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On April 12th we left the Dominican Republic for a 240 mile sail to Mayaguana in the Bahamas. We would have liked to stop in the Turks & Caicos but our insurance would not cover it (too many shipwrecks?). After 48 hours at sea we arrived to find Delilah and Indra waiting for us.
Mayaguana is a very small island with only 200 people living on it. There is not much to do there, but the snorkelling is fantastic. We saw rays, nurse sharks and barracudas under the boat. We saw octopus and reef sharks farther out on the reef. We also found lots of conch and 2 nice lobsters.
Ben has acquired a taste for lobster!
While we were cracking conch on the pier we met a photographer who was taking shots for a new resort that is being developed on the north side of the island. She came out to the boat with her model "Galena" to take some shots for the website. Ben braved the wind and waves to bring them out to the boat.
We spent 5 days on Mayaguana waiting for the weather to settle. Then we set off for Rum Cay - 130 miles away. We had a good sail and arrived the following day. 20 miles out we caught this wonderful dorado which fed us for 3 days.
Bocchi on the beach with Trevor and Brit. They are professional crew working on a megayacht.
Willie -T came to visit from Indra.
We met TJ (captain of a deep sea fishing boat based in Rum Cay). He fired up the stone Pizza oven one night and we all made our own pizzas.
Emma and Jamie building a gourmet masterpiece while Dean from Delilah offers suggestions.
Forbes and Jamie caught this awesome dorado on the way from Rum Cay. They were very nice to share some of the filets. (We baked them some cookies.)
Our next stop was Conception Island 20 miles to the north. This is our new favourite island. It is a marine park and is totally uninhabited. We had miles of soft white sand all to ourselves. The water is so clear and blue that it looks like the boat is floating in a bottle of Bombay gin! We could see sharks, rays, groupers and barracuda swimming 20 feet down.
The sand was as fine as flour - but I don"t know how the kids can stick their faces in it!
Emma and Dad camped out overnight and the next morning........
......we found tracks where a sea turtle laid her eggs on the beach less than 50 yards from where we were sleeping!
Laughing Gulls saying good morning from our dinghy.
Sunset at Conception Island. The next morning we set off for Georgetown on Great Exuma 47 miles away.
We arrived in Georgetown on April 28th just in time to catch the last race of the "Family Island Regatta". Local boats come from all over the Bahamas to race and party. These boats can go very fast with 4 or 5 guys hiking out on boards suspended over the water.
The Royal Bahamas Marching Band entertaining the crowd in Georgetown.
Ben & Emma hang ten on the surfboard. We keep looking for the perfect wave.
After getting water, food, and propane in Georgetown we started heading northwest along the Exuma chain. We visited Hamburger Beach on Stocking Island, the Emerald Cay Marina, Galliot Cay, and Stanley Cay. The Big Rock Cut at Stanley Cay was very narrow and a bit hair-raising. The currrent almost swept us on to the reef at the entrance. It was worth it though - once inside we anchored right next to Thunderball Cay where the James Bond movie was shot. The snorkelling was fantastic. There is an amazing cave under the island swarming with colourful fish. There is no fishing allowed so the fish have become quite large and are not afraid of snorkellers.
The anchorage at Wardrick Wells. There was a good snorkelling spot nearby with huge lobsters and groupers. Unfortunately, this is in the Exuma Marine Park so there is no fishing allowed. I'm sure I could see the lobsters laughing at me!
We added our sign to pile of boat signs on the top of Boo Boo Hill.
We visited Norman's Cay - home of a notorious drug runner featured in the movie "Blow". There was an old DC3 crashed in the anchorage that had once been filled with coke. The fish seemed happy. Next we went to Highbourne Cay where we celebrated Jamie's Birthday.
Allen Cay was the next island on the chain. Here we saw the iguanas. They are very tame and come running up to you on the beach expecting to be fed.
From Allen Cay we headed north across the Bahama Bank to Nassau. We got to the marina in time to avoid a nasty storm. We spent a couple of days in Nassau waiting for the weather to settle. It also gave us a chance to stock up on provisions and fuel. While we were there we visited "The Lost City of Atlantis".
Ben stands in front of one of the enormous aquariums. We saw a 9 foot Manta Ray that wasn't fully grown yet.
Emma joins the "Flying Horses of Atlantis". This amazing fountain is at the front entrance to the resort.
Lisa and the kids are in front of the "Predator pool". There is a tunnel under the pool so that you can see sawfish, hammerhead sharks, reef sharks and barracuda - up close!
Next stop was the Abacos. We sailed to Hole in the Wall at the south end of Great Abaco. This is how Carapan looks when she is all loaded up for a passage. Lots of junk on deck!
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