Big Majors 29 Mar

   Finally the winds are back to the standard easterly trades and we can move out of our protected Bell Cay anchorage and on to Big Majors.

   As we approached the anchorage we noted that many others had the same idea. There were about 35-40 boats in the anchorage during the days we stayed here, but it is a very large anchorage and could accommodate many more.

   The most notable difference since our last visit here 10 years ago is the tremendous increase in megayachts. We saw 3 ships over 250ft long anchored off the island and numerous 85-150ft yachts, all equipped with the latest water toys like slides, jet-skis, tenders with 3-5 450hp outboard engines, etc...

    Most of these boats operate out of Nassau and shuttle guests down here to the Exumas for week long excursions.

     Our next surprise as we pulled up to a good anchoring spot on the northern edge of the anchorage was to find Sara Lou anchored right off our port side. Sara Lou is a sailboat from our home marina in Yorktown VA. We knew they were cruising the Bahamas this season but what a surprise to see them anchored at Big Majors right next to the spot we picked to stop at, among the other 40 boats in the anchorage.  

   We had a good visit with them swapping stories about how much has changed in the Bahamas.

   What hasn't changed is the beautiful, colorful waters with crystal clear clarity.  We hopped in our dinghy and zipped out to check out the offshore islands.

   A short dinghy ride took us to one of the islands just west of the anchorage. The island we selected to explore had no one else around. In contrast, the island just around the corner had six beach umbrellas and at least 20 beach lounge chairs set up by one of the 250ft ships anchored just offshore. I expect they were drinking tropical concoctions and eating lobster appetizers there. 

   Sue was again disappointed that there were almost no shells on the island. I found two whelk shells but both of them had live inhabitants and weren't large enough to make a meal so we returned them to the sea.

   Rivah was curious about all the new smells on her first visit to the Bahamas but figured out this was probably not something good to eat.

   Enough excitement for one day... tomorrow we'll head over to Pig Beach.

   Sunset over the boats and islands behind us to the west.

Bell Cay 27-28 Mar

   We departed Elbow Cay early heading down to Bell Cay where we could get better protection from the north winds and waves.

   Running southwards down the Exuma island chain you have to skirt along the reefs and sand bores (underwater sand dunes) that extend out from the island chain.  Its very easy to detect the shallow and deep water along the route. We are in the "deep" 20ft waters that are royal blue. Off to the east are the shallow 3ft waters over sand that are turquoise in color. Interestingly  the sand ends in a distinct drop-off from 3ft to about 15-20ft.

   Poor Rivah had to share the cockpit seat with our new Yamaha outboard. Sue gave her some cushions for her head to protect it from the prop blades. We are waiting to mount the new outboard on our dinghy when we launch it after arriving at Bell Cay.

   Bell Cay is a private island where you can't go ashore but it provides a great anchorage spot for protection from north and west winds. But to get to the anchorage you have to pass through either of two very narrow and shallow channels from the north or south. We went in through the south channel with a bit of nail biting as the darker waters (meaning deeper water) didn't quite match either of our charts onboard. Ultimately we passed about 20ft off the rocky reef shore where the deepest water appeared - successfully.

   Here's the view from our anchoring spot looking out to the east into the Atlantic Ocean. With an easterly wind, this anchorage spot would be untenable as the waves would roll in through the opening but with the northwest winds we were experiencing it was fine and much better than Elbow Cay.

   This view is why we cruise to the Bahamas. The waters are crystal clear and every view is serene. 

   Sunset over Bell Cay behind us to the west.  We shared the anchorage with one other boat, a Canadian sailboat who departed the next day leaving us alone in the anchorage.

   The next day the winds were down some and we decided to explore one of the outer small islands along the ocean shoreside. 

   The new outboard is mounted and we are following the breaking-in instructions for the first 10 hours of use. We are supposed to cruise at half throttle for 2 hours which turns out to be very fast and only doable on flat waters. No more struggling to get up on plane, the boat jumps up on plane with this new 15hp engine.

   Not much on this island which is exposed to the Atlantic Ocean - sand and rocks and scrub plants. Sue was disappointed that there were no shells here. The water views are spectacular though.

   Another view of the anchorage area.

   We took the dinghy up through the northern cut where there is a sunken airplane (1960s Piper Cherokee) and a coral garden but the waters were quite rough up there and we didn't get any photos. The views are more of the same that you see here.

   Another sunset over Bell Island. Tomorrow we will head out for Big Majors and Staniel Cay as the wind will shift over to the easterly trade winds.

   Just another day in paradise.

  

Nassau to Exumas 26 Mar

 

   We spent a couple days in Nassau waiting for the next weather window to sail to the Exumas, needing some NE winds, or at least no strong winds with a southerly angle.

   On the 26th it was time to head out at first light. We were able to get out of the slip successfully with the light winds from the north and then head out the eastern entrance of Nassau Harbor - off to the Exumas.

  Here's a typical view of the sailing on the Bahamas Bank towards the Exumas. The water is only about 15-20ft deep on the bank and the color is a vivid blue to green depending on the sky.  You can see the ocean bottom as you pass over the sand and rocks.

   Halfway to the Exumas you cross over a ridgeline that comes to about 10ft below the water with lots of coral heads, requiring a bow watch looking out for the black coral heads.

   To the east, the Yellow Bank has a much denser quantity of coral so we skirt around it to the west. Some boats pass right over the Yellow Bank as it is a shorter route and can give a better wind angle for sailing but we take the safer route passing between the Yellow Bank to the east and White Bank to the west. This route has a minimum number of coral heads and we saw very few that we had to maneuver around. 

   This is the new look of the Bahamas - megayachts everywhere. In the past we would be lucky to see any other boats along our transit to the Exumas, but this time here are 3 megayachts passing by in one view. They tow their "tenders" which are normally 30-35ft center cockpit speedboats with 3, 4, or even 5 outboard motors.  Most of these charter companies operate out of Nassau and run guests back and forth to the Exumas on 1-week trips.

   We were heading for Bell Cay to anchor in a protected spot from the forecasted northerly winds but with our slow progress with light winds all day we could only make it to the Elbow Cay area. We tucked in behind the east-west running Elbow Cay for protection from the northerly winds, although it turned out the swell wrapped right around the small island and we had a rolly night.

   We weren't the only ones with the idea to anchor behind Elbow Cay. There were 3 megayachts and a trawler and another sailboat all seeking the protection of the island. Fortunately there was plenty of room for us all to anchor but, unfortunately not that much protection from the swells. 

   But it was a safe anchorage and we did get a fair night's sleep.