Exumas
Exumas, Bahamas, 2024: Overview
This was our first sailing trip to the Bahamas. We initially considered a European sail for our 20th wedding anniversary, but we learned that our initial certification from 2012 didn’t meet the European standard to charter a boat. So, we decided our anniversary gift would be to get the standard certification through ASA (American Sailing Association). Johan has a professional colleague, John Ensley, who has his own sailing school in Le Paz, Mexico, where he spends nearly half the year. The other half of John’s time is spent in Washington state. He and his wife agreed to meet us in the Bahamas and put up with our three kiddos for a combined family fun trip and ASA Certification 101, 102, 103 and 114. It is quite convenient to get to the Bahamas for us, only about 3 hours of actual flight time. We had a quick layover in Atlanta, but we didn’t have to run to try to catch our flight like the last trip, we had plenty of time.
The Bahamas have two well known sailing areas, the Abacos and the Exumas. For this trip we headed southeast out of Nassau to the Exumas. To say the water is shallow is an understatement. We sailed about 6 hours the first day and the water was never more than 25 feet deep, rarely more that 15. We moored outside of Shroud Cay with about 1.5 feet below our boat at low tide. This is part of the reason the colors are so unbelievable vibrant. We observed something new due to the vibrance of this turquoise color. The clouds floating over the brightest waters were bright green on the bottom and the horizons had hues from copper to purple. You could even see it without sunglasses, but polarized glasses amplified the coloring. This was fascinating! In addition to shallow waters, there are fields of coral heads and rocks. This is why navigation skills are critical in the Bahamas, and a skipper needs to have an expert rating to get a charter boat there. In our case, we had a salty captain John who more than met the qualifications needed. And now, onto our Exumas adventure!
We arranged for transport to take us to a grocery store. We usually provision through the charter company but the prices were basically 3 times as much in the Bahamas ($18 for a package of bacon, $82 for a case of Budweiser). We decided to get some of the heavy stuff through the provisioning service and to do the rest of the shopping ourselves. Prices were still high but not quite as high at the local grocery store, and our kind driver let us use his shopper reward card to save money. I still wouldn’t call it cheap! We arrived at the Palm Cay Marina by about 2:30 but the boat wouldn’t be ready until 5, so we wandered down to the Pink Octopus a nice restaurant on the marina next to a private swimming club / beach. We were greeted by a sea turtle on this short walk. The kids were able to swim for a bit before we found out it was a private club, so they were very happy. They also found a friendly restaurant cat named Ginger that made them all smile. Once aboard the boat, we unpacked in our home on the water and greeted Captain John and Amber when they arrived.
The next morning we went through our inspection of the boat. The water maker was not working, but we have heard mumbles in the past that this is pretty common on the charter boats. While they are a great amenity, they are apparently easy to break, and we were only going to be gone for a week, so it didn’t matter much. We walked through all the systems and gear on the boat. We headed to the office for a chart briefing. We didn’t really have our 7-day itinerary laid out; we don’t like to be too rigid in our planning, but just plan enough that we can get safely to an anchor/mooring each night and see some of the cool sites along the way. Once we were all set up, we got our escort out of the Marina and into the Atlantic. It took us a minute to realize that it would be our first sail in the Atlantic, since most of our experience is in the British Virgin Islands, which is in the Caribbean Sea. Heading out the seas were pretty rough and the wind was not in our favor. This made for a very rough bumpy 34-nautical mile motor to Allen’s Cay, where we dropped anchor with one other boat. It was surprisingly calm in this little cover and we were snug up against Leaf Cay, where many large, hungry iguanas live. We spent that first evening swimming and snorkeling around the boat and encountered hundreds of little tiny thimble jellyfish. They did not appear to sting and we even captured one to get a closer look. I did have one brush my lip and it tingled a little bit. Apparently they can get stuck in your clothes and cause problems so you are supposed to wear tight bathing suits or swim clothes if they are around so that they don’t get stuck between your skin and your suit. If they do get stuck they can cause a skin irritation and can leave behind their stinging cells for the next time you wear that clothing. Luckily, we didn’t have any major issues with these jelly fish. We made spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner and turned in for the night in this beautiful, private, quiet spot.
