Cruising the Exumas
My wife and I participated in many activities in Hope Town during the Christmas holidays. These activities are what make Hope Town a real community and such a great place to be. We attended the Hope Town School Christmas play and helped build the settlement Christmas village for all the children on Elbow Cay to enjoy. There are also many adult activities such as singing Christmas carols around town, attending Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve parties at friends’ homes on land. The local Bahamians also put on several Junkanoo parades during the holidays, which is similar to a Mardis Gras parade.
Dena’s brother managed to catch one fish while sailing to the Exumas, a 3-foot Barracuda
After the holiday season finally calmed down, we went on a cruise to the Exumas region of the Bahamas. The Exumas begins about 100 to 150 miles south of the Abacos. Going from The Abaco to the Exumas requires crossing the “tongue of the ocean,” which separates the Abacos from the island of Eleuthera. This crossing involves making a 50 nautical mile sail in water that reaches over 14,000 feet deep. Fortunately, we were able to make this trip down and back with the wind at our backs.
The entrance to Highbourne Cay
The Exumas are different from the Abacos in that most of the islands are more sparsely populated. To a cruiser this means that fuel, water, and grocery stores are fewer and farther between. Cruisers, therefore, need to plan trips more carefully to be sure to be able to have enough of these items until the next stop. What makes the Exumas so special is that the water, coral reefs, and animal life are relatively undisturbed, so the underwater environment is more in its natural state. I did not think it was possible, but the water in the Exumas is even clearer that it is in the Abacos. On one very calm day we were able to see fish swimming along the seabed in 60 feet of water. Because of the clear water the snorkeling and diving is really spectacular.
Rather than describe the area, it is best to just post some pictures. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
Shark feeding time at Highbourne Cay Marina
Some Exuma Cays are so sparsely populated that sometimes it is a long wait for the bus
Beautiful uninhabited Cays are everywhere in the Exumas
Video of sailing in 10,000 feet of water
Video of north mooring field at Warderick Wells Land and Sea Park
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