Hog Cay, Raggeds, BS — 04•14•23
0700 — Anchor up. Water Cay is the destination for today. This is goodbye to the Raggeds till next season. I followed E Sea Ryder out of the anchorage. We had a quiet night on anchorage at Water. Tomorrow, we are off to Long Island.
Thompson Bay, Long Island, BS — 04•15•23
After an uneventful sail, dodging rain squalls, we anchored in Thompson Bay, Long Island.
After a few days in Thompson Bay catching up with other friends, it was time to move again. Next stop, George Town.
George Town, Great Exuma, BS — 04•19•23
Trouble had a quick sail with friends to George Town from Long Island. After dropping anchor in Kidd Cove, I was off to do some provisioning and plan my exit from the Bahamas.
It was also The National Family Island Regatta this week in George Town. Needless to say, it was very crowded and lots of sailing.
Slideshow: National Family Island Regatta Exumas
After a busy week, it was time to start making my way north.
Black Point, Exumas, BS — 04•28•23
0630— Anchor up. What was supposed to be a gentle, easy sail to Black Point seemed anything but that. It was a perfect day to fly the spinnaker. After I got it up, it appeared jammed in the up position. I broke a block on it as I tried to wrestle it down. But fortunately, by breaking it, I could get it down. But it would be out of commission for the rest of this season.
At the same time, my autopilot decided to stop working. This is when solo sailing gets hard. Luckily, the seas and wind were not bad. I got the spinnaker put away and would have to hand steer the rest of the day. I was sure I could repair the autopilot at Black Point. Little Farmers Cay was a new cut I was going to go through. I hoped to follow one of the other boats I was sailing with, but alas, I was there first. Thankfully, there were no more issues for the rest of the day, and I had the anchor down at 1705 (5:05 pm) at Black Point.
Cambridge, Exumas, BS — 04•29•23
After an overnight at Black Point, we traveled to Cambridge with E Sea Ryder and Hadhammer. It was a short trip, so we didn’t depart until after lunch. Cambridge is part of the Bahamas National Trust, but all the mooring balls were taken. We ended up just needing to anchor off the mooring balls. It was tight, and I was a little worried, but it all worked out.
Warderick Wells, Exumas, BS — 04•30•23
With a phone call for a reservation, we sailed to Warderick Wells. Warderick Wells requires a reservation to pick up a mooring in the north field. It’s probably the most striking anchorage in the Exumas. It was blowing hard, and after a fast sail, I struggled to pick up the mooring by myself. With wind current and no maneuvering room, I had made three passes at it when a fellow boater on a mooring next to me came over and gave me a hand.
We spent a couple of days at Warderick Wells and did all the usual stuff like climbing Boo Boo Hill. See my previous post about that HERE.
Highborne Cay, Exumas, BS — 05•02•23
The next stop on the way out of the Bahamas was Highborne Cay. We could go ashore and look around, which is usually not allowed in this exclusive marina.
Rose Island, New Providence Is, BS — 05•03•23
This is our last stop before we make the jump back to the United States. Our weather window looked doable, but sometimes, the Gulf Stream has another thing in mind. But more about that in the next post.