I plan to sail with my family for eight days (April 1st until 8th 2015) in the Exumas with a catamaran (38ft). Any hints for interesting places and any idea for a good cruising guide book of that area?
Thanks and best regards
Uli
Alan's cay has the iguanas (over rated), Litte cistern has a lovely anchorage with beach and reef, Compass Cay is nice with great snorkeling at the norther end in caves, Staniel Cay and Big Majors of course with the swimming pigs and thunderball grotto. Many other great spots around there with less traffic.
It’s Allen’s Cay, not Alan’s, and I agree it’s overrated. A better place is just a bit farther south at Warderick Wells in Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park. I think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. Google it and view the images.
__________________
- Dennis Jay
Annapolis, MD • USA
... A better place is just a bit farther south at Warderick Wells in Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park. I think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. Google it and view the images.
+1. Beautiful, very pleasant place to hang out for a while.
RTB,
It's funny to see that AquaCat sign in your photo. That is how I got there (on the Aquacat), and the only time I've been, I can remember vividly looking at the boats anchored there and thought, must be nice to have that kind of money to where you can come to places like this in your own boat.
Lord I'm looking forward to that
The Exumas are possibly my favourite cruising grounds full stop. Actually, we're leaving the UK this year and I am SO excited to get back to that warm, crystal clear water.
- Allen's Cay / Leaf Cay is a great anchorage, tucked in among the three islands.
- Staniel Cay is nice and there's Thunderball grotto
- Hawksbill Cay is great for just lazing around on the beach.
- Warderick Wells was interesting with the blow holes, but in my opinion is quite overrated.
- Norman's Cay, if for nothing else than to check out the lagoon, snorkel on the sunken drugs plane and wander around the derelict hotel and villas that Carlos Lehder once ran / owned / commandeered.
Otherwise, just have a great time. It's an awesome place to take a boat.
The Exumas are possibly my favourite cruising grounds full stop. Actually, we're leaving the UK this year and I am SO excited to get back to that warm, crystal clear water.
- Allen's Cay / Leaf Cay is a great anchorage, tucked in among the three islands.
- Staniel Cay is nice and there's Thunderball grotto
- Hawksbill Cay is great for just lazing around on the beach.
- Warderick Wells was interesting with the blow holes, but in my opinion is quite overrated.
- Norman's Cay, if for nothing else than to check out the lagoon, snorkel on the sunken drugs plane and wander around the derelict hotel and villas that Carlos Lehder once ran / owned / commandeered.
Otherwise, just have a great time. It's an awesome place to take a boat.
nathan
One hundred per cent agreement with what this guy just said.
I'm assuming you are picking the boat up in Nassau. I sure wouldn't go very far south of Staniel Cay. But, you will have a fantastic week if you just go to the above listed spots. Easy sailing and navigation, too with the yellow banks being about the only thing you need to be mindful of (which just means transitting them with the sun overhead with a lookout on the bow,and I have never heard of anyone actually hitting a coralhead there, although it gets warned about a lot).
The one thing you don't want to do is to try and go to Georgetown or any place where you have to go out one of the cuts. Because those cuts are very weather dependent and not something that is always doable in an 8 day period (the worst thing would be to make it through, and then get trapped by the weather when it was time to return). Winds are usually tradewinds out of the southeast. Fronts shouldn't be too bad in April. You will know when one is coming when the wind starts to clock around to the south west and then the west. The next thing will be higher winds out of the north/north east, and then they swing around to the east and back to the south east. That can take from two to ten days, depending on the size and speed of the front. But, all you get is wind mostly. It doesn't seem to rain much in the Bahamas. Just know that you might get some gusts when this happens.
My favorite place in the Bahamas in Staniel Cay. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is as close to the perfect kind of Island bar/restaurant as it is possible to be (and, you can get internet there, which I know is important these days, especially if you have teenagers with you). There is tons of stuff to do and see around there alone (they have a good web site you should check out). There is also Compass Cay Marina and Sampson Cay Marina (but, I'm pretty sure one of those might be under renovation, but I can't remember which one).
Buy an Explorer "Exumas" Chartbook. (you can order them online) It will help you get a lot more out of your trip (and be really good to have if you have an electronics failure). They are also really fun for trip planning purposes and something you can keep referencing as you prepare for your trip. I constantly get mine out for future trip planning and just to reminiscence about past trips. In my humble opinion, they are the Bible of Bahamas Cruising (there are actually three of them, but you only need the Exumas one).
You're going to have a blast!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Founding member of the controversial Calypso rock band, Guns & Anchors!
There is also Compass Cay Marina and Sampson Cay Marina (but, I'm pretty sure one of those might be under renovation, but I can't remember which one).
Definitely agree on this but sadly - and I really mean that - Sampson Cay has now returned to private ownership and has become a holiday retreat for the owner (ie. no public access).
It's a real shame as we had the best week hiding from a low pressure system there, eating ice cream bars, watching the sharks and just generally tooling around the anchorage.
Definitely agree on this but sadly - and I really mean that - Sampson Cay has now returned to private ownership and has become a holiday retreat for the owner (ie. no public access).
It's a real shame as we had the best week hiding from a low pressure system there, eating ice cream bars, watching the sharks and just generally tooling around the anchorage.
Ah well...
n
Yeah, sad to say, but I think the best advice about the Exumas is to enjoy them now while you still can, as millionaires and billionaires do seem to be snapping the islands up and fencing them off at a frightening pace.
David Copperfield's island had "no trespassing" signs all over the beach last time I was there. I heard he is almost never there, but still doesn't want anybody leaving any footprints on his sand. Johnny Depp's island actually has cameras mounted on poles near the beaches. Weirdos with money.
But, for now, it's still the most beautiful area I have ever been to in my life, and I can't wait to head back!
__________________
Founding member of the controversial Calypso rock band, Guns & Anchors!