June 3rd: Greeting Prehistoric Creatures on a Deserted Island & Portugese Man O’ War
Just like all the days on a boat, we were up early the next morning. After breakfast, we all headed into Leaf Cay Beach, a very short dinghy ride. As we approached, the iguanas began to emerge from the palm trees and the rocks. It was a really cool site to see. We learned ahead of time that there are signs posted that say not to feed them, but that nobody pays attention to the signs. We approached with some mangoes, a natural food for an island iguana, and some leftover pancakes from breakfast. Turns out they much preferred the pancakes and pretty much ignored the mangoes. It was intriguing to watch them – they were pretty big, at least a foot long, and they moved deliberately; it felt like they were right out of prehistoric times. They were not aggressive towards us but they knew what they wanted and they would move towards us quickly when there was food on the ground, sending the kids shrieking and running. Those iguanas had an amazing view and a beautiful little beach.
We had the beach all to ourselves that morning and decided to go for a swim. The water was so refreshing and clear. We were all enjoying it when Annika said she had been stung. She was so calm about it, that we really didn’t think much about it. She has had a relatively minor sting in the past, and she was very calm, so we were not too worried. However, long welts from a jelly fish (most likely a Portuguese man of war, which confusingly is not a jelly fish) quickly started popping up on both of her legs, and she said she removed a purple tentacle from one spot. It swelled quickly and once we got back to the boat, a two minute dinghy ride, it was pretty inflamed and covered the inside of both thighs and the outside of one thigh. We put some vinegar on it first, then some Tamanu oil (bought in French Polynesia, where they use it for cuts and burns and stings). I gave her some over the counter medications to help with pain and inflammation. We gave her ice and let her apply it when needed. She remained calm but was clearly in pain. Needless to say she slept most of the next sail down to Compass cay, where she impressively got back in the water for a swim.
Compass Cay is known for Rachel’s bubble bath and for the nurse sharks. We had a visiting nurse shark once we anchored who was pleased to have my kids feed him a few bites. Water was about 5-6 feet deep below the keel the whole way in and I was at the helm. One other boat was anchored and there were about 15 boats in the Marina. We took a short dinghy ride to check things out and give the kids a chance to drive. We spent a fair amount of time swimming here too and got some video of the underside of the boat. It had a decent amount of marine growth on it and had clearly run aground at some point (a pretty common thing in the Bahamas with the shallow water and obstacles). If we ever decided to invest in a boat and keep it with a charter company, I don’t think we would choose to keep it in the Bahamas! At dinner, we found out our grill wasn’t working. We have always had charcoal grills, and had even purchased 5 bags of charcoal for this trip, but this time we had a gas grill – and it didn’t work!! It would light for a few moments then go out. Nonetheless, we had some delicious cheeseburgers in paradise. Once the grill cooled off, Captain John and Johan investigated, but we could not trace the full gas line out to the grill (possibly under one of the beds). There was also a gas smell in the gas locker, so we decided we would shut it off at the tank when not using for the remainder of the trip. It was a bummer, but we were very happy to be on a boat in paradise and we were excited to swim with the sharks the next day!!
June 4th: Nurse Sharks, Caves & Starlink!
