Pictures from the Exumas

This is a quiet day in the anchorage at Allens Cay in the Exumas. Allens Cay is inhabited mainly by iguanas, who sun themselves on the beaches and nibble on the seaweed washed up. The water is beautiful and clear - you can see the sandbar in the middle underneath it. The building in the background is a ruin; no person lives on the cay itself. The building is visible because almost all the trees are small - there is not much fresh water or soil here.


Warderick Wells, a part of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, is fascinating. Once forested, it was stripped of its trees by the 1800s. Under the care of the Bahamas National Trust the island is being allowed to regenerate itself. Among its inhabitants, this little warbler, which flits past close to people and sits on the hands of those wishing to feed it without any fear.



This inhabitant of Warderick Wells is usually seen in motion, racing across the paths. This one, however, was sunning himself and did not care to move.









Yet another inhabitant of Warderick Wells, the Curly-Tailed Lizard likes to sun himself on the rocks which make up much of the terrain here.











Many parts of the trails we walked over looked like this, made up of very porous rock formed from the sand. They sometimes shift as you walk on them, and make music-like noises as they hit each other.









We did find a secluded beach, with beautiful white sand and no current, a great place to dip into the water. It is tucked away, we're not going to say where...









Another inhabitant of Warderick Wells we met on our walks, this Mockingbird was so sure that he was well camouflaged in the trees that he did not move as we took his picture.








Former human inhabitants of the island also left their traces. This is part of the ruins of the Davis Plantation, a Loyalist Settlement built in the late 1700s. A lot of work must have gone into building these walls, now in ruins, and looking at them makes you wonder what their lives were like.







These are the swimming pigs of Big Majors Spot, an island close to Staniel Cay. We were told they will swim to your boat if you have food, but we did not put this to the test. They will certainly investigate any dinghy which arrives, with much snuffling and squealing, but they do not stay if there is no food to keep them interested.







Another one of those friendly, engaging places, Staniel Cay welcomes visitors whether they come to stay on their boats or in the cottages for rent, like these at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. The yacht club is a hub of activity for visitors, providing all kinds of things from good food to internet access to information about the surrounding area, besides the normal docking, fuel, water etc.

Travels in the Exumas

Every area in the Bahamas has its own ambience. The parts of Andros we visited were different from Great Harbour Cay, and the islands of the Exumas are different from them and from each other. From Fresh Creek on Andros we crossed Tongue of the Ocean and the Great Bahama Bank to Highborne Cay, stopping overnight on the Bank. For part of one afternoon we anchored in the crystal clear waters off Highborne Cay, until increasingly high waves and winds made us decide to head for the all-weather anchorage at nearby Allen's Cay. And there we stayed for the next five days, learning to cope with the effects of strong currents and winds (but sheltered from the high waves all around the cays we were anchored between). We learned that when both current and winds are strong and the oppose each other, the boat will dance up on her anchor and can sail it out if there is only one down. We are now much more experienced at doing the Bahamian moor, one anchor in the direction of each tidal flow and chains linked below the level of the keel.

Not that we spent all our time sitting anxiously on the boat. When the weather was relatively good we hopped into the dinghy and explored and visited. The cays around the anchorage were home to iguanas, which live protected lives there. They are large, ugly and fascinating. We watched them bask on the beaches with their heads toward the sun, nibble on seaweed and make the sand fly in front of their burrows. Almost as fascinating was watching the people who came to visit them, some brought in by large powerboats proclaiming themselves to be part of a Bahamian Adventure Tour. Most of them approached the iguanas with caution and did not linger long; some tried to feed them. The iguanas moved when disturbed but other than that largely ignored their visitors.

From Allen's Cay we travelled by dinghy to Highborne Cay a couple of times. This was our first experience with an increasingly common phenomenon in the Bahamas - the privately owned cay with a resort or marina or both on it. The marina and the beaches were the only places we could land, and walking around the island was not allowed except for guests at the marina or guest house. The marina itself was very friendly, offering a place to dispose of garbage (for a fee), access the internet (ditto), use the phone, buy groceries and fuel, and exchange books (free!). The beaches around it were beautiful, and in calm weather we saw several boats anchored off them. But the improving weather saw us moving on instead of joining them.

When we left Allen's Cay we enjoyed a good sail in brisk winds to Warderick Wells in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. There we spent our first day anchored off the beach on the west side, enjoying the fact that there was no current and no need to worry about the boat riding up on her anchor. The next day we moved to one of the moorings off the park headquarters, and with brochure and map in hand began to explore the island.

