Covering New Territory

Jan and Mark arrived on April 5th and the four of us spent that afternoon reviewing options for the next three weeks. Since they would be sailing back to Florida with us, we were free to go wherever the wind would take us. Our only constraint was getting back to Florida in time for family events in early May. We decided to head back to the Exuma Islands with the intent to travel further south to George Town, which is one of the most popular places in the Bahamas for cruisers. We had never been there before and wanted to check it out, and depending on timing and weather, we could also use George Town as a launching point to some of the out islands such as Conception Island or Cat Island. 

Fearless Foursome Back in the Bahamas

The next morning wasn't good sailing weather, but we motored to Allan's Cay in calm and comfortable conditions.  We anchored in between Allan's Cay and Leaf Cay but there were quite a few boats and we later realized that they were all swinging out of phase with one another since the wind was light and the current quite strong. We pulled anchor and moved to east side of Leaf Cay where we had plenty of room and felt we would still have adequate protection.

We had arrived early enough to snorkel the wonderful reefs that we had previously discovered here, which we especially wanted to do since they Jan and Mark and never seen them. 

The wind was going to pick up and was going to shift direction so we needed to leave by mid-morning the next day to find an anchorage that would be suitable. We motored to Hawksbill Cay and anchored on the south side of the island. Hawksbill had been a place that Steve and I had wanted to return to since our friends, Brad and Darlyn, had recommended a hike to the bluff and also to Russell Ruins. There were also some areas on the charts that looked promising for snorkeling that we wanted to explore.

After anchoring the four of us hiked to the bluff and were rewarded with splendid views, as promised. 

Jan and Laura Hiking to the Bluff on Hawksbill Cay

View from Hawksbill Bluff

The next day was too windy for good snorkeling, so we decided to hike to Russell Ruins. Coincidentally, Jan had brought a novel for me which was set in the Bahamas starting in the late 1700's and follows a family for several generations: "Winds from the Carolinas" by Robert Wilder. By the time we went for our hike I had already read a bit of the book, which put what we were seeing into perspective. I found the history quite fascinating. I knew that the Bahamas had been settled by British loyalists, but what I didn't know was that some of the wealthy landowners in America who had been loyal to the crown were granted large tracts of land in the Bahamas, where they intended to establish plantations. They brought their families, their slaves, their furniture, and in some cases, the very bricks from which their homes had been constructed. 

These plantation owners tried to grow cotton in the Bahamas and had some success in the first year, but they were plagued with pests and the soil was depleted after one season. Other crops, such as pineapple, were also cultivated but the yield of these crops wasn't sufficient to support the landowners and the slaves they had brought. The plantations were destined for failure and all that remains of the plantations themselves are the ruins. The slaves were eventually freed since there was no work for them and also due to political pressure from England at the time. Their descendants comprise the majority of the population of the Bahamas today.

Remains of Slave House at Russell Ruins 

Archaic "Dump" - Piles of Conch Shells

 Wall from Main House at Russell Ruin

Pineapple Plants Still Grow Wild

We also "watched" the solar eclipse that afternoon using an old-fashioned shadow box, constructed at the last minute. 

View the Solar Eclipse in a Shadow Box

The next day, April 9, was still a bit rough but we decided to do a bit of exploring anyway after Jake's morning expedition to a beautiful, small bay near our anchorage. 

Jake's Favorite Spot at Hawksbill

We took the dinghy to nearby Cistern Cay, sticking our masked faces in the water at the locations marked by the charts to see if there was anything worth jumping in for, but found nothing of interest. We did see a manta ray though, which was very cool!

Chasing a Manta Ray in the Dinghy

Manta Ray Flaps Its Wings

Gone

On our return trip to Starry Night we stopped and snorkeled some of the rocks on the west side of Hawksbill. Although the coral heads were small and a bit scattered, they were still full of life and quite beautiful.

