So Many Islands, So Little Time… 9 Weeks Cruising the Bahamas

Hi friends and family! Thanks so much for taking time to check in on us. We’ve absolutely loved our time in the Bahamas, and are excited to share our experiences with you. This blog post is formatted a bit differently; as there is a lot of information regarding our time in the Bahamas, it’s more jot notes than full explanations. Feel free to settle in with a bevvie of your choice and soak up all the little details, or skim through quickly and enjoy the pictures, videos, and highlights! Whatever your pleasure, we thank you for taking time to stop by. It’s a bit bittersweet, as this will be our final Caribbean post as our next destinations take us northbound.

If you’re pressed on time and would like a really quick summary, here’s our top five Bahamas experiences!

Toni’s Top Five

1. White Cay (Pirates of the Caribbean sandbar)

2. Musha Cay (Sand dollar sandbar)

3. Picture-perfect sailing in the Exuma Bank

4. Trawling on Panta Rhei – Mahi-Mahi and Tuna catches

5. Sweetings Pond & Sapphire Blue Hole - Eleuthera

Paul’s Top Five

1. Fresh catch-of-the-day dinners with SV Vesna

2. Board games on SV Otoka

3. The best sailing weather we've ever had

4. Songs by the beach fires

5. Spearfishing with the boys

Week 1: March 11 – 17

Acklins Island

- Sweet Sugar Bay Anchorage: 2 NIGHTS

o This was our very first anchorage in the Bahamas – it left us feeling totally stunned by the beautiful blue shades of the water!

o Depths changed from 1000+m to 400-800m to 150m to 50m to 3m within minutes as we entered the ‘Bight’ of Acklins.

o We anchored next to our sailing buddies, SV Off Course (Oda, Onno, and 5-yr-old son Jasper all from The Netherlands), and enjoyed a freshly caught Mahi-Mahi & guacamole dinner aboard their boat.

o It was an amazing sunset – a pure ‘fireball’ which set into the horizon without any cloud cover… we saw the green flash (yes, it really exists!)

o The next day, SV Vesna (Jack, Julia, and kiddos Reuben, Declan, and Ivy all from Australia) joined us and we reunited for sundowners: drinks and snacks while watching the sunset.

o SV Vesna gifted us with a whopping Ziploc bag of fresh fish from a 43-pound Wahoo the boys had caught on their sail to join us! An amazing welcome present!

- Jamaica Bay Anchorage: 2 NIGHTS

o This anchorage is located along the southwestern coast of Acklins Island; it’s a very long anchorage with some hard sand covering limestone. We were able to find a place to set the anchor about halfway down the anchorage in soft sand.

o For lunch on our first day here, Paul cooked beer-battered fish tacos (wahoo) with spicy coleslaw for us, SV Off Course, and SV Vesna.

o The wahoo filled all of us – 10 people – and that was only a quarter of the fish!

o In the afternoon we along the rocky beach and found some shell treasures.

o Spearfishing this evening got us a Lionfish; Paul made fresh ceviche for supper.

o Our second day in this anchorage was a sleepy morning followed by snorkeling and spearfishing near Panta Rhei in the afternoon.

o I was cheered on by a group of six Caribbean reef squid about the size of my thumb as I scraped the beard off the boat – adorable!

o Paul speared a Nassau Grouper for supper – it was fried and then seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. This was our first of many Nassau Grouper (unbeknownst to us at the time).

o When filleting the fish off the transom, our resident barracuda buddies were

waiting patiently for scraps… and were immediately joined by two reef sharks!

o Not seconds after the scraps were thrown did the sharks show up; then, didn’t want to leave!

Long Cay (Fortune Island)

- Long Cay North Anchorage: 2 NIGHTS

o We sailed about 30nm from Jamaica Bay and were completely protected by Acklins island the whole time, so had virtually no swell or waves… a new experience for sure.

o Seeing the color change of the water according to the depth was incredible!

o Just as we left our anchorage, Paul had his fishing line in the water for less than 5 minutes when he caught a whopper of a fish. The reel bent over so much so that it resembled a candy cane! The fish was on for less than 30 seconds when it completely snapped, line and all, after smoking the reel… possibly a big wahoo?

o About 4.5 hrs into the sail, Paul caught a beautiful Cero Mackerel – later seasoned with lemon pepper and BBQ’d for dinner.

o Jack from SV Vesna helped guide us and SV Off Course into the anchorage; navigated around the ‘bombies’ (coral heads) in about 2.7-3.4m depths. The depth of our boat is 1.8m so there’s not a ton of wiggle room to spare.

o We had a sunset beach bonfire with lobster on the grill & marshmallow roasting after sunset!

Long Island

- Clarence Town Anchorage: 2 NIGHTS

o We sailed 50.8nm to Clarence Town on Long Island (which is aptly named at about 18 miles long).

o Paul caught his biggest fish yet during this sail – a 26lb Mahi Mahi! We thought for sure we’d be the winners of the un-o-fish-al ‘fishing competition’ between the three boats (including SV Off Course and SV Vesna). However, Onno from SV Off Course caught a 42lb sailfish! Wowza!

o It was a big day of sailing – we had left around 8:00 AM when we had enough light to safely navigate the ‘bombies’ and didn’t arrive to the anchorage until after 5:00 PM.

o Enjoyed sundowners and appies on SV Off Course while Paul filleted the massive sailfish.

o The next day, we all rented a car to do some veg & fruit re-stocking in Clarence Town; the dinghy ride into shore was with following seas, but on the way back we were beating into white-capped waves. It felt like someone throwing a bucket of salt water into your face repeatedly – we were absolutely soaked head to toe by the time we reached Panta Rhei!

o We also spent the afternoon at Dean’s Blue Hole, the second deepest seawater blue hole in the world at 202m.

o Paul went freediving with Reuben & Declan (SV Vesna) and reached 35m; he also helped as a safety diver for Reuben when he achieved his personal best depth of 33.1m.