The Park has been established as part of the effort to permanently preserve areas of ecological importance. The island once had forests with trees which were harvested, and for a short while had a settlement on it. Deforestation lead to erosion and changes in plant and animal life, and the settlement did not last long. Now the island is being allowed to regenerate, with the minimum of interference from humans, and visitors are asked to leave nothing and take nothing except pictures. We explored the trails, and swam off the beaches, and planned to return with snorkelling gear to look at the nearby reefs.

From Warderick Wells we enjoyed another good sail in brisk winds to an anchorage close to Staniel Cay. In the end we only lunched in the first spot we anchored in - the guides said it was an all-weather anchorage, but it was also rolly and unpleasant. The spot we moved to after lunch, off the beach west of Big Majors Spot, was much nicer. There was no current and the waters were calm. We took advantage of several days of good weather to stay there, visiting the swimming pigs, swimming off one of the beaches and dinghying to nearby Staniel Cay Yacht Club to visit the town and enjoy good food and free wi-fi access to the internet. We also saw our first Nurse Sharks and a large Ray - they also enjoy good food courtesy of the Yacht Club whenever fish are cleaned there.

We enjoyed Staniel Cay, where the yacht club brings together cruisers, cottage guests and Bahamians, and where stepping out of the yacht club gates takes you straight into the community. On the roads the most common vehicle is the golf cart, small, manoeuvrable and not too fast. They handle the narrow roads in town with ease, and you see them parked around houses, stores, church and the Yacht Club. In the Yacht Club there are always people coming and going, and the bar and restaurant are often full of visitors, mostly cruisers or cottage guests.

From there it was a short trip to a very different stop - the anchorage in the harbour off Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay. The only disadvantage to this anchorage is that it does not provide shelter from westerly winds; if not for that it would be easy to stay here longer than we did and enjoy the friendliness and cleanliness of the town. Life here moves at a slower, quieter pace, and there is a cluster of services very important to cruisers - laundromat, marine store, book swap, large clean grocery store, local restaurants, garbage disposal, even well water for those interested. We would have stayed longer, but there was a front approaching with strong winds and we needed a more protected place to be in when it passed.

So from Black Point we made another short hop to Little Farmers Cay. Our first night was pleasantly spent on the west side of the island, but the next mornng we moved to the more sheltered anchorage on the east side. There we dealt once again with the mix of strong currents and high winds, and practiced our Bahamian Moor techniques. Richard went ashore a couple of times on calmer days, for fish, bread and cheese, and spent time talking to some of the local fishermen. All went well, although a boat close to us dragged during the windiest night and we spent the balance of the night awake and watching ourselves and them. And then the wind died down, and it was hard to tell what all the fuss was all about. And it was time to head for George Town.

Pictures from Morgans Bluff and Fresh Creek, Andros

At Morgan's Bluff on Andros the mail boat comes on Wednesday evenings, and unloads and loads up on Thursdays. It brings all kinds of things, including a car bought for parts, various goods and the mail. It leaves loaded with a similar variety of things, including produce bound for Nassau.








There is a creek that runs beside the road into Nicholls Town. We saw ducks on it, and a variety of plants grew around it; on the other side of the road it looked marshy and flat.








Twice a week, the Sea Link connects Morgan's Bluff with Nassau, carrying passengers, vehicles and some cargo. She backs into the small harbour to unload, then heads back out a couple of hours later.











The small container ships that use the Morgan's Bluff Harbour come in bow first, and spin around on their own length inside the harbour before they leave. This is the somewhat intimidating view we had of them as they turned around.










Having turned around, they pick up speed through the narrow channel as they head out toward their next destination.












Close to the Marina in Fresh Creek this path winds from one small beach to a larger one.











The marina in Fresh Creek is named for this lighthouse which stands guard at the entrance to the creek.
















In front of the lighthouse are these cannons, standing guard over the narrow entrance to the creek, probably a relic of the times when the Bahamas were much fought over.












This is part of the shore off Fresh Creek, where rocks and reefs are as much a part of the shoreline as the beautiful white sand of the beaches.










Houses in the Bahamas tend to be solidly constructed and colorful. Bright blue and yellow are popular, and the schools usually seem to be yellow with green doors. This pink house looks out to the reefs from beside Fresh Creek, Andros.










