We left our Hoffman’s Cay anchorage at 4pm on Thursday, and headed south on an overnight run to the Exuma Cays. The winds are forecasted to increase this weekend, so we wanted to get a jump on them and get a comfortable passage in. There may be more tropical weather to deal with next week, but Scott has scouted out several protected anchorages for us if needed.
As we left the Berry Islands, a beautiful sunset sent us off on our way
Our journey took us down the Atlantic, through the “Tongue of the Ocean,” (named for it’s shape) where we were in 2700+ feet of water. Scott thought about fishing, but we decided against it, not wanting to deal with it while traveling overnight. Our depth finders stop working in these depths, and one of ours shows 5-6 feet, which will freak you out when you glance at it in the middle of the night! Then we turned east, back onto the Great Bahama Bank which took us over to the Exumas Cays and back into 30 or so feet of water.
We arrived in the Exumas mid morning on Friday, much earlier than expected, and anchored north of Staniel Cay, off of Big Majors Spot. The water here is stunning, a gorgeous acrylic blue. The white sandy bottom makes it crystal clear, and we can’t stare at it enough.
During overnight, extended passages, your sleeping and eating clock gets all turned around. It’s like jet lag after a long flight, so after anchoring we usually eat, shower and nap. But first things first…we got into that gorgeous water! It was great to float around and cool off for a bit. No barracuda yet, but two small sharks have already found us. We’re happy to share the anchorage with them…their mouths are far less intimidating!
Once the journey was officially behind us and we were refreshed from a dip, a meal and a nap, we were anxious to explore the area around us. Scott lowered the Aluminum Princess from the flybridge, and we set off on a late afternoon ride. Like our Hoffman’s Cay anchorage, this area is a full of small, rocky islands. Some are just big rocks with scraggly trees, and others have beaches and height to them. Their shorelines jut out like the bow of a ship.
We then headed off to enjoy the sunset, before heading back to the boat.
We’re excited to spend some time here, and explore the surrounding area and town. Here are our photos.
“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”