Week 2: March 18 – 24

Long Island

- Calabash Bay: 3 NIGHTS

o The next morning, we had a 7:00 AM departure from Clarence Town anchorage to prepare for another approx. 50nm sail along the eastern / windward shores of Long Island to Calabash Bay, an anchorage tucked just behind the northern tip of the island.

o Steady winds enabled us to sail comfortably from 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM; then the winds absolutely died, so we fired up the ‘iron genoa’ (i.e., the diesel engine) to make it the rest of the way.

o This was our shallowest anchorage yet, reaching depths of 2.0m – it was a gorgeous sandy bottom with unlimited visibility… spotted starfish under the boat on our way in!

o Anchored in 2.1m of perfectly clear water; another new experience on PR!

o Still eating the Mahi-Mahi Paul caught; our first night’s meal in this anchorage was a spicy coconut fish curry, yum!

o Our first night in Calabash Bay, we couldn’t remember the last time the boat was so perfectly still… perhaps when we hauled it out of the water in St. Maarten!

o Our second day we enjoyed spearfishing nearby with Reuben & Declan (SV Vesna); Reuben helped Paul to spear his second Nassau Grouper.

o Back on board, after filleting the fish, Paul, Reuben, and Declan jumped in the shallow water and hand-fed two nurse sharks!

o For sundowners, we had 8 friends over for drinks & appies – a first on Panta Rhei, as we are usually so self-conscious about our limited cockpit space. However, everyone fit comfortably and enjoyed salsa, chips, French onion dip, pepperjack cheese, and freshly fried lemon pepper grouper bites – a success!

o The next day, we went for a walk over the sandbars to the mangroves; we walked in about knee-high water on the way there, then shin-high water on the way back as the tide was going out.

o We “rescued” starfish on the beach that were too slow to remain in the water when the tide went out.

o Afterwards, we had Happy Hour drinks at the Calabash Bay Resort (Canadian owned and operated) with yummy conch fritter appetizers.

o We finished off the last of our 26lb Mahi-Mahi with a garlic & red wine reduction sauce and roasted butternut squash for supper.

- Thompson Bay: 2 NIGHTS

o This morning we had a new experience as we sailed through the Ferguson Bank, a protected area of water from the North Atlantic open ocean; it took some time getting used to sailing in water just over a metre deeper than our keel (versus 1000m+!)

o Mostly we were sailing in 3.5 – 4.5m depth, and shallowest we sailed through was 2.2m, just .4m deeper than our keel.

o The water was a perfect light blue color, and we needed to keep an eye out for “bombies” – coral heads not listed on our chart plotter or navigational tools that could wreak havoc if we accidentally hit one. Thankfully, this was very easy to avoid. Our only sighting of interest during our approx. 21nm sail was spotting a lone dolphin who played on our bow for a few moments before disappearing back into the waters of the bank.

o We anchored in one of our shallowest places yet – 2.3m – and went over to SV Vesna for sundowners and burgers on the BBQ for dinner.

Week 3: March 25 – 31

Southern Exuma Islands

- White Cay: 1 NIGHT

o We had one of our top 5 sailing days from Thompson Bay, Long Island, to White Cay in the Exuma chain.

o Speeds ranged between 6 to 7 knots, we had hardly any heel to the boat, and sped along in 3.0 to 4.0m of crystal clear “Gatorade blue” water!

o Upon arrival to White Cay, us and buddy boat SV Vesna were the only two in the entire anchorage.

o It was a picture-perfect sandbar – literally – where a scene from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest’ was shot (spoiler alert: the chase and ultimate opening of Davey Jones’ empty chest).

o Having the entire area to ourselves was more than a treat, it truly felt like a day in paradise.

o After sunset, we had Kentucky Fried Wahoo fish tacos and sweet potato fries with SV Vesna. Yum!

- Georgetown: Volleyball Beach / Chat N Chill: 6 NIGHTS

o The next morning, we had a lovely upwind sail (about 20nm) from White Cay to Georgetown.

o Going from an anchorage of two boats – ourselves and SV Vesna – to an anchorage of around 250… was a shock to say the least!

o It’s about as close to a white-picket-fence suburbia neighborhood as we’ll probably ever get. There’s plenty of liveaboards here who never leave this one anchorage, and there’s a really solid and close-knit cruiser community.

o Our first full day in Georgetown, we traveled about 5nm by dinghy to a nearby cut (meaning, an open area for boats to travel from the North Atlantic Ocean through to the leeward, protected side of the islands) for some spearfishing. It was a super successful day for Paul, Reuben, and Declan; Paul caught two Nassau Grouper and a hogfish (new to us!) and Declan caught a yellow runner.

o We spent many days here getting back to boat work: polishing cleats & stanchions, replacing broken parts with replacement ones, teak caulking work on both the port and starboard sides of the deck, and deep cleans / re-organization of storage areas inside.

o Our second last full day here, we participated in a Cruisers & Sailors “Find N Float” Scavenger Hunt; with items such as ‘slide down a megayacht slide,’ ‘bury a teammate in sand,’ and ‘pet a stingray,’ it was a ton of fun! Our team actually ended up winning by completing the most tasks / gathering the most points, and received the ‘golden conch’ award!