Juvenile Gray Angelfish

Lionfish

Laura Fish

Our southbound journey continued the next day as we took a short hop, motor-sailing to Warderick Wells - another place that we knew from last year. We spent two days there, snorkeling some areas on the northwestern side of the island that we hadn't tried last year. The water here was fairly deep - perhaps 15 feet - but was still unbelievably clear. It was a lot of fun taking photographs in various conditions and seeing how differently they turned out depending on how deep the water was, how sunny it was that day, and so on. Early on, I kept leaving my camera in the dinghy because thought I didn't need it with me anymore. Surely, I had taken at least one picture of every kind of fish and type of coral. And every time, I would swim back to the dingy to retrieve my camera within minutes because I found something new or the lighting was so amazing. It seems that I've picked up a new hobby this year😁

Nurse Shark

 Rainbow Parrotfish

Adult Gray Angelfish

We also repeated a hike that we had done last year to the top of Boo Boo Hill and then cooled off at low tide in the anchorage at Whale Beach.

Western View from Boo Boo Hill

View from Atlantic Side from Atop Boo Boo Hill 

Jan and Laura Enjoying the Water in Front of Whale Beach at Warderick Wells

There are plantation ruins Warderick Wells also, and although Davis Ruins was not as well-preserved or extensive as Russell Ruins, its view of the anchorage below was impressive. The reason the Davis family picked that spot for their residence was obvious.

Davis Ruins

View of Anchorage from Davis Ruins

After a couple of days at Warderick Wells, we left the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We had nice sailing weather and fished while under wind power on the way to Black Point, which we had selected as a stopover point due to it being one of the few places in the Exuma Islands that has a laundromat. 

Jan, Mark and Steve searched for conch while we were there, but didn't find any that were of legal size. Although we didn't have any luck fishing or finding conch, we did get the laundry done and had a bonus - dinner at a restaurant!

Dinner at Emerald Sunset View Restaurant

Jake's a Trooper! (Black Point)

On the 15th, we had another good day for sailing and fished on the way to Lee Stocking Island. Conditions were a bit bumpy so it wasn't the most comfortable of trips, but we finally got a mahi on the line. The trick then was slowing the boat down so that Mark could reel the fish in and he and Steve could get it on the boat! At this point the instruments that display the apparent wind speed and angle and boat speed went out, which complicated my task. We were successful though, finally breaking our string of bad luck in the fishing department!

Thankfully, the issue with the instrument display was only loose wiring connections and was easily fixed.

Finally!

We arrived at Lee Stocking at mid-afternoon. This island had not been one that we had heard much about but had selected based on looking at charts. It turned out to be one of our favorite places from this season.

We spent the next few days there, snorkeling as usual.  

Curious Sergeant Major

Sargassum (Sea Weed)

We found plenty of large conch here, as well as a hole with tons of snapper. Steve and Mark fished there several times and brought home plenty of fish for dinner. 

Jan's Conch-Quest

The Fruits of the Day's Expedition

Many of the islands in the Bahamas have bluffs and beautiful views but this one was really spectacular. Even Jake made the trek!

Steve and Jake After a Climb to the Bluff at Lee Stocking Island

Jan Surveys the Atlantic Side from the Bluff

Stunning Vista at Lee Stocking Island

From Lee Stocking Island, we motor-sailed to George Town. As I mentioned, George Town is one of more popular destinations for cruisers, and offers many services such as propane, groceries, a post office, and restaurants. There are also many mooring balls available which is very nice, especially since there are so many boats there. We took advantage of the conveniences that were offered and, while doing so, took a walking tour of the town.

Local Home in George Town

George Town Yacht Club

Government Building in George Town

George Town Primary School

We did check out the snorkeling at a cay south of Elizabeth Harbor. It had small coral heads and some life, but the water was not as clear as we have found in other places. For us, George Town is a little too crowded and not a place that we would choose to spend a lot of time. 

At this point, we decided that we should start heading north again so that we would have ample time to get back to Florida including some buffer in our schedule.

