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.
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