HIGHLIGHT: Petting the stingrays. Such a cool experience! There are two stingrays about half a metre in diameter that hang out at the beach – there’s a ‘conch bar’ where conch ceviche is made, with conch scraps fed to the stingrays… you can actually hand feed them! They have a very soft and squishy texture on their undersides… tons of fun and a little spooky when they brushed all over my feet and ankles.

o Just before leaving Georgetown on March 31st: ANNA ARRIVES! On the

windiest day that we’ve had yet in The Bahamas, go figure! A pretty relaxed, sleepy day, after recovering from about 21 hours of travel time for Anna, followed by drinks on the beach at sunset (and some last stingray pets!)

Lots of laughs on Chat N Chill Beach!

Week 4: April 1 – 7

Southern Exuma Islands

- Rudder Cut Cay: 2 NIGHTS

o We had an approx. 35nm downwind sail from Georgetown to Rudder Cut Cay, further north along the Exuma island chain. The winds were so light that we

mostly motorsailed the whole way; particularly since we had a timeline. Rudder Cut is one of the most dangerous cuts to enter (meaning, coming from the open North Atlantic Ocean through to the leeward, protected side of the island). There is ripping current, and if the tide is fighting against the wind the waves can ‘stack’ on top of each other. We timed our sail to arrive at slack tide, and with the low winds, it was a very relaxed and peaceful entry.

o We anchored with SV Otoka and SV Vesna, and also ran into our old friends from the BVIs, SV Opus One – cool to have so many friends in the community!

o This anchorage had about a dozen boats… a nice change from 250+ back in Georgetown.

o We visited the caves and relaxed on the beach in the afternoon.

o On the second day, we snorkeled the ‘piano and mermaid statue’ near Rudder Cut Cay.

o Got some great photo opportunities, but we had to fight a 1.5 knot current – it was a good workout, for sure! One had to consistently swim against the current, with a good set of freediving fins, just to stay stationary in the water.

o In the afternoon, I visited Musha Cay – a huge sandbar with water up to knee height level. There were (literally) hundreds, if not thousands, of sand dollars to be found. Within the first 5 minutes, I had over 30 and just needed to stop gathering them for sake of space on the boat and storage! We ended up using them like little frisbees in a game of toss. Found two gorgeous Helmet Conch as well.

o Paul went spearfishing with Reuben and Declan from SV Vesna, and came home with a Nassau Grouper and a Strawberry Grouper – seasoned with lemon pepper and served with his creamed corn butternut squash casserole for dessert.

- Great Guana Cay / Oven Rock Anchorage: 2 NIGHTS

o We left Rudder Cut Cay around 9:30 AM for a 1hr journey north along the Exumas Islands to Great Guana Cay.

o There was almost no wind at all, so it was full sails plus the good old iron genoa (i.e., our diesel engine!)

o As we prepared to enter the cut – this one named ‘Farmer’s Cay Cut’ – the current was opposing us and waves were starting to stack up. We had full sails plus revved our engine to the hardest we’ve ever demanded of it – about 2700 rpm. We slowed from about 6.5 knots down to 2.0 knots as we fought against a 3.5 – 4.0 knot current. Definitely a new experience for us… a bit spooky to see the power of the water with the combination of current, waves, eddies, and having rocks on either side of the cut… there’s not much option to turn around!

o After the heart-racing experience (and the calm, cool action of Capt. Paul) we anchored with SV Vesna and SV Otoka at Oven Rock anchorage off of Great Guana Cay.

o Great Guana Cay has no inhabitants, and was a very quiet anchorage with only four boats (including the three of us in our ‘fleet’). Highlights included a hike

inland and exploration of caves, with snorkeling and the tiniest bit of freediving to explore any possible diving routes; as well as a sunset beach bonfire with lobster tails & Mahi-Mahi cooked over the fire.

o The water was super clear and calm in this anchorage, and we had dozens of tiny red starfish underneath our boat – very cute!

o Unfortunately, there were no fish caught while spearfishing near this anchorage, but we enjoyed the hogfish we had frozen (caught while anchored near Georgetown). Paul cooked ‘Kentucky Fried Hogfish,’ paired with brown rice and butter-dill carrots. Our incredibly thoughtful and kind friends on SV Vesna had purchased us a pint of cookies n’ cream ice cream while in town on our last day in this anchorage, and it was the first ice cream we’ve ever eaten aboard PR… what a treat!

o Last evening was filled with chatting aboard PR and a “Paul vs. Anna showdown” in cribbage. An early night as we prepared for another day of sailing tomorrow!

- Bitter Guana Cay: 2 NIGHTS

o Leaving Oven Rock Anchorage at 11:00 AM, we had a ‘nothing short of blissful’ sail over to Bitter Guana Anchorage. We were able to sail on the leeward protected side of the Exumas Islands, so were reaching speeds of up to 7.5 knots in 2.5 m to

4.5 m of water! A bit heart racing! That “Gatorade blue” color of the water was incredible to sail through.

o After anchoring, we joined SV Otoka and SV Vesna at the ‘Iguana Beach.’ There, a specific species native only to the Bahamas (endangered as well) roam free on this deserted island. They were very friendly, as tourists and cruisers constantly visit the island for the purpose of visiting the iguanas. We were able to hand feed them fruits and veggies, and get up close and personal for a photoshoot.

o In the evening, we had a beach bonfire at sunset and enjoyed roasting marshmallows until the moon rose and the stars were out.

o The next morning, Sarah (from SV Otoka) gave Anna and I a crash course in her breadmaking recipe, which includes only flour, yeast, salt, and water. A success!

