We left Nassau Saturday morning and wanted to head somewhere remote. With the virus going around, we didn’t think hanging around a cruise ship port, international airport, and mega resorts like Atlantis and Baha Mar, was a good idea. The winds were right for us to go back to the Exumas, so that’s where we headed.
We were enroute to Normans Cay when we heard from our friend Scott from Milwaukee. He was at Highbourne Cay so we altered course to meet up with him. Scott’s on an Island Packet named ‘Long Shot’. And he has an upgraded freezer that can hold ice cream, something you don’t see too much of on a boat. He was kind enough to bring over rum milkshakes for dessert — they were excellent.
Scott’s a climber and when he works on his mast he doesn’t use a bosons chair. Instead he uses a harness and climbing ascenders to climb up a halyard. The next morning, he brought his gear over, climbed my mast, and changed my anchor light. I had bought an LED replacement bulb before we left. It’s a major ordeal for us to work on the mast. I don’t know that Sue could use the winch to hoist me, and I’m not comfortable sending her up. I was amazed at how quickly and easily Scott was able get up and down the mast.
After Highbourne Cay, we headed to the Cambridge Cay mooring field in the national park. All the mooring balls were taken so we ended up going to another anchorage just outside the park. It was rolly and I touched bottom a couple of times heading in, but it was good enough for the night.
Our anchorage was close to Rachel’s Bubble Bath, however, so in the morning we took the dingy to shore to check it out. It was nice to get off the boat and walk a bit. The Bubble Bath is best at high tide, but we didn’t want to wait another 3 hours, so we took in what we could. Still a nice stop.
From there, we headed towards Black Point settlement. It’s just south of Staniel Cay on Great Guana Cay. There are a couple of restaurants, bars, a grocery store, and the best laundromat in the Bahamas.
The bars and restaurants announce their specials over the VHF hailing channel. Dinner reservations are required at many Bahamian restaurants, and they take reservations over the radio. Very boater centric here.
Our plan is to stay here until we have a weather window to sail to Rock Sound in Eleuthera. We have friends who will be flying into Rock Sound next Monday to visit. Hopefully, they’ll be able to make it through the airports.
Kurt & Sue Sail 