Exuma, Eleuthera and Harbour Island

On March 1st we left our beautiful anchorage south of Black Point in the Exumas, stopped at Staniel Cay to replenish our supplies and continued on to Bell Island near the Exuma National Park. They had just that day begun charging an anchoring fee of $0.50 per foot of boat length within the park boundaries. There are rental mooring balls provided by the park which are often occupied. The beauty of the park (land and sea) attracts many. It only made sense that sooner or later there would be a charge to anchor. Money well spent in support of this one of a kind park! On that beautiful first night of March, we were graced by a gorgeous moon.

The next day we sailed the short distance to Compass Cay, which we have fittingly dubbed the natural aquarium marina. The water is crystal clear and it really is as though we are floating atop an aquarium loaded with fish, turtles, and yes, some nurse shark. We had arrived early, so we made lunch then hopped in the dinghy to explore some beaches. On one we saw a plane. On another Jeff found a Chinese buoy and decided to bring it back to the marina where he would hang it on one of the tree lined paths with all the other boat signs. We searched for more treasures and admired all of the beauty nature offers in and out of the water.

Crystal clear water

The deeper blue water is the channel between the light turquoise shoals 

On this particular beach Jeff collected conch shells and set them up on the hillside in the sun
where their gorgeous color would become a sort of beacon

The photo above and below were taken from EXILE'S bow while docked in the marina. The water is approximately 15 feet deep.

Compass Cay has "resident" nurse sharks who love to be fed. People come from various islands on tours
to see these guys and to swim with them. 

Jeff's sign

One of the many turtles who live in the Compass Cay waters

White herons fly away as we pass by while taking the dinghy for a spin around the creek

Looking back toward the marina through the window of what once was a home

We walked to the Low Tide Airport and found some interesting terrain, various shells and assorted creatures and plants. A small plane can land on this stretch of packed sandy terrain only at low tide, hence it's name. There is a "runway" bordered on each side by the small rocks that have been cleared aside.

Orchid growing in the crook of a tree 

This, I was told by a local, is a very rare type of sea biscuit. Rare, he said,
because they usually break before landing up on the beach due to their extreme fragility.
After checking online, this may also be known as a heart urchin or sea potato

The seas were going to be high for the next couple of days so we stayed put in Compass Cay and hiked to the ocean side of the island to have a peek. Sure enough the high winds brought some interesting finds to the beach... most of which Jeff threw over his shoulder and brought back to the marina. Turns out one of the buoys he found belonged to a fisherman in Maine. It was identified by posting a photo on the Maine Commercial Fishing Gear Facebook page.

Still amazed by the color of the water!

Buoy ID: Steve Lawrence, Kittery, Maine lobster fisherman

What a collection

When the seas calmed we headed out for Norman's Cay where we have found lots of sand dollars in years past. I think we were there a little earlier than before and weren't able to find quite as many small ones. We did find a good number of larger ones although we had to look harder. Most were buried in sand which makes perfect sense since that's where they like to live.

It was time to move on from the Exumas, so we crossed the Exuma Sound to the southwestern tip of Eleuthera. The next few days we spent at the Cape Eleuthera marina waiting out wind once again. The fronts, accompanied by high winds have been almost weekly this year, which is not the norm. I can't complain however, because it is generally warm with not much rain. We rented a car from "Friendly Bob" and toured the southern part of the island to areas we hadn't been before. Naturally we made it a point to hit the Rock Sound grocery store (which actually stocks some fresh produce) since they are few and far between in the Exumas and Eleuthera.

A map of South Eleuthera

The boat was stocked and the winds were favorable so we made a dash to North Eleuthera, a 57 nautical mile run in 8.5 hours. We opted to anchor behind Meeks Patch, an unoccupied island not far from Spanish Wells, our next destination. I have recently heard however, that there are now swimming pig and duck occupants and that some locals are taking visitors to see them for a fee. What has happened to the quiet solitude once there? Now there are at least three islands with swimming pigs to attract tourists. The next day we hired "Bandit", a local pilot whom we've used before to assist with traversing the Devil's Backbone, a minefield of coral heads. We have done it in years past alone, but why bother when you can have a stress free trip and great local entertainment! More about the Devil's Backbone here. We arrived in Harbour Island mid afternoon and took an inside slip at Romora Bay. Our friends Robin and Bob Hunter would be flying to North Eleuthera two days later, then hop on a water taxi to Harbour Island, a 10 minute ride. We had two golf carts to visit various beaches, restaurants and shops during their stay. Several visits to the beautiful pink sand beach and other nearby beaches for shell and sea glass hunting filled our days.

Getting closer to Harbour Island 

Sunset at Romora Bay

Great music on Sundays

We thought it would be a fun idea for Robin & Bob to visit another island while they were here so we all hopped aboard the water taxi to Eleuthera and hailed a cab for the ride across the island. Once in the car Jeff suggested a detour to see the Glass Window Bridge. We have seen this from the sailboat and it's like looking through a window from the calm Exuma sound to the Atlantic Ocean. The local cab driver told us he could remember as a child, walking across what was just a footbridge and how the waves could be incredibly strong. He said the bridge had actually been pushed more than a foot from the force of the waves, generated from "The Perfect Storm". Unfortunately, people have been washed off the rocks near the bridge, sadly one man a few weeks ago.  A story by Marvin Hunt

Beach fun

First day's haul

Second days haul. It's an amazing place!

