Jake and I started cruising with the intent to spend the bulk of that time in the Bahamas, and specifically the Exuma Cays. But we had plans to meet up with our friends in Turks & Caicos, which was still a whopping 275 miles away. Time was running short. With that in mind, we were motivated to get south. The weather forecast was calm (only 10 knots of wind!). We knew the swells and waves would still be a little larger, but not terrible. The plan: 35 miles south to Adderly Cay and anchor near the old Caribbean Marine Research Center.

We left Staniel Cay (thunderball grotto anchorage) at the crack of dawn on January 28. The sky was partly cloudy and the winds were definitely more chill. We motored out of the anchorage through a winding path and out into the Exuma Sound.

The Exuma Islands (or Cays) are a fascinating topographic place. The west side of the cays has miles and miles of very shallow water (10-20 feet) expanding all the way to Andros Island and Nassau. The east side (aka – Exuma Sound) has super deep, thousands of feet of deep ocean water. This area is also known as the “tongue of the ocean”.

What this means to us sailors is that the behavior of the water, waves and even wind are vastly different on each side. The west side barely has any current and the waves are either non-existent or slightly choppy. The waves on the east side are long and rolling. Near the inlets, or cuts, there is ocean surge, swell and current, which when added to the waves can create some very funky (and maybe not so fun) conditions. The further from the shallows, the swell dissipates into the normal flow of ocean waves.

I say this all, because today is our first day out in the Exuma Sound. And as we motored clear of the inlet, we could immediately feel the difference. The swells were HUGE – maybe 6 feet, even though the waves themselves were only 2 feet. Just one of the many phenomena of Bahamas sailing. The further out from the shallows, the swell calmed a bit, but not by much. Plus, we weren’t going all that far out to make it disappear completely, so that just meant for some larger waves. Our course was dead-to-wind so the motor-sailing was less than ideal, but we got used to it.

I steered us the entire 35 miles as Jake worked on trying to find and fix a leak in the galley. At first he thought a through-hull was leaking (it wasn’t) and then the sink drain (it wasn’t). After ripping apart the entire kitchen, cabinets, etc. he realized that the distilled water container was the culprit. By the way he was talking, you would think Bosco was taking on gallons of water by the minute. In reality, it was more like 4 tablespoons. 🙂 At least it was a way to pass the time!

We motored our way into the Adderly Cut by mid-afternoon. The surge and current were both on our side, despite the strong surge, we made it through the cut without issue. And as soon as we cleared the breakers, everything went dead flat. We were surrounded by the quintessential blues of the Bahamas.

The anchorage was just around the bend of the cut, and we dropped the hook in 8 feet of water. There were a few other boats around us, but it felt like we had it all to ourselves. That evening we enjoyed a super yummy mango salad. The weather picked up but we were well-protected and comfortable.

The next morning, Jake and I were debating on what to do about our next move. The weather forecast looked terrible over the next few weeks, and we still had to go 250 miles in 2 weeks. Not impossible, but not fun either. It would be day after day of battling big wind, waves and storms to get there. The prospect of a week of non-stop miserable travel was NOT appealing to us. Cruising and Schedules DON’T MIX. We know this already, but I guess we need a reminder!

The decision made itself. Its just not worth it to risk ourselves and our boat to try to get to Turks by our deadline. Of course I was super disappointed that we were giving this up – it felt like a failure. But once I let the reality sink in, I actually felt a huge weight lifted. It makes no sense to rush through this beautiful place, the one place that we are most excited to see, for a couple of days of visiting friends on their vacation.

So now our schedule was back to wide-open; the way it should have always been.

That afternoon, we kayaked over to the old Marine Research Center, which is now completely abandoned. It was SUPER bizarre walking around here. It is literally a ghost town. Its as if everyone up and disappeared but left all of their stuff behind. The homes were still furnished, cars in the driveway, kitchen tables were still set. We walked around through the town and down to an old airstrip, obviously no longer in service. It was beautiful but eerie. I got the willies and didn’t want to hang out too long. I swear we could have been in one of those zombie or apocalyptic movies – CREEPY!

When we got back to Bosco, a fellow cruising boat came over to introduce themselves. And that’s how we met our new friends, Anne & Mike, s/v Beans. They invited us over for lobster dinner on their boat.

That evening, we had an awesome time with Beans. We learned that they have been cruising the Bahamas for over 20 years, and know how to do it and make it last. They absolutely adore this part of the Exumas (south of Staniel to north of George Town). We learned all about them and their cruising history, shared our experiences and an absolutely fantastic dinner; lobster fettuccini, fish filets, cabbage salad, grilled coconut and brownies. CAN YOU SAY YUMMY!!!!

Before we made our way back to Bosco, Beans gave us tons of great little tips on the map of places to explore nearby. They told us of the iguana island, Leaf Cay, Lee Stocking Cay, Williams Bay, Perry’s Peak and a few great little snorkel and hiking spots. All of this within 5 miles!!!

The next day, January 30, we left our anchorage and moved over to Leaf Cay to explore the iguana island. It was only about 2 miles from where we started – so we got there in less than 20 minutes. We got the dinghy rigged and headed over to the island with some “iguana food” and cameras in tote.

The rock iguanas were basically on their own private tiny island. The water here was UNBELIEVABLE. I haven’t seen such distinct coloring before now in the water. Jake was more cautious this time with the iguanas, pulling up the dinghy before feeding them. We spent about 30 minutes on the beach. There were maybe 2-dozen of these guys all over the place. They didn’t attack us as we pulled up (like the pigs did), but they did come out of hiding. When we fed them, they went NUTTS. It was kind of fun and funny but we didn’t want to get too close since they’re known to bite. One iguana almost climbed into our dinghy – that was so funny.

A small rogue wave came and hit our dinghy, knocking the outboard in the water. Jake was on it in less than 10 seconds, but we were afraid it wouldn’t start after its dousing. Luckily it started after a few pulls and we decided that it was time to leave. We made way back to Bosco and got everything back on deck.

After that we decided to skip the snorkeling, because it was pretty windy and rough out there – meaning visibility would be bad. Instead, we made our way back through the old anchorage and down a bit to Williams Bay. Beans told us of this, and they were making their way over to the anchorage as we passed. We decided to drop our anchor outside of the bay, since we weren’t sure of the depths (they looked shallow on our maps). But once we set the anchor, we realized that we probably could have moved up another quarter mile and been fine. But we were settled enough and it felt protected from all the elements – so we didn’t bother moving.

After a quick lunch, Jake cleaned the outboard. It seemed okay but we were still wary. Thankfully it started on the first pull, and we made our way over to one of the beaches with Beans. Here, we spent the next hour milling about, hiking around and then up to the summit of Perry’s Peak. A whopping 123 feet! Tallest peak in the Exumas. haha – this sounds almost ridiculous seeing as how we came from the rocky mountains of Colorado!

Anne & Mike are so fun and spirited – they showed us tons of things – taught us about the local flora and fauna (i.e. – what plants are poisonous), and more hints and tricks to get around here. After our beautiful hike, we made our way back to the dinghy and over to another beach a bit further down the way. Here we hiked along the Exuma Sound side, as well as climbed some rocks that overlook the ocean. It was so stunning – We did some sea combing (i.e. – shell hunting) and met a few other cruisers in the anchorage.

On our way back, we found 3 Conch. Beans taught us how to clean and prepare them. It was not as hard or gross as I imagined. That night, we were invited to a bonfire on the beach by the other cruisers, but opted to hang low on the boat. It was an excellent time of exploring – and our cracked conch was delicious!

I can’t wait to see what will be in store for us tomorrow.