The next morning, we headed into the docks to swim with and pet the Compass Cay nurse sharks. It took us a minute to find the right place on the dock but we found it all the way to the left of the Marina boats. We beached our dinghy and walked up to the dock. I had heard that nurse sharks will sometimes lay on the dock at high tide. I didn’t understand how that was possible but after seeing the setup, it all made sense. There is a lower dock that is about 6 feet below the main dock with stairs down to it. You can enter the water from the lower dock and swim with and even pet the sharks. We were there at low tide, so we jumped in to swim with them. Their daytime behavior is to lay on the sandy ocean floor. They feel very rough, almost like sand paper. The only time they really moved around was if they were tired of being pet or if someone hit the back of an ax on the large cutting board where they cut up the day’s fresh fish catch and feed them (eek!). I didn’t love that, didn’t want to trigger ideas of food while we were swimming with them. However, I never felt threatened in any way – nurse sharks have rarely attacked humans, they are one of the most docile sharks out there. From what I read, there have been no fatal attacks on humans. The water was so clear, you can see them perfectly, even without snorkeling, but of course we had to go in with them. There were also plenty of beautiful fish who joined us. I could’ve stayed for hours. I loved watching them move and pump water over their gills as they lay on the bottom. They are one of only two species of sharks that do this, the rest have to keep moving constantly to stay oxygenated.
Next we headed to Fowl Cay where we anchored the boat for a day outing to Rocky Dundas Caves. We could see a plane under some trees on the beach in the distance, and vowed to investigate when we returned from the caves. There were a few dinghy moorings by the cave entrance, but they were taken so we anchored best we could and kept someone onboard at all times. As expected, there was a strong current so we made sure to keep the kids close at hand. The Cave was very cool to swim into, and once inside you could standup and enjoy the view of the bright blue skies through a large hole in the “ceiling”. A very interesting place indeed but we did not see a lot of sealife. Back at our boat, we took the dinghy in to investigate the deserted plane, but as we approached we saw a No Trespassing sign. So we were not able to learn the story of that deserted plane, but we have plenty to share about a later visit to a deserted plane so stay tuned…
We then headed out to Staniel Cay, made famous by the grotto where James Bond was filmed. We had an interesting experience arriving and anchoring there. Again, I was at the helm and it was nearly all very shallow. We had to move in close to the moored boats and work our way to a channel that was 23 feet deep (the deepest we’d seen in a couple of days). We then passed the marina and went through a narrow passage to deeper water, only to turn back to one of the other passages to get into the mooring field. We probably would’ve been fine approaching directly since we were at higher tide, but none of us had ever been there before and this felt like the safest approach. It was exhilarating to pass between the narrow straight created by the coral cave grottos. Then we sought out the right depth for anchoring. We made one attempt before settling in a second spot. The currents had us facing towards the three narrow passage ways between the main land the small rocky islands. You might imagine that this created a very weird current that we learned from. We spent most of the night facing in the opposite direction of many of the boats - anchored and moored - in the area. This always makes me a little nervous, but it at least made sense with all of the current in the area and we watched for hours and we were not moving.
I drove the dinghy in and once we found the entrance realized I had to “thread the needle” through a narrow space created by two man-made walls. I had no trouble and was very proud of myself. I only mused about the fact that my kids like to say “we are all gonna die” when I drive the boat and they didn’t say a word about my beautiful performance here. I make this joke here, but seriously, I want to remember that there is a small entry way on a dinghy into Staniel Cay. It is no big deal at a lower tide, when you can see the walls going in, but we noticed at high tide that you can’t see the wall there, and it would be easy to run over it and destroy your dinghy motor.
We went into the restaurant for dinner and it was nice. The boys were buddies and walked around the restaurant looking at all the flags hanging from the ceiling and then playing the bar game with the ring and the hook with some other travelers. They even took a walk together because the local fisherman were feeding the nurse sharks and they walked down the steps to pet them again. I also saw one of those fisherman walking a bin of fish into the kitchen, so you know that was served fresh!
That night, back on the boat, we had the most alien experience. I walked out to the bow of the boat because I noticed it was clear and the stars were out. I looked up and followed a slowly moving object, which I figured was a satellite. We always see satellites when we are cruising, but we saw many more in the Bahamas then I remember seeing anywhere else we have been. After spotting the satellite, I turned around to walk toward the stern and saw a whole line of 12 similar objects. I alerted the rest of the crew and we all stood, mouths gaping as these object flew over head. They would reach a certain point and disappear into the atmosphere. I suspected it was a Starlink launch but couldn’t find anything on the internet. It was eerie. I saw a couple shooting stars that night too, but on this trip, I definitely saw more satellites than shooting stars, which is a little trippy. We were grateful to have such a clear night, and we wound up having several more, after a forecast of clouds and rain all week. We did eventually find out that there been a Starlink launch – what we think we saw was not the rocket launch itself, but the deployment of the satellites from the rocket. I don’t have a picture but this is similar to what we saw (only there were fewer and they were more spaced apart). It really was mesmerizing.