Week 5: April 8 – 14

Southern Exuma Islands

- Big Majors Anchorage (Staniel Cay): 3 NIGHTS

o A quick jump took us from Bitter Guana Cay around the bends of Harvey Cay and Turkey Cay towards a protected cove near Staniel Cay.

o This was the first time we’ve seen superyachts & megayachts in the Bahamas – and boy, were there a lot of them!!

o We anchored the boat at “Big Majors” anchorage near SV Otoka and enjoyed a relaxed night aboard. Anna and I baked a loaf of bread and focaccia to go along with Paul’s ‘goulash soup’ and we enjoyed a movie night watching “In the Heights”.

o Our first full day, we moved the big boat to Thunderball Cove after fueling up on water & diesel at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Our anchorage was a lovely little sandbar that only fit us and three other boats; plus, it was much closer to the little town of Staniel Cay which made errands in the dinghy much more pleasant (and much less salty!)

o It was a full day of filling up on water, diesel, groceries, and dumping our trash. In the afternoon we visited “Thunderball Grotto,” made famous by the Sean Connery James Bond movie of the same name. It was pretty choppy and the current was fierce, but once you weaved your way through the swiss-cheese like rocks inside the grotto, it was perfectly calm. There were hundreds of little reef fish, and the light shining through the various holes in the grotto was beautiful. Unfortunately, the combination of current, surge, and chop on the outside of the grotto was a bit of a dealbreaker for me as far as stress-levels; better to visit this attraction on a calm day.

o Afterwards, we moved our big boat back to “Big Majors” anchorage for the evening. Before dinner, we visited the Pig Beach where we were in for a big surprise!

o We went to see the infamous Bahamian swimming pigs; what we expected (cute little piglets swimming around pleasantly) was much different than reality (big ass pigs swimming quite efficiently towards our dinghy and actually putting their hooves onto our pontoons!) Anna and I howled with laughter throughout the experience.

o Once we finished feeding the pigs from the dinghy, we took the dinghy ashore and walked around Pig Beach with all of the pigs (piglets included!)

o A very cool highlight of this anchorage at sunset: there were probably half a dozen boats with conch shells aboard, and at sunset each boat would give a good blow on their conch. Super cool, and of course we had to join in.

o Our last day at Big Majors was pretty relaxed; we took the dinghy back into the little town once more to visit the gift shop and fishing lure shop. We also got to see a little cove where nurse sharks gather (underneath a cleaning station for fishermen) and Paul was able to pet a few of the sharks.

o That evening we had sundowners aboard SV Vesna and met a few new friends from aboard another boat. It was an evening full of laughs!

Exumas Land & Sea National Park

- Cambridge Cay: 4 NIGHTS

o Leaving Big Majors anchorage near Staniel Cay, there was a change in weather patterns as a result of stormy weather from Canada & the Eastern States. Instead of our usual easterly tradewinds, the wind was coming from the N/NW. This meant that traveling N along the Exuma chain resulted in a close hauled, into the wind, heeled over sail.

o It was about 17nm to reach Cambridge Cay, and we did have a pretty fun sail considering the weather conditions. We were holding 15-20 degrees of heel and speeding along around 6.0-6.5 knots. Our original plan for the day was to stopover at an island called Compass Cay, just south of Cambridge.

o Once we reached the channel markers, we dropped sails and started to motor along our navigational ‘recommended route’. At one point, a red buoy blocked our way. We kept the red buoy to starboard, not really realizing what the purpose of it was until after the fact… and we saw our shallowest depths in the Bahamas as of yet – 1.7 and 1.6m… and our keel draws 1.8m… uh ohhh!!!

o Paul very quickly got us out of a ‘sticky’ situation as we had run aground on the soft sandy bottom. Now wiser, we understood that we should’ve been well to port of the red buoy and closer to the recommended track. Maybe – if we’re brave enough! – we’ll try that route again in the future. However, based on the wind and weather, we decided to head to Cambridge which had 360 degree weather protection.

o Arriving in Cambridge, we dropped anchor in a beautiful (and deep!) sandy bottom. I did a quick snorkel and freedive under the boat to check on the keel and rudder; a bit of blue paint had scraped away, but barnacles still remained, so we mustn’t have made too harsh of an impact. If we had run aground on coral or rock, however, that could’ve been catastrophic. A very good lesson learned today!

o Cambridge Cay is inside the “Exumas Land & Sea Park,” which is a protected area where absolutely no fishing of any kind is allowed. Slightly sad for Paul, but good for the fishes and the snorkeling!

o We spent the remainder of the afternoon, sunset, and evening on SV Otoka with new friends – a family of five – from SV Matriarch (another Canadian boat).

Sarah cooked butternut squash risotto with goat cheese plus homemade biscuits, and we were all in heaven. It was so nice to have hot food on our chilliest night yet – everyone was bundled up in sweaters plus blankets in the cockpit.

o Highlights of the next few days:

- Late afternoon hike across the island and around the northern coast; amazing structures and so much more flora than I would’ve expected. Lots of tiny succulent friends!

- Sunrise hike along the “Honeymoon Trail” with Paul to a deserted beach.

- Snorkeling directly off the transom of Panta Rhei; saw half a dozen Nassau Grouper, barracuda, lionfish, and two green sea turtles!

