Deep in the Mangroves

If you have ever seen the movie, “The African Queen,” you will know the feeling we had when we landed at Shroud Cay.  It is an island of dense vast mangroves that connect the calm crystal waters of the Exuma Bank with the Atlantic Ocean.  The anchorage was a little difficult to get to as we were dodging coral heads all the way in, but once we set anchor it was terrific holding.  We had a peaceful night’s sleep and decided to go adventuring the next morning as we were waiting for high tide so we could dinghy into the deep back areas. 

We had no idea how crystal clear some of these waterways would be going back into the mangrove areas.  It was as if we were in a swimming pool.  There were parts that were so shallow we had to walk the dinghy through them to get deeper into the mangroves.  When we reached the end of one of the waterways, we discovered a secluded beach that led to the Exuma Sound.  It was incredibly isolated and provided a picturesque view.  With sand so soft, it was as if walking in quicksand.  As we ventured through some of the waterways, we came across incredible marine life: a 4’ black tip reef shark, a sea turtle and one waterway that led us to the hatchlings of probably a million little fish.  It felt as if we were in the middle of the Amazon.

Making our way into the mangroves

An enchanted secluded beach we came upon

We were loving every minute of the sun and sea

Toes in the Sand  ~Jimmy Buffet

Entering Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

Jim loving the power of that 4-stroke 15 hp motor

We are getting there

Thousands of hatchlings

 

Millions of Hatchlings

 

A Closer Look

Hard to see, but in the upper left corner is the tail of the black tip shark we came across

Jim rowing the dinghy in shallow water

What a great day to explore the mangroves

Deep in the mangroves

A cool view of the mangroves

There was no Hamburger in Paradise

After relaxing a few days and getting into the swing of things in Allens Cay, we had heard there were some famous hamburgers in Normans Cay, so we decided to pull anchor and make way there.  Unbeknownst to us, Normans Cay was an ex-druglord’s playground.  The weather dictated us landing on the east beach rather than in the cut near the drug lord’s ruins, which should have been better as it was closer to the Normans Cay Beach Club.  We dropped anchor, put on our nice clothes and headed to find the great hamburgers at the Beach Club.  Unfortunately, upon arrival we discovered Normans Beach Club “McDuff's” was no longer open.  This meant no hamburgers in paradise.  Seems the economy is hitting down here just as hard as it is in the states.  So, we decided to go for an adventurous walk around the island and do some discovery.  It is actually quite beautiful with lots of potential; however, it has the stigma of being a drug lord’s island.  The one thing the island has going for it is the ability to utilize an airstrip built by its former drug lord.  This allows neighboring islands to shuttle people in and out.  Although, I don’t think we will be planning any flights in or out of this airstrip anytime soon.  On our walkabout of the island, we found wreckage of airplanes both on land and in the water.  It is rumored that many tourists have checked out of the island via this airstrip only to have never been heard from again.

Coconut Sprout

Every island seems to have a lone palm tree

 

Not sure what these carvings were, but we thought they were interesting

Airstrip to possibly nowhere

Looking down the runway

 

Normans Club Yacht Club (after the drug bust)

Invasion of the Iguanas

We set sail from Nassau early in the morning knowing we had a 20 mile sail ahead of  us, over the Yellow Banks.  This bank is littered with coral heads, which meant we needed to maintain a lookout the entire time.  The sail was great and we made Allens Cay by 4:00 pm, which was a little late as the small anchorage already had a number of boats there.  We were able to squeeze in a spot, anchor up and take a rest from the day of sailing.

"Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!"

 "Where's Jim?"

 "I see tourists!"

"Dude, don't interrupt a man on his throne!"

 "You told me there would be food here!"

The islands are covered with indigenous and endangered Bahamian iguanas.  These are actually the most endangered iguanas in the world.  We awoke the next morning to a beautiful sunrise and decided to go exploring with our friends, David and Pat.  The odd thing is the guide books state the iguanas exist on Allens Cay and yet there are no iguanas on Allens Cay, but rather they all live on Leaf Cay (just a little trivia information).  This turned out to be a beautiful set of islands that gave us our first taste of true turquoise water. It is a place where you can sit and relax and get into the cruising mode.

 Coffee, a good book and a beautiful view

 

"Honey, look what I found!"

Another Beautiful Secluded Beach

Our New Car Parked in Front of our New House

 

The view seems to always get better

We decided to do some snorkeling along one of the island's edges and discovered a truck chassis submerged in about ten feet of water.  This ended up being a great snorkeling spot as it created an artificial reef.  This was our first chance to see some tropical fish and an amazing display of coral color.

On our last night at Allens Cay, a cold front came through and blew some 25 knots.  Being that this is a protected area, there were a great number of boats that made anchor there; however, at about 11:00 pm we heard the VHF go crazy about one of the boats dragging anchor.  This sent mayhem throughout the anchorage.  All foredeck lights were on trying to provide the most visibility for this boat in distress.  A trawler was frantically trying to reset anchor, but no one could let them know where was best for them to anchor as they would not respond to VHF calls.  This goes as a testament to always monitor your VHF radio.  After several attempts, the trawler was able to set anchor amongst the many yachts.  By 6:00 am, he was on his way.  We can understand his frustration in his hours of combating the wind.   As  people always think this is a piece of cake, there are moments of sheer terror when you are battling mother nature.  If she sees a weakness, she will take advantage of it.

Christmas in Nassau and Junkanoo

Before Christmas, we did manage to put up a Christmas tree and lights; however, being 80+ degrees and away from family doesn’t make it feel much like Christmas.  We had Christmas dinner with our friends on s/v Sanctuary, David and Pat.  Max and Tracey on m/v SandiBeach, hosted the dinner on their 43’ Lagoon Catamaran.  We made the stuffing, au gratin potatoes and deviled eggs while David and Pat provided a turkey and Max and Tracey provided a turkey as well.  It was great fun and, of course, rum and eggnog were a pouring.

Our Little Christmas Tree

After Christmas dinner, we took an afternoon nap followed by the local custom of Junkanoo.  Nassau hosts the largest of the Junkanoo parades, a Carnival type parade and party that lasts all night long.  It is the biggest event of the year here on the islands.  Apparently, all the mega yachts had come in for the big party in Nassau.  We survived so we can now provide the pictures to prove it.

Royal Celebration of the Grand Jubilee

Queen of the Court

Marching Band

The Royal Visit Float

The Royal Guard

Her Majesty's Float

The Sounds of Junkanoo

Silver Jubilee Float

Protesters

Pretty in Pink

Kalik - The Beer of the Bahamas

Seafood Delight

Granny's Night Out
(GiGi, this one's for you!)

Hurricane's a coming!

Hurricane Video

The Fury of Mother Nature!

Exotic Dancer

4:30 a.m....

And the party is still going strong

 

More Sounds of Junkanoo

A Spectacular Float!!!  All the designs are done in Terry Cloth and Sequins
(Pictures could not do this float justice)

Five Hours into the Parade

A Glimpse at Some of the 5:00 a.m. Crowd

Street Dancers

We thought it started at midnight and would run for a few hours.  Next thing we knew it was 5:00 am and the party was still going strong.  At 7:00 am, we were partied out and headed back to the boat with our heads ringing from all the music and on overload from all the sights.  After a nap, we awoke to find the party was still going strong.  It was 11:00 am.  Wow, these people know how to party!  What a great time we had, but we knew we would be moving onto the next stop soon so we rested up and prepared to sail from Nassau across the Yellow Banks to Allens Cay.