Exhumas, the Bahamas

Since we las left you much has happened. All good I assure you, and all is well.
To begin, we had a straight-forward trip from the Berry islands to the capital city of Nassau. The cruise ships and high rise casinos greeted us miles before we saw land, and approaching the harbor was a bit daunting with the traffic. Not too bad, but we knew we were in the big city with the hustle and bustle. Once settled into a local marina, we investigated to local area with a keen eye for good food. Heading to Potters Cay, we found the locals serving up fresh seafood and traditional dishes that exceeded expectations. Conch salad, conch fritters and fresh-caught snapper filled us beyond capacity. All washed down with the local brew or soda, age dependent.

Filling up on overpriced food for the journey to the Exhuma island chain at the grocery store sped up our desire to get "out there" and see the islands. We departed on a beautiful day, had a nice sail and motor across the Yellow Banks to Allan's Cay. A fairly well protected anchorage, the cay had iguanas on the beach that were not afraid to announce their desire for any scraps of food.
We stayed at Allan's for 5 days due to an impending cold front that did not disappoint in its excitement and promise for gusty conditions. The front chose the usual 2 in the morning time to pass through, to include a boat next to us that was not prepared and dragged anchor right next to us. A few choice words with the skipper convinced him that it was he and not us that was dragging anchor and he moved on. Up the rest of the night to assuage any other fears, and needless to say we were "pooped" by sunrise. Part of the exchange with the offending boat claimed that we were dragging anchor which is not possible (you can't drag upwind) as well as the claim that he would not move because he was in four feet of water to which I replied "how can you be in 4 feet with a five foot keel (depth of his boat which he told me earlier in the day)?" No answer to that one, and soon he moved on. Fun times.
We did have excellent reef snorkeling that included our first lobster speared by Alex. Nice job and a great dinner, thanks Alex!
We departed Allan's Cay for Normans cay, home of the infamous drug lord that operated from the island until the 1980's when the DEA put him out of action. Great beaches and snorkeling on the plane that crashed approaching the island to pick up the next batch of coke destined for the US.
We are now in the Exhuma land and sea park, with amazing anchorages , hiking trails and nature walks. We'll move on to Staniel Cay soon for fresh veggies, ice cream and good local food before setting out again.

Frozen Cay, Berry Islands

We've spent the last 3-4 days off the grid, enjoying the remote islands of the Berry chain. Since leaving Great Harbour Cay we stopped at White Cay to see the blue hole. It's an enormous sinkhole about 600 feet deep in the middle of Hoffman Cay. I stayed with the boat since the previous night we had anchor holding issues due to the swift current which led to a sleepless night. The rest of the crew did a quick trip to see the blue hole, then we headed south about 3 miles to find a better anchorage.
That anchorage is Frozen and Alders Cay. Beautiful beaches and 3 private houses. The islands are private too, so we could not venture ashore so we practiced our fishing. One small lion fish caught, followed by two mutton snapper. Actually, the mutton snapper were caught by local fisherman who we traded cold beers for fish. A catch is a catch. The crew pitched in to clean fish, peel potatoes and prepare a feast.
We're off to Nassau to enjoy the city. More to follow.

Great Harbour Cay

It's only hours till kickoff time for the Super Bowl and you'd never know it here. The laid back atmosphere means we don't get too excited about anything, just enjoy the moment. As promised attached are some beach pics. It's a perfect half moon beach, 3 miles long and not a soul on it spare the crew of Quartet. The walk to the beach includes a bit of "rat pack" history as you stroll by the old hang out of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and crew. A slowly fading piece of history, complete with a golf course, giant club house and tiki bar.
We've really enjoyed our stay here and each new place we stay wraps us deeper into the cruising lifestyle. So tightly wrapped it may be difficult to pull away. We are off tomorrow to Whites Cay to see the blue hole, a giant sinkhole in the middle of the island. We should be in the big city of Nassau by the end of the week. We'll reprovision (ohh, nice nautical term to mean grocery shopping) there before heading to the Exhumas chain of islands. Now, pass,the guacamole and chips, it's game time!