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!