The Androsia store is beside the factory where they create beautiful batiked fabrics in rich colours. The factory is small and the processes are human-driven; the only machinery we saw were the sewing machines on which clothes created from the fabrics dyed here are stitched. Visitors are welcome to see the factory and watch how the batik is created, and purchase clothing or fabric from the store.

Andros Island, Bahamas

When we arrived at Morgans Bluff on the north end of Andros, it was after a hard day of sailing and a night spent partly hove-to as we faced high wind and waves. Our plan had been to sail to Fraser’s Hog Cay to shelter from south-west winds, and then on to Morgans Bluff the next day. The winds remained south-east instead, and we learned another valuable lesson which took us straight to Andros - there are times when it is much better to stay on the banks and out of deeper water. Sailing down the bank as the sun rose brought us into the harbour at the start of the working day, as the grapefruit for export were being assembled close to the dock. We were welcomed, our lines taken, and found ourselves snuggled up alongside a concrete dock in the calm of the inner harbour.

It took a few days to realise what it means when the guidebook says that this is a commercial harbour. We spent about a week there, and during that week we saw small freighters come and go. There were the grapefruit exported to the United States; that ship came and went twice a week, and each time the forklifts raced around removing empty containers and replacing them with full ones. Then there were other small container ships, which came from time to time. The catamaran which carries people, cars and some freight to and from Nassau came and went twice a week. The mailboat, as it does everywhere else, came once a week. We met the harbour master, born in Jamaica, who came there after schooling in England via the Merchant Marine and Miami, and spoke several languages. We met some of the seamen off the ships which came in, who were curious about who we are and where we are going. We met one of the local fishermen, captain of a fishing boat, and learned from him that the small fishing boats use teams of dinghies which put out nets when they find fish, as opposed to trolling. We met other cruisers, pausing or passing through, and enjoyed swapping tales.

While we were there we walked the five miles into the nearest town, where we found very good food at a small take-out and loaves of home made bread. People talked to us while we waited for the food to be prepared, and one man pointed out the bus stop they were building for the school children, so they would not have to wait in the rain for the bus. School buses were the only buses we saw; if you did not walk or drive, you could take the local taxi for twenty dollars or so, or they would be happy to rent you a car.

Walking has this advantage - you see the countryside in a lot more detail than you would otherwise. Andros, at least the parts of it we visited, was very different from Great Harbour Cay - it had lots of fresh water. The trees grew higher there, there was fresh produce grown there, and for the first time in a while we heard the sound of the breeze sighing through the trees. Water is in fact one of the exports - huge tankers go from the outer harbour at Morgans Bluff carrying fresh water to Nassau twice a day. We saw ducks on a creek. Unfortunately, we also became acquainted with the no-see-ums, which came out to torment everyone just before we sat through the next weather front moving through the region.

The winds that accompanied that front had us bouncing a bit by the concrete dock, and we used some of our spare hose for chafe protection after one line parted. Nothing like leaping out of your berth at two in the morning to stop your boat crashing into an unyielding object - gets the adrenaline going! So once the winds and waves had died down it was not as hard to say goodbye to that dock, and set sail for Fresh Creek, further south.

Light winds made for a long but pleasant sail, until they died down to the point where we started the engine to make sure we finished the journey with enough time to anchor. At least we thought we were going to anchor - but we rapidly learned that the bottom was too hard for our anchor to hold, or even dig in. It is a little disconcerting when that piece of strangely shaped metal which has held you through winds up to thirty-five knots will only skip across the bottom and refuses to dig in at all. We went to the marina there instead.

Fresh Creek is notable for a number of things, including fishing for bonefish, the Androsia Batik Factory and a couple of good, inexpensive restaurants. We were interested in the latter two, and during the two days we spent there we walked, visited the Androsia factory, enjoyed a good meal at Hank’s Place and enjoyed the luxury of shore side showers. The Androsia factory hand produces batik fabrics and clothing, and visitors are welcome to tour the factory and see how the patterns are created. Everything is human-driven, the patterns hand stamped on to the fabrics before they are dyed by teams working over long baths. Some of the patterns are striking, and the colours used are rich and appealing. And, in the way things happen, that was where we found out where to get home-made bread in Fresh Creek.

There was a lot here we were curious about, like the lighthouse which looked more like a lookout tower with its cannons in front of it, and more trails that we could have explored. Not being able to anchor meant that the time here was shorter than we liked, but after Fresh Creek we decided that it was time to move further south and east, and visit the Exumas. We’ll talk about some of that in our next instalment of our blog