We left at 4 am on April 20th so that we could make it to Cambridge Cay in one day. This was the last place that we had picked for this year's adventure. We fished along the way and our luck continued; Mark and Steve caught two more mahi.

Double-fisted Fisherman

Happy Steve!

Cambridge Cay provided a spectacular finale to our 2024 Bahamas adventure. There were beautiful geological formations, including a gorgeous cave, and we found several very large and beautiful snorkeling spots.

Jake Doing Senior Water Aerobics at Cambridge Cay

On our first day we snorkeled an area between Bell Cay and Cambridge Cay. There, we found beautiful large coral garden. 

Coral (?) "Flowers"

Sea Urchin

Sea Cucumber 

We also tried to snorkel the cut between Cambridge Cay and Fowl Cay. The current was pretty strong at the cut, so Jan and I were drift diving, with Steve and Mark in the dinghy ready to retrieve us when we reached the mouth of the cut. We passed through the coral quite quickly and Jan spotted an unidentified type of shark. We decided to save this location for another time when we were at slack tide and could explore in a more controlled manner (and without the company of a shark!).

The next day we tried Cabridge Cay and Fowl Cay at slack tide and met with success! I even managed to get some pictures and videos of turtles, which before then had eluded me and my camera.

Jan Doing Her Thing! 
(Probably Looking for Lobster)

Hawksbill Turtle in Cut Between Fowl Cay and Cambridge Cay

Queen Triggerfish

On our way to our next snorkeling spot at the south side of Cambridge Cay, we stopped to see a cave - which I have named Dragon Cave - on the north side of Fowl Cay. It was similar to the one we had seen at Staniel Cay. Although it didn't have as many fish, the cave walls were very beautiful and it was definitely worth the stop.

Entrance to Cave (Inside Looking Out)

Inside the Cave at Fowl Cay

View Looking Up from Inside "Dragon Cave"

From the cave, we went to the south side of Cambridge Cay. The big excitement in this location was the discovery of a HUGE lobster. This was a big deal because we had found very few lobsters in the Exumas. Cambridge Cay is part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park (and it was also not lobster season) so we couldn't catch this guy, but it was nice to find a lobster nonetheless.

Granddaddy Lobster

Fuzzy Stuff

Purple Branching Coral

Butterfly fish

Unknown Creature

On our last day at Cambridge as really windy but we didn't want to miss our last opportunity to snorkel, so we went to a protected cove on the south side of Fowl Cay. While we were there the current picked up so after a short time, Steve called Jan, Mark and I back to the dinghy and Jan and I climbed in. Mark was a bit too far away to hear him, so he started rowing the dinghy in his direction. (When the ladder is in place, we can't use the motor). Right about the time we reached Mark, Steve lurched backwards, and I realized the oar had broken! We were very happy that this had not happened earlier in the trip since finding a replacement oar would've been nearly impossible in the Bahamas and not having oars in case of engine trouble is dangerous. Our short crossing back to Starry Night was challenging, since at this point the high wind and strong current had resulted in fairly large rollers though the cut. That marked the end of our snorkeling for this year.

We spent the afternoon getting Starry Night ready for our return voyage, cleaning the bottom and waterline of the exterior, as well cleaning the boat's interior.

We left the next morning and hoped to make the journey back to Florida in two overnight days, without stopping on the way. We had good weather and comfortable sailing conditions. Mark and Steve had lines in the water during daylight hours for the entire return trip but didn't have any luck. The second day was less windy, so we motor-sailed or motored the remainder of the way to Stuart, Florida. 

Our time in the Bahamas this year was quite a different experience than last year in some respects, but also similar in others. The weather this year was a huge factor, requiring us to frequently change anchorages and resulting in some stressful experiences. On the other hand, we continued to share unparalleled beauty with our friends and family and found camaraderie with other wayfarers that we have met along the way. It was a good season, and the Bahamas continues to be the highlight of our nautical lifestyle.

Our Bahamas Courtesy Flag Needs Replacement After This Season!