June 5th: Thunderbold Grotto & Frolicking with Swimming Pigs!
We planned to get up early and head into the famous Thunderbolt grotto from James Bond. We paid attention to the part that said we should go at slack tide (a period of minimal current after you reach high or low tide, before the tide changes), but we did not see that it should be at low tide, and we didn’t have six hours to wait. We drove around the small island once before finding the entrance, which was near a sign on the west side of the grotto. The currents were so strong, we weren’t even sure we should go in, and there was no good place to tie off the dinghy. We ultimately decided to send in two adults to check out the conditions. Amber and I swam quickly towards a shallow entrance. We wound up very carefully climbing over a large rock and navigating our way into the entrance area. The actual entrance to the grotto was submerged and too dangerous with the currents. However, the snorkeling just inside the entrance was beautiful. Lots of fish, rock and caves. Different paths to follow. And it was calm enough in this space to have the kids join us. Only Alex wanted to go and he float/swam to a second, larger entrance we found in our exploration. We had to be careful but it was worth it. Next time I will be sure to come back at low tide and see the whole thing. That has been one learning experience on this trip – different attractions need different tides. Here are the suggestions. Norman island airplane reef – low tide to stand on wings and swim through the fuselage. Shroud island mangrove creeks – two hours before high tide to help with floating currents and not wind up stuck in shallow areas. Staniel Cay Thunderbolt grotto – low tide, recommended at slack to access Grotto with less current.
Once we got back to the boat we headed out to Big Majors for an encounter with the original swimming pigs. It took about 20 minutes to get to the anchorage for Big Majors. We could already see the famous pigs as we dinghied to shore. Many speed boats with a large number of outboard motors came in and out in the hour we spent there. As soon as we got to shore, the pigs approached. They would get pretty close but would realize quickly if you didn’t have food for them and typically backed off, though sometimes vocally. I can’t explain the draw but they really were quite amusing and cute to watch. There was even a small pig pen for the babies and the big kids got to hold one. Rory deemed his favorite pigs Picklehead 1-9 and happily swam with them and petted them. We had a hard time getting he and Alex to leave. The story is that the islanders wanted to farm the pigs but they were so dirty and smelly that neighbors complained and they quickly lost interest in the idea of farming. Apparently the pigs were banished to the beach, where they became a tourist attraction. It is particularly interesting to me because the Polynesians purposefully brought pigs on the boat to help them find islands, but there doesn’t appear to be any connection between those pigs and these pigs. It is a smart tourist attraction because the tourist pay to feed the pigs and the islanders can still harvest them.
The next stop was between O’Brien Cay and Warderick Wells – I really wanted to go to O’Brien and will definitely check it out next time as the locals swear the snorkeling is as good as Warderick. However, we were able to get a rare mooring ball at Warderick so we decided to head that way. Warderick wells is part of the Exhumas Land and Sea National Park. It has a beautiful J shaped channel with shallow vibrant water on either side. The channel is pretty narrow so you move in pretty close to the other boats. The kids were excited because it was their first chance to moor on this trip. Once we were on the ball, Alex was going to unhook the dinghy and found a boat hook. We initially thought it was ours (I thought I was to blame!) but then we found our boat hook on the boat. We radioed to the other boats and found the owner who eventually repaid me with a beer and some advice about tides for attractions. We also heard on the radio that another boat had seen a bull shark in the area, so that was good knowledge to have too. Instead of swimming by the boat, we headed into he beach, 30 seconds away, to enjoy some time on the water. Later, back on the boat, we did see that bull shark more than once.