- Dinghy trip with SV Otoka and SV Vesna; went to visit “Little Halls Pond Cay” which is a privately owned island by none other than Jack Sparrow.. Johnny Depp himself! Also visited Sandy Cay, a small deserted island devoted to the preservation of both conch and ospreys. Spotted an osprey dive into the ocean and come back up with a reef fish clutched in its talons. Last stop of the dinghy trip was to the “Sea Aquarium” snorkel site; like a mini-Bonaire, so full of life! Absolutely gorgeous.

- Lots of Anna vs. Paul cribbage games, chatting, reading, and laughing; also, bundling up with sweaters, blankets, teas, and closed hatches as we encountered the northerly winds blowing down from Canada and the Eastern US.

Southern Exuma Islands

- Thunderball Cove (Staniel Cay): 1 NIGHT

o From Cambridge Cay, we motorsailed close-hauled (into the wind) on our journey back to Staniel Cay to bring Anna to the local airport for her flight to Nassau.

o It was another learning experience on Panta Rhei, as we encountered super shallow spots in the sand (bump) as well as a fickle anchorage upon arrival. Fortunately, we timed our arrival at peak high tide so we had an extra metre of depth to maneuver in; the current in the deeper part of the anchorage (3.0 m – 6.0m being deep!) was super tricky and much stronger than the wind.

o For this reason, our boat laid to current instead of pointing into wind while on anchor; we ended up attaching our stern to a nearby mooring ball to keep us relatively fixed to one spot.

o It was a long night with night watches, but Anna managed her ‘shift’ like a champ! Plus having Paul dinghy-deliver fried chicken tempera sandwiches from the Staniel Cay Yacht Club definitely made it all a worthwhile endeavour.

o Bright and early the next morning, Paul took Anna in to the airport for her flight to Nassau, then connecting flight to Toronto. The two weeks we were blessed to have her with us on Panta Rhei were full of adventures (and of course, those misadventures as well!) Anna was such a delight to have aboard, always sunny and willing to help, even with a fractured foot in a boot. Talk about a trooper!

o We couldn’t depart this anchorage until high tide once again rolled around (first around 6:30 AM; then again around 5:30 PM); it was too shallow to maneuver in another but peak high tide for us. So, the day involved trash disposal, laundry, groceries, gasoline top-up for the dinghy, plus refilling the freshwater tanks. Typical cruiser day!

Week 6: April 15 – 21

Southern Exuma Islands

- Big Majors Anchorage (Staniel Cay): 2 NIGHTS

o After departing Thunderball Cove, we felt a huge sense of relief to be in a large anchorage with secure holding. Paul cracked into the provisions and used canned chicken to create a chicken fettuccini alfredo pasta to die for – this was shortly followed up by a 12-hr sleep!

o The next day in Big Majors was hands down the laziest day in the Bahamas we’ve had thus far. After a busy two weeks, we both needed some serious downtime. This included movie marathons, baking, taking naps, and generally hanging out all day on the boat in PJ’s! Paul worked his magic with canned corned beef provisions and made delicious burgers with homemade buns. Another 10-hr sleep shortly followed that food coma!

- Green Cay: 3 NIGHTS

o The next morning was an early wake-up call as we prepared for a big day of sailing. The last time we clocked this many miles under the keel was from Clarence Town to Calabash Bay (Long Island), so we were eager to get underway again.

o We traveled approx. 50nm across the Exuma Bank west to a small, remote, uninhabited island called Green Cay. Our sail began on a broad reach (probably our boat’s fastest point of sail), and then turned downwind into a run. Being in the Exuma Bank meant hardly any waves at all, and it was one of the comfiest downwind sails we’ve ever had.

o That is… until a squall ripped through our area! We were traveling with a buddy boat, SV Vesna, who advised us of the upcoming squall they could see on their radar. That, coupled with the clouds we could see with our own eyes, encouraged us to drop our mainsail and put out a ‘storm jib,’ a very small headsail, combined with the good ol’ diesel engine.

o It’s a good thing we did, because that storm ended up blowing instead of sucking the air out. Paul got absolutely soaked with pelting rain at the helm while he encouraged me to take shelter in the companionway. We were fine, and the boat was fine – just very, very wet!

o We had about three hours left in the trip after the squall, and were excited to approach our destination. As we got closer, we were sailing towards the “Tongue of the Ocean,” which is a dropoff from about 3m down to 1000m+.

o The next day, Julia from SV Vesna & I went for a hike along the coastline of Green Cay. We saw baby goats and tiny lizards, but not much else. The rocky coastline gave way to a beautiful sandy beach, and we hiked until the heat got the better of us.

o That evening, we were invited to SV Vesna for a dinner of ground beef tacos (a treat in the Bahamas, where red meat is both scarce to be found and $$$$ when it is found) and a dessert of brownies & rum raisin ice cream. The full moon rose behind some storm clouds – spooky – and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

o Our final day in Green Cay, we all went snorkeling together on a nearby reef, while Paul, Reuben and Declan (SV Vesna) spearfished. It was the most beautiful snorkeling we’ve seen so far in the Bahamas, and having about a dozen reef sharks for company was thrilling. Paul caught four fish – one White Margate and three Nassau Grouper. So exciting to have fresh protein on board, and to try new recipes as well!

o Paul made fishcake burgers to share with SV Vesna. The anchorage was

absolutely still and the reflection on the ocean was breathtaking.

