and “RSVP” to catch up, and since no-one had freezer space, the turkey took up residence in my ice maker. He may face eviction if the ice supply depletes. Let’s see, frozen turkey or ice for the Admiral’s G&T……no contest there, the turkey looses.

Upon completing our official business, we head back to the boat, picking up our lobster en-route.

After breakfast, we cast off the lines and head out to the Bahama Banks and Nassau. Winds and seas are calm and we enjoy a very comfortable and pleasant day cruising and re-organizing the boat. Not having enough daylight to reach Nassau, we depart the main sailing route and anchor about a mile out of the channel on the shallow Bahamas Bank. Once the anchor was down, we had just enough time for our first Bahamian swim in the cool, refreshing gin crystal waters.

Happy hour was spent watching yet another magnificent sunset, followed by something to eat and an early night in preparation for another dawn departure.

We enjoyed another great travelling day with fair winds and calm seas as we crossed Tongue of the Ocean, between the Bahama Banks and Nassau. The Bahamas Bank is a shallow body of water with depths of about 4 meters, and as one approaches Tongue of the Ocean, the depths drop off a cliff to about five or six thousand feet. In certain conditions, this can be a very rough body of water, as we have previously experienced, but today it was calm with smooth sailing.

We encountered a squall as we approached Nassau Harbor. Visibility was poor for a short while and even wearing rain gear, I was drenched as we prepared to dock for fuel. The first place was out of fuel and we were directed to Browns Marina, who helped us tie up, but would not fuel us until the rain stopped. Already drenched, we headed across the street to the City Market for a few provisions and to the cell phone store to get a Bahamian sim card for my cell phone. This allows us to make calls within the Bahamas, and to Canada and the US at a reasonable cost, and without roaming fees

We departed Nassau mid afternoon and headed to West Bottom Harbor on Rose Island, about ten miles outside of Nassau, where we anchored for another quiet night.

We enjoyed coffee prior to a civilized 9:00am departure. Having only 30 miles to cross to the Exumas, we capitalized on the last of this great weather window. Once on the Exuma Bank, weather is much less of an issue since there is reasonable protection from the islands and reefs.

Is it Time to Depart?

The wind has backed down and is veering towards the south. We had hope to cross the Gulfstream to the Bahamas today, but our buddy boat "Lamb Chop" has some major electrical issues. He is currently in Miami trying to replace this alternator/inverter.
This delay will allow the ocean swell to decrease, and all being well, we hope to cross either tonight or early tomorrow.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Still waiting here at Boca Chita Key for a weather window to open up to cross over to the Bahamas. This picture was taken from the lighthouse at Boca Cita on a tranquil Friday morning.

Wind has been blowing steadily at 10 - 20 knots from the NE for the past few days. In order to cross the Gulfstream over to the Bahamas, we need a wind with absoluteely no northerly component. Looks like we may get a small window after midnight on Monday, when we will fire up the engines and head for Chubb Cay.

Meanwhile we are amidst the Cuban's weekend celebration here at Boca Chita Key. What a difference a day makes; the pictures below were taken at noon Saturday, and boats are still arriving and rafting together.

Contrary to many reports, this is a gathering of families, who are friendly, considerate, with very well behaved chidren. It has been fun to observe their culture and family committment.

These folks could teach us a thing or two about packing stuff into a boat. This morning a 28' express cruiser docked behind us and I counted 12 persons as they disembarked with tents, coolers, sleeping bags, BBQ, bags of charcoal larger than some of the kids and so much more. Many families are camping in the area adjacent to the docks.  It appears that everyone is preparing and cooking for a feast. 

Boca Chita Key, Florida

Ahhhhh! Now this is more like it!

After all the work fixing, provisioning and preparing for this trip, we are ready for some R&R time, and this is certainly one of our favorite places.
We are in Boca Chita Key, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the flotilla and a suitable weather window to cross to the Exumas, Bahamas, which looks like  Monday, 15th November.

This key is part of the Biscayne National Sea Park, just south of Miami, and was once owned by the founder of Honeywell, who dug out the harbour to accomodate the lauches and boats of friend who visited. After an accident where his wife fell, and later died from complications, he abandoned the island. Today, the Key is protected and part of the National Parks.

So here we sit enjoying wine & gin therapy while we wait for Lamb Chop, Toucan Dream, RSVP and the weather window.

The Adventure Begins 11-7-10

On a blustery, cold morning at 5:15 am , Kaos threw off the lines and departed Tarpon Bay Yacht Club, Port St. Lucie FL , bound for Fort Lauderdale, where we will have the lift cable on our dinghy winch repaired. As a result of strong north winds and building big seas, we elected to travel the Inter Coastal Waterway rather than incurr a very rough first day of travel out in the Atlantic. It was a long 12 hour day with lots of no wake zones, and waiting for scheduled bridge openings for the 10 bridges, we couldn't clear.  Dusk arrived early, and we are resting at anchor with a glass of wine in hand.

A special thank you to good friends and fellow boaters, Tom and Sandy Campbell for a wonderful farewell evening on Saturday night, and scrumptious prime rib feast for the Port St Lucie contingent of the Caribbean flotilla. As always, a good time was had by all.