Bock Cay, Exumas to Joe's Sound, Long Island

Today was a long travel day, departing Bock Cay, Exumas about 6:30 a.m., bound for our first visit to Long Island. As expected, this was not a smooth crossing, but the seasoned travelers that we are, we found conditions quite doable. Had we had guests aboard, they might not have been comfortable.

Having no specific destination in mind, once across Exuma Sound, we opted to shorten our travel day, and heading into Joe’s Sound, south of Cape Santa Maria and Calabash Bay. We knew that the entrance to the Joe’s Sound was narrow and not to be negotiated in rough conditions, especially on a rising tide and a SW wind. Luckily, we were at slack low tide with an East wind at about 10 knots.

Susann manned the bow as lookout and with Alan’s skillful captaining, we made it safely inside, to find a huge sound, mostly dry at low tide, but with streams plenty deep enough for us and numerous other boats to anchor. Joe’s Sound offers good holding, great protection from most directions, but be wary of strong tidal currents. The entrance was not as ominous as anticipated, but still requires favorable conditions and caution for entry and departure. 

Once again, we had discovered another bit of paradise.

Once anchored, we were greeted by Pat, self-professed “Mayor” of Joe’s Sound. Pat was on his way out to dive for dinner, and returned shortly with a nice grouper and two lobsters. He was ready for a change from lobster, so graciously offered up his lobsters to Kaos and another sail boat at anchor.

Always happy to have lobster for dinner, we graciously accepted and invited Pat to join us for Happy Hour. A winter resident from New York, Pat lives aboard his houseboat and enjoys meeting the myriad of visiting cruisers. He is a generous, charming and knowledgeable man, willing to share his wealth of local knowledge.

Inside, looking towards entrance at high tide



Joe's Sound at low tide

Long Island Agricultural Expo and Mutton Fest

“Mutton or Nuttin” Festival, Clarence Town

This agricultural expo was much like a north American fall festival or local fare. The aim was to show case local agriculture and fishing, accomplishments and encourage Bahamians to become more self sufficient and less dependent on imported goods.

Due to a last minute change of venue, from Regatta Park in Salt Pond, to the Community Center in Clarence Town, the Department of Agriculture arranged bus transportation for Salt Pond attendees. The majority of the passengers were grateful cruisers anchored in Thompson Bay, Salt Pond. The bus arrived in Clarence Town about noon, to find a few booths with vendors of produce, arts and crafts some livestock and almost no visitors.

It appeared that this would be a very long 8 hours, until the bus departed back to Salt Pond. We were wrong! The crowd remained thin until mid- afternoon. The cruisers enjoyed a very informative presentation about the invasive lionfish and its impact on Bahamian waters. 

This was followed by a demonstration on how to remove the venomous spines, rendering the fish safe to handle, and delicious to eat. Students from the islands two high schools competed in a local cuisine competition. Their fare far exceeded our expectations, both in presentation and taste. These kids have a bright future in the restaurant industry.

In between competitions and demonstrations, we enjoyed some local cuisine, fresh conch salad and conch fritters, washed down with what else, but an ice cold Kalik.     

                                               

Grouper skinning and conch cleaning competitions later drew a large local audience.

 The crowd was later treated to some “rake and scrape music from “The Originals, followed by a great Bahamian singer/ entertainer “Anita”. She certainly  was a crowd pleaser. This was an enlightening and fun experience, and certainly one we would repat again.

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.

George Town, Great Exuma

Shortly after noon, we arrived in Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown. Once again, it was another early departure to capitalize on tides and wind. The ride south was pretty benign with a moderate swell from the east and wind on our stern from the north east. Our original plan was to stop at Emerald Bay Marina for breakfast and update facility for Waterway Guide. Once we made the turn into their channel, we had wind broad side and rage with wind against tide, making for an unpleasant ride into the marina basin. Upon arrival, we learned that the only restaurant was a healthy walk to the resort. The dock assigned to tie up for a couple of hours was untenable, so we aborted the visit and headed toward Georgetown. It was the start of Regatta week and we expected a very busy harbor, but learned that there were somewhere between 250 – 300 boats at anchor, a far cry from 600 boats just a few years prior.

After anchoring just west of Monument and Hamburger Beach, we launched the dink and headed to “Chat-N-Chill for a burger and beer. Following lunch, we went across to Lake Victoria and Exuma Market for some supplies. The produce supply boat comes into port on Thursday and the dairy/grocery ship arrives from Nassau on Monday.

Next day, we checked out “Club Peace and Plenty”, a charming historic landmark and hotel, where we had lunch and met a couple of Canadian sailors from Manitoba. They were aboard the catamaran “Midori” and had recently retired from Winnipeg to a small southern rural community, close to the US border. Lunch was delicious and the view from the pool patio, out across the harbor to the Monument and our anchorage picturesque.

We decided that we would meet John and Alison here for lunch when they arrived from Canada.

After our trip to town, we decided a walk and some exercise was in order and headed to the beach to try the trail up to the monument. It was a lovely easy climb with a brisk east wind to keep us cool as we ascended. The last segment was a little more challenging as we climbed the last few steps, cut out of the rock, but still well within our capabilities.

The view from the top was exhilarating.

We could see all the anchorages around the harbor.

Alison and John arrived the following blustery afternoon, and were blown away, (no pun intended) by the stunning turquoise waters. We enjoyed a poolside lunch, before making the wet trek across the harbor, back to the boat.

Regatta was in full swing now, and today was the “in harbour race”. It was warm and sunny, with plenty of sail boat fuel. There were about 30 boats competing in various classes, and we would have a good vantage point as the course took them through the harbor and anchorages. The dinghy and kayak were both in the water, leaving the deck empty enough for four lawn chairs and a patio table.