- Big Majors Anchorage (Staniel Cay): 3 NIGHTS

o A 5:30 AM wake-up call readied us for a big 62nm sail back to Staniel Cay today. We spent the first 20nm tacking back and forth along the drop-off to the “Tongue of the Ocean” in hopes of catching a tuna.

o SV Vesna had better luck than we did, landing a 7lb tuna and an 18lb Mahi-Mahi!

o We had a mid-day stop about halfway along our course, in the middle of the Exuma bank; there was a fish-attracting device set up where the boys did some spearfishing. No fish caught on this stop.

o We arrived to Staniel Cay / Big Majors anchorage just as the sun was setting, around 7:00 PM. It was 62nm of close-hauled sailing; our longest consecutive time (about 12 hours) of sailing into the wind on a heel angle of 15 to 30 degrees. Exhausting!

o SV Otoka hosted a potluck dinner with 17 people – Paul made spicy jalapeño ceviche with the White Margate he caught. Awesome night – but sleepy Toni came out after a long day, and we headed home before midnight.

o The next few days were chores / boat maintenance days after ignoring boat needs for our long weekend in Green Cay.

Week 7: April 22 – 28

Northern Exuma Islands

- Shroud Cay: 1 NIGHT

o We lifted anchor at 8:15 AM in Big Majors Anchorage, saying good-bye to Staniel Cay for the last time as we made our way north.

o We had a really fun sail; we were on a broad reach and beam reach the whole time, with great winds. Max speeds of 7.5 knots!

o There were several squalls that came through, but it meant our boat got a really nice (and free!) thorough freshwater rinse while underway.

o We arrived to Shroud Cay – inside the Exumas Land & Sea Nature Park – around 1:00 PM and picked up a park mooring. It was the first mooring ball we’ve had since Culebra – about three months – so that was a nice change from dropping the hook.

o The afternoon was spent with our friends on SV Vesna, SV Otoka, and SV Matriarch; we did a ‘dinghy drift’ through the mangroves on Shroud Cay.

o The mangroves weave from the protected Exuma Bank side of the island all the way to the North Atlantic ocean side of the island, with a really cool swimming area hidden behind a sandbar just before the open ocean.

- Norman’s Cay: 1 NIGHT

o Norman’s Cay was very close to our anchorage at Shroud Cay – only about 7nm, or just over an hour to transit – and we left Shroud at 10:30 AM.

o We had a really nice close reach sail, using headsail only, with speeds of up to 6.7 knots.

o Navigating into Norman’s Cay was… exciting, to say the least! The shallowest depths we saw were 2.2m, meaning there was only about 40cm between the bottom of our keel and the sandy bottom. Thankfully, SV Vesna had already visited this anchorage previously so we were able to follow their track; plus, we were coming in on a rising tide.

o We dropped anchor in our shallowest depth yet – 2.7m, backing up to 2.5m.

o At Norman’s Cay we took a short dinghy ride to the windward side of the island to see Pablo Escobar’s sunken airplane. The plane was flown to the island as a possible drug trafficking method, but Escobar wasn’t impressed by the size and sent it away. On its way back, it sunk just off the coast of Norman in the shallows. You can snorkel the wreck (part of it even breaks the surface) & also see plenty of curious reef fish and stingrays.

o This evening we had a beach bonfire potluck, with hot dogs over the fire, jambalaya rice, brussel sprouts, and potatoes. Finished off with marshmallows and campfire songs!

- Allan’s Cay: 2 NIGHTS

o It was a relatively short but pleasurable sail from Norman’s Cay north to Allan’s Cay. Finally, the winds started to abate, and we had very calm seas on the Exuma bank to sail through on a broad reach.

o Allan’s Cay was completely isolated, with no population except for iguanas on their own special protected island. Only ourselves, SV Otoka, and one other boat populated the entire anchorage.

o Our first night was spent on SV Otoka for a dinner mash-up, which included two fish that Paul and Cadence (14-yo from Otoka) caught when spearfishing this afternoon. A triggerfish that was fried in butter and lemon, and a White Margate that was made into a spicy jalapeño grouper. Sarah (from Otoka) also made poutine – what a treat!!

o The next day we visited the iguanas on Cabbage Cay. The iguanas are endemic only to this specific island, and are endangered as well as protected. They were a bit more skittish than the ones we visited previously on Bitter Guana Cay. Here there were also curious songbirds who were happy to enjoy some bread crumb treats!

o In the afternoon, I was dinghy support for Paul as he wanted to spearfish along the small island chain south of Allan’s Cay; it was a success, as he got a well-sized yellowfin jack, his 13th fish speared in the Bahamas.

o That evening was relaxed on Panta Rhei, as we prepared for a 6:00 AM morning the next day. Paul turned his fresh catch into fish cake burgers.

Nassau

- Central Anchorage: 2 NIGHTS

o We enjoyed an approx. 33nm sail from Allan’s Cay to Nassau, the central hub of the Bahamas. Leaving at sunrise, it was all downwind and on our beam; both extremely comfortable points of sail. We were able to sail the entire way, even though winds were fairly light near the end and we slowed down to speeds between 3.5 to 4.5 knots.

o Winding through coral heads and shallows, we approached the eastern entrance of the Nassau Harbour. After calling in to the Harbourmaster for permission to enter, we slowly made our way towards two daunting obstacles: the Paradise Island bridges.

o Two huge bridges, about 69’ in height, span across from New Providence Island to Paradise Island (two major islands out of several which make up Nassau).

o Although we have plenty of experience with bridges from St. Maarten, this was the first time we’d taken Panta Rhei through a fixed bridge – a bit nerve-wracking to say the least! But all was well, and we had plenty of clearance between the top of our mast and the bottom of the bridge.

