Passage West of Long Island Bahamas?

[caradow]

Sorry for these questions however again my charts are on my boat. Leaving the northeast in a few days and the Jumentos have always intrigued me.
Is there a passage west of Long Island if one wanted to go to the Jumentos from Georgetown?
Also would the Jumentos be advisable this time of year or would summer be a better time?
Doesn't look like there is much protection and I am sure there is some surge there. Guess I would just head east if a weather window turned.
Have heard some great stories about the place.
Any comments from someone who has actually been there would be appreciated.

[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by caradow

Sorry for these questions however again my charts are on my boat. Leaving the northeast in a few days and the Jumentos have always intrigued me.
Is there a passage west of Long Island if one wanted to go to the Jumentos from Georgetown?
Also would the Jumentos be advisable this time of year or would summer be a better time?
Doesn't look like there is much protection and I am sure there is some surge there. Guess I would just head east if a weather window turned.
Have heard some great stories about the place.
Any comments from someone who has actually been there would be appreciated.

===

There are two ways that I'm aware of but it depends on your draft. If you draw less than 4 ft or so you can go south thru Hog Cay Cut and then SE to Nuevitas Rocks. After that it's a straight shot down thru the Jumentos.
Since our boat draws 5.5 ft we go from George Town over to Thompson Bay on the west side of Long Island. From there you follow Comer Channel over and back, ending up near Nuevitas Rocks. If you have the Explorer Charts (and you should), everything is fairly straight forward.
Here's a good blog post regarding Comer Channel:

Taia (English): Comer Channel, Exuma, Bahamas

[FSMike]

wayne.b is right. With your cat I wouldn't hesitate to go through Hog Cay Cut. High tide is about 2 hours after Georgetown IIRC. I've gone through there with a boat that drew about 5'10" at high tide with no problem.
In addition to the Explorer Charts Steve Pavilidis' guide books are very helpful. Look for the "Exuma Guide" and "On And Off The Beaten Path".

Most of the Jumentos anchorages are good in the prevailing SE winds. Not much good shelter if a late norther reaches that far down. Your boat may be too wide to go into the channel to Duncan Town unless they've widened it, it's been 5-10 years since I've been there.

[Double-Wide]

There are always a small community of cruisers that spend most of the winter in the Jumentos. Definitely a great way to get away from the crowd in GT. Unbelievable diving and great beaches you can have all to yourself. Just be sure you are self sufficient because facilities are are rare to non existent but it is well worth the effort to get there and explore.


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