Bahamas - Do's and Dont's

[impi]

Originally Posted by Tia Bu

I, too, think the "provision before you get to the Bahamas" chant is overdone. You can find plenty of great food and fairly reasonable prices there. The beer is expensive, though.

I would say there are great cruising destinations all over the Bahamas. There really isn't enough time in a lifetime to take it all in. Nassau and Freeport would be at the bottom of my list of places to visit, though.

Somewhere up high-- on the bucket list, really-- should be a visit to Nipper's on Great Guana Cay in the Abacos on a Sunday afternoon. I can't really explain it, but...

Would love to know more about Nipper's ....

[impi]

Originally Posted by sailor0007

Bahamas air will fly your son for $75 from Nassau to Georgetown, you can then make a leisurely trip up to NAS. It is worth every penny... Exuma market in georgetown is pretty good if you forget provisioning.

This looks reasonable ... so, suggestion is to fly them down to George Town and take our time moving north ... I think I need to look at this option for starters ... thanks

Can one sail up north or is it advisable to motor up on account of shallows?

[Sailorman Ed]

We enjoyed the Bahamas but skip Nassua if you can. There are decent food store on the other islands just not even little town so stock up when you see what you like. The Exumas were good but we liked the Berrys better. Also skip Spanish Wells. Add Conception Island and Little San Salvador is you like pristine.

[impi]

Originally Posted by Azul

Two spots I really loved when I was island hopping (with an airplane) were Staniel Cay and Cat Island. Thunderball Grotto and Iguana Cay make great day trips from SC (hint, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have done photo shoots there) and have great photo ops and snorkeling. The scuba wall diving off Cat Island is spectacular and nicely off the beaten track. It might be nice to rent a cottage at SCYC for a few days break during the trip, the package deal with a 13 foot Boston Whaler and full meals is terrific- lobster tail, cracked conch etc. Even made custom boxed lunches.

Hi Azul ... this sounds good man ... do you have any idea if the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will be there during our visit?

[Rocketman]

The sailing is great, just get yourself a guide book and charts and follow there routes, and you will have no problems.

[impi]

Originally Posted by Sailorman Ed

We enjoyed the Bahamas but skip Nassua if you can. There are decent food store on the other islands just not even little town so stock up when you see what you like. The Exumas were good but we liked the Berrys better. Also skip Spanish Wells. Add Conception Island and Little San Salvador is you like pristine.

Ok ... so the Berrys seems to be popping up a bit ... would like to know more ....what is it about the Berrys that you like?

[impi]

Originally Posted by DeborahLee

If you go to Cambridge you might want to go to the aquraium just north of there. There is also an airplane there to dive on. Also Thunder ball at Staniel cay.

Sounds good ... any idea of the depth of the plane ... and what's at Thunderball?

[Dakota450]

Originally Posted by impi

Ok ... so the Berrys seems to be popping up a bit ... would like to know more ....what is it about the Berrys that you like?

Brent, I sailed from Nassau to the Berry islands. There isn't much going on there but the lagoon on Great Harbor Cay where the "beach club" is located is a place that someday I hope to anchor in for a few days and just relax. It is absolutely beautiful and I have been all over the Caribbean throughout the years. Many beautiful places but that lagoon just stands out for me. Google the beach club on great harbor cay and zoom in or just find pictures of the place.

Mark

[Dakota450]

One more thing, don't get the wrong idea about the word "beach club". This place is nothing special at all. Not anything like what you are used to in the BVI's. It's just a simple little no frills place. It's the lagoon that I really thought was beautiful. The beach club is just a way for you to locate the place.

[impi]

Originally Posted by Dakota450

Brent, I sailed from Nassau to the Berry islands. There isn't much going on there but the lagoon on Great Harbor Cay where the "beach club" is located is a place that someday I hope to anchor in for a few days and just relax. It is absolutely beautiful and I have been all over the Caribbean throughout the years. Many beautiful places but that lagoon just stands out for me. Google the beach club on great harbor cay and zoom in or just find pictures of the place.

Mark

Hi Mark, yeah that does look beautiful. Are there places with activity (such as nice dive sites etc. nearby ... the kids would love a quiet beautiful spot but not for too long)?

[Cheechako]

I would head to Exumas, NOT get stuck in Georgetown and make sure to get out to Conception Island and one of the lesser traveled islands south/west of Conception... good snorkeling all of the above.

[impi]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I would head to Exumas, NOT get stuck in Georgetown and make sure to get out to Conception Island and one of the lesser traveled islands south/west of Conception... good snorkeling all of the above.

Ok ... I just took a quick peek at that ... Conception is about 61nm NE of Georgetown ... would you recommend sailing directly there after collecting the kids, and if so what would be your track from there?

[JusDreaming]

Originally Posted by impi

Sounds good ... any idea of the depth of the plane ... and what's at Thunderball?

The plane and the Sea Aquarium are both shallow snorkel spots. The other end of Caimbridge IMHO is a better spot. There is a reef that borders the cut, so deep or shallow is possible. Beautiful coral formations, and big fish or small fish, according where you are on the reef. We have had manta rays swim under us also hammer head!! And even though it is inside park, YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO USE MOORING BALL!!!. If you are a scuba diver, the the cut is a GREAT drift dive. South of the cut is outside the park so conching is legal.
The Berrys are really nice, very secluded anchorages and clear water, but the only restaurant,(we are talking 6 tables), is Flo's conch bar, which has IMHO the best cracked conch anywhere. There just is not anything to do except hunt, beach walk, and have anchorages all to your self. But stay out of Chubb Marina, it is a totally non friendly EXPENSIVE PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Send a PM for more specifics if you want more detailed info. We are also on a cat so more info is available

[JusDreaming]

Originally Posted by impi

Ok ... I just took a quick peek at that ... Conception is about 61nm NE of Georgetown ... would you recommend sailing directly there after collecting the kids, and if so what would be your track from there?