o We anchored between the cruise ship terminals and the western bridge, in a small central anchorage of about a dozen boats. There are so many options for marinas in Nassau that most cruisers will choose to spend their nights there. We found the anchorage to be quite conveniently placed to everything we needed (fuel, water, Starbucks!), although a heavily trafficked area being next to a channel.

o The best part of our anchorage was that we discovered two boats that we had met previously – one, SV Zephyr from Curacao, and another Swedish boat from Puerto Rico! It was really cool to meet up with friends that we hadn’t seen in such a long time; the cruising community really is quite small.

o Our first evening in Nassau, we were really fortunate to see a family whom I had the pleasure of meeting back in St. Maarten. I had taught the two children, Jules and Charlotte, while at Caribbean International School, and their family had moved to Nassau the same year that Paul and I left St. Maarten. It was so nice to see them again (and see how much the kids had grown!) and we were absolutely spoiled with a grocery run, laundry stop, home-cooked meal, and excellent conversation.

o SV Otoka & SV Vesna took marina slips at Atlantis Marina, so we were fortunate to be able to enjoy the amenities there. It’s hard to describe Atlantis Marina, and I definitely recommend a quick Google search for some mind-boggling pictures and figures. It’s a huge resort encompassing the majority of Paradise Island, home to superyachts galore. There are suites that rent for $25,000 USD per night, and poolside Cabanas for $4,000 USD per day. A waterpark, aquarium (above and below ground), exclusive mall, casino, restaurants, and more await at Atlantis.

o We were ‘snuck in’ (quite easily) to the waterpark on our second day in Nassau, and enjoyed the water park rides, chilling poolside, and simply marveling at the resort itself on our walk through. The aquarium was also really cool, named “The Dig” and themed Tomb Raider / Indiana Jones style.

o After a full afternoon in the sun, we had drinks and appies aboard SV Vesna before a walk through the resort to a burger shack for dinner. Afterwards, we walked through the casino and explored The Dig once more.

Week 8: April 29 – May 5

Eleuthera

- “Pimlico Anchorage”: 1 NIGHT

o We left Nassau Harbour (waving goodbye to the cruise ships as we went) for our next destination, Eleuthera: a series of low-lying, flat islands with a huge fishing industry (one harbour called Spanish Wells accounts for 75% of the entire nations export of spiny lobster).

o It was practically a zero-wind day, and reminded us a lot of part of our sail from Bonaire to St. Maarten, when we passed Saba on perfectly flat water.

o We motorsailed the entire way, and had high hopes for trawling along the deep ocean bank on our way to Eleuthera.

o Fortunately, our hopes and wishes came true – with our first tuna! We must’ve sailed right through a couple schools, because two separate times we had hits on both the trawling and casting rods on our boat. So, twice, BOTH rods had tuna on the line. We were able to get 2 / 4 into the boat, so not a terrible average!

o The first tuna we got in was quite large, and the second one small but definitely edible. It was interesting to see the difference when ‘bleeding’ the tuna vs. the Mahi-Mahi and Cero Mackerel Paul caught in the past… it honestly looked like a blood bath on the boat! Uck!

o We arrived to our “anchorage” just before sunset with tons of fresh tuna in tow to share with our friends on SV Vesna and SV Otoka. “Anchorage” is in quotation marks because this spot wasn’t marked on any of our navigational equipment / charts – we simply made it our own anchorage! It was located between Pimlico Cay & Current Island, so I added the anchorage onto Navionics for future adventurers to enjoy!

o It was perfectly still, flat water, surrounded by a rocky coastline covered with pine trees. Super picturesque, and it almost seemed like we were on a lake in Canada.

o Sarah from SV Otoka made fresh sushi and sashimi with Paul’s catch, and we also had blackened & grilled tuna on the BBQ. A total feast!

- Meek’s Patch: 1 NIGHT

o The next morning, we moved the big boats further north along Eleuthera to a little island called Meek’s Patch. Again, it was very isolated, with only us three boats in the anchorage. A very nice change after the craziness of Nassau Harbour!

o We had a relaxing (rainy) afternoon, and an absolute fish feast on Vesna for dinner. Paul helped to beer batter and fry both hogfish and freshly caught Mutton Snapper. Deeeeelish!

- Spanish Wells (Day Anchorage) / Jack’s Bluff Anchorage: 3 NIGHTS

o On our third day in Eleuthera, we headed into the main town called Spanish Wells. It was such a sweet town, and gave us “Caribbean-ified” Saskatchewan small town / lake vibes. There were so many brightly coloured houses with catchy names and intricate gardens.

o Walking around Spanish Wells, we weaved through the residential streets and also stumbled upon a beach on the windward side of the very narrow island. I walked out to a nearby sandbar and saw little starfish & conch shells.

o In the afternoon, we moved the big boats over to Jack’s Bluff anchorage, a more protected spot in the easterly winds (and also closer to our car rental pickup for tomorrow’s adventures!)

o The next day was a full day of touring around central Eleuthera. We rented two cars and piled in 13 people to see the sights. Highlights were…

o A delicious burger lunch at Daddy Jo’s restaurant, which (fun fact) is located beside Lenny Kravitz’s home.

o Checking out Preacher’s Cave, which originally was a place a refuge for the first English settlers who sailed to the Bahamas from Bermuda in 1648. After becoming shipwrecked on the infamous Devil’s Backbone Reef (northeast of Eleuthera), they found shelter in the cave and named the island ‘eleutheria,’ meaning ‘freedom’.

