The Jumentos, Bahamas - May 2011

Raccoon Cay

As we approach House Bay, we see three boats at anchor, two power and one sail boat. So much for remoteness!

Later in the day, we went exploring the nearby cays in the dinghy. Once again, beautiful, crystal clear waters. As we neared Johnson Cay (reported as the best beach in the Jumentos) we saw thousands of small dark things, about the size of a dime, in the water. At first it looked like mini pieces of weed, but upon closer examination, we discovered they were tiny brown jelly fish. There were thousands, maybe lots more occupying at least one square mile.

Johnson Cay Beach

Johnson Cay beach was as beautiful as described in the cruise guides. Fine white sand wrapped all around this large, crescent shaped beach. Two sailboats were anchored in the bay, with room for several more. We beached the dinks and enjoyed a refreshing, leisurely swim.

After departing Johnson Cay, we spied several large rays, swimming out in the shallow waters.

Happy hour and sunset were enjoyed on the beach at House Bay, Raccoon Cay.

  

House Bay



The chairs were set up on the sandy spit. exposed by the falling tide. Alan was first to sit down and as he did so, his chair just sank deep into the wet sand, requiring us to lend a hand and help haul him out of the sand.

Flamingo Cay
Flamingo Cay is the largest of the northern cays in the northern Jumentos, and as it turned out, my favorite Cay.
 We anchored in Two Palms Bay, named for the lonely palms on the beach. Some guide books call it three Palms Bay, but somewhere along the way, a casualty occurred, leaving only two palms. The beach is gorgeous, with deep water all the way in.

Boys go for dinghy explore late afternoon to check out the cave, just south of the anchorage and the two conspicuous rocks at the southern end of the island, where it is reported that young sharks seek refuge, especially during the months of May and June. Just prior to dusk, five juvenile sharks came and took shelter under our boat. They were swift as lightening when Susann threw some food scraps overboard, with the larger one almost leaping out of the water to reach the food.

Next day, while the waters were calm, Alan scraped the green beard from the boat‘s waterline, while Susann was on shark watch. No sign of any this morning, just a small ray swimming beneath the boat and keeping a watchful eye on Alan, and vice versa.

It was a beautiful, clear sunny day with light and variable winds; a perfect day for a BBQ lunch on the beach, located a mile or so away, in the northern bight of the island. Lunch was followed by a lazy afternoon of swimming and enjoying this tropical gem.



North Beach, Flaming Cay













Alan and Tim headed down the beach to snorkel one of the reefs, but were greeted by an approaching large reef shark, so they quickly high- tailed it back to shore.

Late afternoon, the skies darkened in the distance, and for a while the wind picked up from the West, not a favorable direction when anchored on the West side of the island. As a result of squalls circling the area, swells rolled in from the west, and combined with increased wind, we rolled and the boat felt like a bucking bronco until the squalls passed. The wind swung around to the NNE, but unfortunately the swell remained from the West, hitting us on the side and making for a noisy and uncomfortable night.

May 13, 2011
Today is a special anniversary for us. It was sixty years ago that Susann was baptized in the UK, and Alan’s mother, Anne was her God Mother. Alan, age three, attended the ceremony with his parents, and upon return to the Williams home, Susann was laid on a blanket on the floor, while the adults visited. Alan, not being the center of attention, proceeded to wander over to where baby Susann lay, and kicked her. He says, even to this very day, he is still paying for that action!. It was also May 13, 1967, when Alan and Susann met again in Sarnia, Ontario Canada. Both families emigrated to Canada, and when Alan was home on leave from the air force; and at the insistence of his parents, called Susann and offered to show her the sights of Sarnia, little that they were…..the rest is history. Here we are; still married after all those years, enjoying paradise here on Flamingo Cay.

The morning was cloudy and still breezy, so we opted to make today a travel day, and head north to Water Cay, in search of a calmer anchorage.

Prior to departure, Alan and Tim took Jan and I to see the drive-in cave.