Conception is very nice day sail from GT. Good beach and really nice dingy exploration up the creeks. Basically you will go past the north end of Long Island where the,( I think it is the North Equatorial Current) brings up good fishing. For us from Conception it is then up to Cat, then Little San Salvador, then Eleuthera. From there it is a hop over to the Exumas, or head to Rock Sound, Eleuthera.
If the wind is out of the south you could also do the reefs north of Rum, just don't get caught in any other wind direction
Also Emerald Bay is an EXTREMEMLY nice marina with a fantastic staff. Usually they offer 1.00 per ft for non service slip,(no electric or water), but free wifi, showers, and laundry!!!!!!!!! And short Taxi to GT airport from there
But like others have said too many spots to list. Been going there for years and still find new spots to explore

[Katiusha]

On the way to Exumas, if the weather gives you a chance, stop in Hogsty Reef - one of the three true atolls in Western hemisphere.
Also recommend Aklins Bight mainly for exploring their Blue holes - near the middle of Croocked Island in 4' of water you get these holes that go all the way under the island to the ocean on the other side. Spectacular snorkeling, spearfishing, and lobstering (think lobster condominiums where you can take your pick of the best ones ). These holes are listed on Explorer charts, though slightly off with coordinates. Though it a bit of a sail from the cut, so that's a 2-3 day stop.


Some fav stops of ours in Exumas:

Lee Stocking Island - Ocean Research Institute. Neat program for saving coral on display and the like. Nice hike on the island with many photo ops of yourself in front of Bahamian waters with the boat

Guana Key cut - there is a rock in the middle of the cut (and a dinghy tie up close by). This rock has a hole just under the water. If you snorkel there during outgoing tide, hold on tightly to the rock and peak outside - there'll be an aquarium of big game fish waiting for small fishes to be sucked through the hole. During incoming tide this hole becomes a rollercoaster - you swim up, current picks you up, tumbles a few times, and deposits a few meters back. Lots of fun.
From the same anchorage also worth exploring Cave Key - there's a giant cave on the south side with good slipper lobster (the flat ones) fishing around. Careful with the cut north of Musha Key - we nearly got sucked out of the cut by the tide.

Staniel Key - anchor near the Thunderball cave (cave with lots of fish - protected env). Staniel Key Yacht Club is definitely worth a visit, and so is Thunderball club (if it's still open). Gorgeous sunsets from the latter. Fish in the cave and pigs on the pig beach (Big Majors) expect treats from you. For fish bring crackers/bread, for pigs - bagels/bread. Careful in the cut - usually sharks hunting. Note that Staniel Key has good air connections to both Nassau and Fort Lauderdale. South of Staniel Key is another anchorage where not many boats anchor because of the draft. There is a small sandy island nearby and very good snorkeling in the cut to the anchorage. And, of course, there are hikes on the island that take you to the ocean side that's just gorgeous.

Can't remember the name for sure, but I think it's Pipe Key - there's an old military base on western side of the island. Would not suggest docking there because of rats and derbis in the water, but it was fun to explore.

Sampson Key - nice resort with a nice bar, fun memories of bonfire on eastern side of the island, you can dock there or anchor just around the northern corner before the rocks - other cruisers don't anchor there because Explorer charts show 3' (go Navionics!). Good spearfishing in the series of rocks further west.

Compass Key - the key itself was not something we liked, mostly because we felt we were being skinned for money (you either must buy something at the shop/bar, in which case you can stay only on the dock or you pay a fee for walking on the island). However, south of Compass going into the cut (protected by sand bores) our fav anchoring spot mostly because there are schools of eagle rays that gather there at full tide. We would hang on the boat ladder or a line and watch them - incredible!

Exumas Land and Sea Park - that's where fishing is strictly prohibited (and there are partol and cruiser boats enforcing it), so snorkeling is outstanding, similar to Thunderball. Suggest anchoring south of Cambridge Key (but out of the cut) and going to Rocky Dundas for their giant cave. Otherwise pretty much anywhere else in the park is also awesome.

Norman's Key - we don't know why people anchor in Norman's Key Cut. It's rolly, not much snorkeling that we could find (except for the plane), and too many boats that drag with wind and current. There's a pretty bar on the airfield, but that's about everything that we could find there that we liked (except for the sunken plane). Instead we choose to anchor (with an eye for the weather) on the eastern side of the island close to entrance to Norman's pond. There's a giant white sandy beach there just to ourselves and in entrance there are a lot of conch and lobsters in the rocks.

Allen's Key - usually the first stop in/out of Nassau. If you manage to navigate in between Leaf and Allen, there're good depths there, nice current to hang from the ladder on, and some snorkeling. Fishing wasn't successful as there's usually a big old smart barracuda hanging around.

We usually use Navionics Platinum (very good coverage in middle/north Exumas and arial photos help as well) comparing to Explorer charts all the time. Works well enough that we usually manage to anchor in interesting spots where we are by ourselves and find awesome secluded beaches.

Enjoy! It's gorgeous out there!!

P.S. Aaahh... best memories of all cruising. Had a lot of fun writing up this post.