Great beach for swimming and snorkeling

Robin and Bob

Dinner at the marina on the eve of their departure

And they're off, riding a local water taxi to catch their flight on Eleuthera

We walked another beach and found more living starfish than ever before. Here are a few.

Another beautiful sunset

Tomorrow we will be leaving Harbour Island and work our way to Nassau, spend a day or two there, then continue on to the Berry Islands where we will continue our adventures.

Hope Town and Beyond, Feb 2018

We had planned on leaving for points south from Lynyard Cay, just next to Little Harbour but the winds were not favorable and wouldn't be for at least a week so we headed back to Hope Town and took a mooring in the harbour to await better weather. Once secure, we headed straight to our favorite beach bar, On Da Beach, for the best fish melt sandwich on earth. We watched friends race in a sunfish regatta (way to go Pete) and went to a weigh-in at a fishing tournament at Sea Spray with Pete, Linda and Scout. A couple of days later we sailed to Man O War Cay for lunch and ran into friends Leanne and Jon, who we met this year in Little Harbour. We enjoyed a cold one at the Dock and Dine and decided we'd race together on their catamaran in the upcoming Hope Town sailboat race. We had a great time and finished somewhere in the middle of the pack. I know we'll be seeing them often in the future!

On Da Beach

Leeanne and Jon aboard Lord Charlton

Jeff, manning the "whisker pole"

Mama and her two week old chicks

One happy manatee

Conch pile

The weather was looking agreeable to leave the Abacos and work our way down to Spanish Wells, so we met with friends Joe and Ellen, whom we met a couple of years ago, for lunch at Firefly before we left. Small world... Ellen is a fellow alumni of Lyman Hall High School and they have a house in Old Saybrook near my brother and sister in law. They also have a beautiful home in Hope Town where they escape to during the cold CT winters.

Joe and Ellen

We anchored at Lynyard Cay once again, to await a morning departure. We caught a 46" Mahi on our way to Royal Island, where we met up with friends Julie and Mike who have an Oceanis 45 like ours. It was a great meeting place and we shared appetizers, cocktails and many stories before heading our separate ways in the morning. We were lucky to cross paths since they were heading north to the Abacos and we were heading south to Exuma. Always a fun time.

A cuttlefish, the first I've ever seen, was enjoying the shade of our dinghy

Mike and Julie

The next day we arrived in Spanish Wells and took one of Bandit's moorings as we have done in the past. We rented a golf cart to ride around the island, revisit the Sandbar on Russell Island, enjoy a great lunch at The Shipyard and purchase some groceries.

Oh, and we stopped to visit some locals along the way. They were looking for some handouts, of which we had none. But a pat on the head and a chin scratch was enjoyed nevertheless.

More please?

No matter which island we visit, you can always find a beautiful beach. Spanish Wells is no exception.

From Spanish Wells, we planned on crossing to Highborne Cay to catch up with friends aboard Kristine, who we met in St. Augustine during our lengthy stay from November thru mid January. As mentioned earlier, it's always fun to cross paths with people we know and we spent a few days together there, beaching, biking, hiking, and enjoying dinner together. The North Beach there is a great place to kayak and swim. Kris and Tom and their Captain Scott are a great bunch to hang with and it's nice to have a girl-time beach buddy on those days we just want to chill.

Scott and Kris

Kris and Tom

More goats and a feisty male enjoying a few tidbits from his keeper

Oh, those kids....

And then there's Loo. Sweet Loo.

Who wouldn't want to stop at this stop sign? The view is beautiful.

Stay away from those trees! Much like poison ivy & oak

View from the open fitness center called the "Crows Nest"

We said our goodbyes to Kristine and left the marina shortly after they did. We sailed a few hours south to Shroud Cay, a favorite place of ours to anchor and explore. It didn't disappoint. The creeks are fun to dinghy through and the view from atop Camp Driftwood is 360 degrees of gorgeous.

Feeding our Romora "pets" who hang out under the boat awaiting scraps

After a two day stay at Shroud Cay, we sailed to Warderick Wells, another favorite place of ours in the Exuma National Park. We were lucky once again to obtain a mooring ball in the north field, which is closest to all the trails and beaches. It is truly a special place and we never tire of the blow holes, trails and the hike to Boo Boo Hill. Years ago we left one of our driftwood "signs" which has either been buried by many more or been blown away by a hurricane or two. The tradition continues.

From Warderick Wells we sailed four hours to Big Major just north of Staniel Cay. This is where the swimming pigs live to eat. There are so many people going ashore to see them (even many, many paying tourists) that they want not for food. The locals have even placed a water tank on the island so they have plenty of water to drink. Last year Jeff and I brought gallons ashore for them and they would simply open their mouths as we poured it in. Hopefully they will have enough water this year to avoid becoming ill. We didn't visit them this year and instead opted to do laundry and some provisioning. We had dinner at the Yacht Club with friends Miles and Laureen on Ariel and set sail two days later to stop in Black Point, and then anchor just south of there. Nothing could be better...

M/V Ariel

Some friends swimming around our dinghy looking for some tidbits

What a serene landscape

You know you've got good holding when you can see your anchor dug in 15 feet below.

March is upon us and we look forward to returning to Harbour Island where our friends Bob and Robin will fly in to spend some time. Until then....