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.
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.