o Visiting Sweetings Pond, a saltwater inland pond which is also a nature reserve for the seahorses, nudibranchs, and conch that populate it. We snorkelled in the very shallow pond and saw literally hundreds of nudibranchs and seahorses galore!

o Jumping into Sapphire Blue Hole, a 25ft-ish drop into a beautiful clear sink hole near Preacher’s Cave. Donning a mask and snorkel, there are definitely windy cave routes to be found branching off this sinkhole.

o Seeing the ‘Glass Window,’ the narrowest point in the rock spine that makes up Eleuthera. It’s named for the ability to look through underneath a bridge to the open North Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the turquoise-green shallow waters of

the bank to the west. The bridge has already been destroyed and rebuilt seven times, as during mega-storms up to 3,000 miles of unobstructed ocean fetch hit the bridge with incredible force… sometimes throwing walls of water up to 120 feet high!

Sweetings Pond photo credits to Monica & Jason of "BreatheSailDive" www.breathesaildive.com

- Egg Island: 1 NIGHT

o Leaving Jack’s Bluff anchorage at 10:00 AM, we had a leisurely 10nm sail to Egg Island, an anchorage on the leeward western side of north Eleuthera.

o Paul and I decided to extend the trip a bit – since we were leaving the shallow bank for the ocean, to try out our luck again on some trawling!

o We were joined by Declan and Reuben of SV Vesna, but no luck catching fish this time… Although, it’s always nice to be out sailing.

o The afternoon was spent with all the crews from SV Vesna and SV Otoka, including lunch and beach time complete with hermit crab races. It was SV Otoka’s last day with us in the Bahamas before leaving for Port Canaveral, FL, and ultimately selling their boat.

o That evening and the next morning, there were multiple thunderstorms that rolled through our anchorage. It was interesting to watch the flashes (from cloud to cloud) and reassuring both to hear how distant the thunder was, and the fact that huge radio towers surrounded us.

- North Beach Anchorage: 2 NIGHTS

o In the morning, winds were up to 48.1 knots as a 30-minute squall ripped

through our anchorage – eeeeeessh!

o Lots of mixed feelings as we said our goodbyes to the crew of Otoka and watched them head off to their next destination.

o As for ourselves, we needed to get out of the untenable anchorage and seek somewhere more protected. That meant heading into the shelter of the Eleuthera bank.

o On our motorsail over, Paul caught his second Cero Mackerel – just as he was reeling in his line, he got a bite! Winner winner, fish dinner!

o North Beach Anchorage was very calm, and it almost felt surreal to have experienced an intense squall this very morning. We spent the following afternoon working on fixing our bilge (the part responsible for pumping water out of our boat, so pretty important).

Week 9: May 6 – 12

Eleuthera

- Dunmore Town Anchorage (Harbour Island): 4 NIGHTS

o Looking ahead to the weather forecast, we needed to seek shelter from some very unstable weather. There was a large system circulating out of the Eastern US, causing turbulence in the northern Bahamas, including storm cells and westerly winds.

o We took advantage of a very calm day (the calm before the storm, indeed) to move approx. 35nm from North Beach to Harbour Town, an anchorage with 360 degree protection located on the northeastern tip of Eleuthera… perfect for the forecasted 30+ knot winds from the west!

o On our way, we stopped at a wreck to snorkel and spearfish. The name of the wreck is called “Arimoroa MV” and was a 260-ft Lebanese steel freighter. In the 1970s, a fire started in the galley and the captain decided to purposefully beach the vessel on the nearest land (Egg Island). There were no casualties, but the fire raged on for three months! The cargo within the freighter was guano-based fertilizer, and has caused some interesting effects on the wildlife. There has been over 60 species of fish catalogued on this wreck, and the reef has made an incredible comeback. No edible fish were caught on this day by Reuben, Declan, or Paul (save for ridding the wreck of a few invasive lionfish), but Paul made the cutest little fish friend who followed him around the entire time!

o Afterwards, we hoped for catching a fish on the remaining ~30nm to our next anchorage. We did have a mystery bite, which was so sudden and with such force that it ripped the entire line off of Paul’s rod within less than 5 seconds of the first hit. Maybe a tuna or a wahoo?

o Entering the harbour we had perfectly flat water, which enabled us to navigate around the shallows effectively. There was one gut-clenching moment where our depth sounder read 2.0m (remember, we are 1.8m deep!) but it quickly passed into deeper water and safely made it to our anchorage joining SV Vesna and SV Hope.

o The next day, we braved the wind and waves and took the dinghies in to Dunmore Town, the main settlement on Harbour Island.

o Julia (from SV Vesna) rented a golf cart and all six of us piled in to explore the town laundry, grocery, bakery, and shops. It was a really cute town with lots of cotton-candy coloured cottages sprinkled along the waterfront.

o That evening, we joined SV Hope on SV Vesna for a delicious meal of tuna tataki (freshly caught on yesterday’s sail by Reuben and Declan) as well as my homemade peach crisp for dessert.

Photo credit: Wayne and Barbie Williams

For the remainder of this week, we're going to keep a close eye on weather forecasts. We may even be ready to start our sail northbound up the Gulf Stream to Beaufort, North Carolina. We'll be sure to keep you all posted on our departure plans! Thanks so much for spending some time reading about our time in the Bahamas, and we hope you enjoyed the blog post. Sending lots of love your way!

Cheers!

Toni & Paul