George Town to Rudder Cut Cay & Kaos Cave

Next morning, bright and early, we bade farewell to Georgetown, heading slowly north towards Staniel Cay.  Unfortunately for our guests, it was a bumpy ride out in the Sound. Due to these less than desirable conditions, we deviated from our original plan, and re-entered the Exuma Bank at Soldier Cay, the first cut, allowing us back inside. The ride calmed almost instantly and everyone was able to enjoy a coffee and the myriad shades of blues and turquoise displayed by the ever changing water depths. Alison and John both marveled at the crystal clear waters and its magnificent hues, which photographs fail to capture.

Our route took us through the shallows around Goat Cay (Faith Hill’s island) and Darby Island, and out towards Rudder Cut Cay, where we dropped anchor to view the caves at low tide. The wind was up and the waters choppy, making for a wet dinghy ride. Due to the rough waters, Alan remained in the dinghy, letting Alison, John and myself off for the photo op.

Another "Kaos" Moment!
It was the return trip back to” Kaos”, where the chaos began! The lumpy seas made exiting the dinghy and boarding Kaos a challenge. Poor John, weebled, when he should have wobbled, and ended up falling backwards into the water. Other than being soaked, he was fine, and after recovering his sunglasses and hat, he climbed safely aboard. Once all were aboard, it was time for Susann to hoist the anchor.

Just as the neck of the anchor was coming aboard, and about to settle securly into its cradle on the bow, it disappeared, crashing down into the water below. This was an “aw shit” moment! The 66 pound anchor had separated from the chain, which is not good. Confusion and chaos reigned for some time, as we deployed an alternate anchor. In order to get this anchor to hold, we had to move the boat in closer to shore, taking us away from where the first anchor fell, once again…..not good.  John and Alan donned their swim gear and headed off in the dinghy to try and find, then retrieve the lost anchor. Susann and Alison were left aboard to tend the ship and start the engines if the alternate anchor failed to hold. Miraculously, they located the anchor within minutes, but retrieving the sixty six pound weight was another issue. Thankfully, help arrived when two men from a sail boat anchored nearby witnessed our distress and came to our rescue. Without their assistance, Alan and John would have been unable to get the heavy anchor off the bottom and into the dinghy. As it was, it was too rough for Alan to hoist himself back into the dinghy, so john drove the dinghy with the anchor, and Alan had to swim back to the boat. Here the anchor was re-attached and pulled aboard. Apparently a bolt on the anchor swivel mechanism failed. All’s well that ends well, and we weren’t out a boat unit ($1,000) for a new anchor.

The cave at Rudder Cut Cay is now referred to by us as “Kaos Cave".
Note: This photo was not taken on that fateful morning.