You can dinghy directly into the large, high ceilinged cave. Daylight is visible through the opening at the rear of the cave, as well as streaming through the hole in the high ceiling.

 It was an interesting experience. The water depth inside is about 2-3 feet, and surprisingly, there were no fish visible in the crystal waters.
After the usual photo opportunities, we continued to the southern end of the island, where there was a huge nest atop of one of the large dome shaped rocks. The nest appeared to be close to six feet in diameter. Unsure of what species it belonged to; Alan named it the terradacto nest!

As we approached the dome rocks and bay beyond, we spotted two sharks swimming in the shallow waters along the rocky waters edge. At first, just the dorsal fin was visible above the water, but the tail fin appeared periodically, giving us an indication of their size.
 

This area is known to be a shark nursery, with juvenile sharks visible during May and June. These two were certainly larger than the ones that appeared beneath our boats at dusk, and I would estimate them to be 5-6 feet in length. We approached slowly, but were unable to get a good close up look at them. Needless to say, we will not be swimming here today.




We returned to the boats and prepared for our departure and the bumpy ten mile voyage north to Water Cay.




Water Cay

Water Cay is actually two cays that, until recently were separated by a narrow cut. The cut has since closed, with a sand bank across its path, which was very evident at low tide.

A channel may still be visible at high tide. Who knows, the next storm may open it once again.

We tucked in on the NW tip of the island, and once again, were greeted by several boats in this supposed remote anchorage.
Commercial fishing is prevalent in these waters, especially the NW anchorage, which is a favorite spot. There were four fishing boats at anchor and most trailed small skiffs that went out during the day and returned late in the afternoon to clean and process the catch.

The cruise guide stated that this anchorage can be busy and sometimes noisy, especially if the fishermen work through the night, which did not appear to be the case on this visit. Including our boat, there were also two power boats and two sailboats in this busy anchorage.

So much for remote and deserted anchorages here in the Jummentos! We have seen at least two other boats at every stop. It is however, prime cruising time (May & June) for this area.

Night one in the anchorage was rolly. The wind was light from the north, with moderate swell from the west, which slapped against the side of the boat, resulting in a restless night.
 Morning brought an east wind, calm seas and sunshine and dinghy exploration of this uninhabited cay. We visited, what was the cut through the cay, and at low tide, found it sanded over.
On approach we saw a shark circling the shallow waters over the live reef.




Shelling

 A walk along the sandy shore and craggy rocks found abundant shells and fossils in the rocks.
Sea urchins and anemones (I think) were in the tiny rock pools, left by a falling tide. Jan and I departed the beach with new treasures.

Fossils in the rocks

We visited a wrecked fishing boat on the east side of an unnamed cay at the southern entrance to Water Cay. Perhaps this is what happens if one tarrys to long and puts down roots here.

The waters here in the Bahamas are crystal clear and every shade of blue imaginable. Certainly, some of the most beautiful cruising anywhere! These waters remind me of seeing Bombay Sapphire gin, through the turquoise glass.

A BBQ chicken dinner aboard Kaos for all, and another magnificent sunset was a perfect finish to another fun day.

Unfortunately it is time to bid farewell to the natural, unspoiled beauty of the Jumentos and continue our trek towards home.

Water Cay to Georgetown

6:30 am anchors aweigh. Playing the tide at Hog Cay Cut with sufficient water depth (4’) for Kaos to pass through necessitated an early morning departure. Seas and winds are calm and very comfortable.

Anxious to reach the cut as soon as possible, ensuring maximum depth, we upped our speed since calculations indicated that passage through the cut would be just after high tide, with the depth decreasing on an ebb tide. We are just a couple of days away from full moon, which frequently causes tides higher and lower than normal, and we were counting on that. We encountered a south bound catamaran as we approached the cut and he radioed us with his depth findings. The channel was visible in the clear waters and depths sufficient for a smooth passage.