Listening to the commentary on the VHF radio, we enjoyed lunch up on the roof, watching the races. It was a fun afternoon and certainly something different for us. Later in the afternoon, we joined the revelers for the “sundowner” reception at St. Francis Resort, where we met many racers and spectators. All in all, a great day!

Rudder Cut Cay

Today was a short run from Little Farmer’s Cay to wherever took our fancy, which turned out to be Rudder Cut Cay. There are some neat caves on the south western shore. There are several anchorage spots with varying depths, and since there was a German catamaran in our desired location, we chose not to crowd them or interrupt their serenity. We dropped anchor in the bay just north, adjacent to one of the caves.

 We were alone in this delightful anchorage, separated from the neighboring catamaran by a small point of land, with a cave on either side. Never the less, we could not see one and other and could have been a world apart.

Shortly after dropping anchor, we set out to explore in the dinghy, commencing with the cave on the far side of the point. Rudder Cut Cay is privately owned, with large red lettered “no trespassing” signs everywhere. As we approached the second cave, we were greeted by two barking dogs on the beach. The cave is some distance from the beach, so other than the incessant barking, they were no threat as we visited the cave.

It was low tide, and unlike the previous cave, this one had an exposed sand floor, with the approach being sand all the way in. The sandstone (I believe) ceiling had several skylights through to the sunlight above.

This cave certainly had lots of character, and was easy and safe to visit.

As we departed the cave, we were approached by two cruisers in their dinghy. They were Mike and Ann aboard sailing vessel “Beans”, and were looking to find someone willing to take some freshly caught lobster off their hands……….hello, look no further! We were more than willing to help out. Mike loves to dive for them, but they had eaten lobster five nights in a row and wanting to eat the crab he caught. After drifting and chatting, we learned they were Canadians from the Sharbot Lake area, not far from Ottawa.

Thanks to their kindness and generosity, our planned dinner was put on hold, and we feasted on three fresh lobster.

Compass Cay

Sea conditions this morning, combined with gusting winds, put an end to ou rsnorkel visit to Rocky Dundas Caves, the Coral Garden and Sea Aquarium. A consensual decision was
made to continue heading south.

As we departed Cambridge Cay, we passed Bell Island, home of Aga Khan. Bell Island is part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, a “no-take” zone, set up to preserve and protect land and sea life, as well as preserve the cays in their natural state for generation s to come. Obviously money talks………loud and clear! Even the Bahamian fishermen are prohibited from fishing, conching and lobstering within park boundarie, yet this billionaire can dredge the seabed to provide a marina for his mega yachts. We find this offensive, and what he has done to the topography and natural island beauty is obscene. The Bahamian governments, both current and past should be ashamed, selling out for one hundred million dollars. One wonders what benefit the average Bahamiam derived from all this?

 We have heard reports of cruisers anchoring off Bell Island and being told “we would prefer you not be here” and offered a bottle of wine to move. How cheap do they think we are…………a case or two and we might negotiate (just kidding). The standing joke now is to just head over to Bell Island and say “I'm here to collect my wine”.

Our first stop was Compass Cay, where we dinghied in to the marina for a burger and beer for lunch and to see the pet nurse sharks. Compass Cay Marina is a funky, remote place, operated by Tucker Rolle.

We were warmly welcomed and assisted with tie-up of the dink. The fishermen (Tucker’s sons) had just gone out for conch and Tucker (lunch cook) was down with a headache. We were invited to visit the beautiful beaches and when the fishermen returned in about 45 minutes, we could have lunch.

Hot and hungry, we returned to the marina after enjoying their beach. Upon our return, we found that Tucker was still not feeling right, and boat owners were cooking their own lunch on the dock grill. Captain Kaos agreed to cook for us, while we watched the sharks. Some folks were swimming with the sharks, and after lunch, it was my intent to swim with them and film it for the grand kids.

In the meantime, the sharks were being fed hot dogs, which they love, and they will come right up to the dock and beg for more, sometimes, spitting water at you.

The fishermen returned and proceeded to clean their catch of conch and lobster, throwing the scraps to the sharks, who, by this time, were in a feeding frenzy.
Suzanne and Dave took a dip to cool off before lunch, but didn’t venture in too far. By the time we had eaten lunch, the fishermen had returned and were busy cleaning the catch. I certainly was not going swimming at this time, maybe next time.

That’s some catch! They were only out for about an hour, but they certainly know where to go!

After our shark fix, and with full bellies, we upped anchor and headed to Sampson Cay for a few supplies from the store and overnight anchorage.

Bell Rock & Cambridge Cay

Cambridge Cay, Exuma Park

This morning, consensus was to head to Cambridge Cay, still in the Exuma Land and Sea Park and just a few miles South. We have not stopped at Cambridge before, but had been told that the snorkeling was quite magnificent.

Upon arrival, we picked up a mooring ball, but could not see the pay box. The Park Warden later cruised by and directed us to a small island, with the pay box behind the Exuma Park sign. After completing the registration, we deposited the requisite $20.

The tide was low, exposing a sandy causeway connecting a chain of small islands.  We were surprised to find the sand was coarse and hard on the feet.

From the boat, we could see a large rock “Bell Rock” on the Exuma Sound side and dinghied to the beach and trail across to the Sound side. The trail was short, and the beach and rock were awesome.

The sand on this side was like powdered sugar.  Being open to the Sound, there is much more wave action to grind the sand. Suzanne, an avid sea glass gatherer was in seventh heaven when she found some sea hash, where the waves had tumbled and deposited shells and glass that surges around Bell Rock.  She was delighted with the windfall of treasures.

As usual, we returned to the boat for sunset and “Happy Hour.