My friends, it’s getting cold in south Florida. Well, ok, not Montana cold, but it’s really chilly in South Florida and I’ve had to pull my sweater out of the back of my closet! This latest cold snap got me thinking about a cold Christmas that Michelle and I spent in a favorite anchorage in the Exumas a few years back. We spent several weeks hiding from strong winds and cold (again, relative), temps, but we couldn’t have been happier. We were well protected from wind and waves. We had a beautiful coral reef to explore just yards from the boat. We had beautiful 360 degree views. The Bahamas rarely disappoints. As my gift to you this holiday season, I would like to offer three of our favorite anchorages in the northern Exumas. Happy Holidays and we’ll see you in the Bahamas!
Long Cay (north of Little Norman’s Cay)
Long Cay (not the same as Long Island) is a small fork shapped Cay situated between Highborne Cay and Norman’s Cay at the northern most end of the Exumas. If your boat draws less than 4 feet, you’ll be able to work your way in to a beautifully protected anchorage situated between Long Cay to your east and several unnamed cays to the west. We managed to squeeze our Manta 40 sail cat (4 foot draft) in to this anchorage at mid tide. There is a great sandbar that disappears around 3/4 tide just to the NW of the entrance and there are several sand bars to avoid as you enter the anchorage, but the water is clear and calm, so if you’re careful, you’ll be able to creep in to this anchorage. The charts are fairly accurate, though the sand bars may shift around a bit, so use them as a reference guide and use your eyes to fine tune your path. Once you get in between the cays, the depth will increase to around 6 feet in the middle of the anchorage (mean low tide). This a small anchorage with room for one or a maximum of two boats in the 40 foot range. Find a spot dead center of the deep water, making sure you allow room to swing with the tide changes. Holding is excellent in deep sand.
This anchorage provides plenty of things to keep you interested for a few days or weeks. There is a really nice reef on the south end of the anchorage you will enjoy exploring. Outside the anchorage, there are several low-tide beaches to play on, interesting topology to explore on Long Cay and surrounding islands, and you are within 1/2 mile of Highborne Cay for grocery and essentials shopping, a nice restaurant and bar, and other activities on the island. Use your dinghy to explore as the weather allows.
If you are cruising in a shallow draft boat and if you feel confident in your ability to navigate by sight to avoid the numerous sandbars and occasional bommies, this anchorage might be a great adventure for you and your family.
Pirate’s Lair (east side of Warderick Wells Cay)
Cruisers that spend any time in the famous Exumas Land and Sea Park will be familiar with the iconic “horseshoe” anchorage on the NW end of Warderick Wells. Unfortunately, few cruisers have ever experienced the serene beauty and remoteness of the Pirate’s Lair. Located on the SE side of Warderick Wells, the anchorage is seldom used because it is only accessable from the Atlantic side of the island. The anchorage is protected to the East and South by Hog Cay and by Warderick Wells Cay to the West and NW. Anchoring is prohibited, but there are three moorings which can be reserved through the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park website or by calling the park on VHF Channel 9 the day before your planned arrival.
If you are traveling south along the banks/west side of the Exumas, you can head out into the Atlantic using the Warderwick Wells Cut and follow the Cay around to the south and enter the anchorage between Hog Cay and Warederick Wells Cay. The entrance is relatively narrow but deep, so it is not a challenge to enter when the conditions are settled.
Pick up a mooring, pop a top on your favorite beverage, and enjoy your personal paradice. Once you’ve rested a bit, you can take your tender around the island to the Vistors Center on the NE side of the Warderick Wells to pay your mooroing fees. If you’re feeling energetic, you can access a trail from the beautiful white sand beach that will lead you across the island and north to the Vistor’s Center which overlooks the famous Warderick Wells “Horseshoe” anchorage.
Warderick Wells and the surrounding islands offer many excellent hiking trails and some of the most beautiful snorkel sites in the Exumas. Put your artistic talents to work and make a boat plaque to commemorate your stay in the park. You can leave it at the memorial site atop BooBoo Hill. Look for SV DoubleWide and MV ROAM signs on the pile! We’ve left several over the years…
Watch the weather in this anchorage. You wouldn’t want to get caught in there when a strong front blows through. Entering and exiting with a strong North to NW wind would not be fun.
The Legend of Boo Boo Hill – You may be wondering how a place gets the name “Boo Boo Hill”. Legend has it that it’s named so because it’s haunted by souls of a ship that went missing in the surrounding reefs. During one stormy night, their ship vanished with every soul on board perishing. Some say the ship sank with all passengers on board, and other’s say the bodies are buried under the hill. It’s said by the light of the full moon you can hear the spirits singing in the howling wind. It has now become a tradition for visitors to leave a piece of driftwood behind with the name of their ship. It’s viewed as an offering to the God Neptune and the other sea gods for good sailing and safe passage. On top of the hill, visitors will see a pile of driftwood from past offerings.
Several years ago Michelle and I found ourselves secured to a mooring in the Horseshoe mooring field on a full moon. Michelle put out a call on VHF channel 09 inviting the other cruisers to join us for happy hour atop Boo Boo Hill in honor of the poor lost souls. Several couples joined us on the beach and we hiked up the to the top of the hill. As the legend goes, if you stand atop the hill, bathed in the light of the full moon, you can hear the poor drowned souls singing hymns through the night. We made several toasts and then the group quited down to listen for the singing. wooooooOOOoooo…what the heck? What was that? WOOOOooooOOoooo. No, it couldn’t be. There was nervous laughter among the partiers. Someone suggested it might be the whooshing sounds of a nearby blow hole. WoooOOOoooOOO. A bit louder. This is getting creepy, we all thought (and someone said). After a few minutes, I decided I was going to walk down the east side of the hill to prove that noise was coming from the blow hole. I quitely and carefully started down the hill. WOOOOOOOooOOO. The noise was getting even louder. What WAS that noise? From behind a bush: BOO! and out jumped a cruiser from another boat. Like a cat, I lost one of my 9 lives (and perhaps wet myself, just a little)! Our friend had heard the VHF invite and decided we needed a good scare. He scrambled up the other side of the hill and waited for the party to start. A well laid plan and great memory for as all! This, my friends is what cruising on your own boat is all about!
Thomas Cay (Between Joe Cay and Overyonder Cay)
This anchorage provides excellent all around weather coverage with beautiful beaches and deep water very close to shore. The Atlantic side of Thomas Cay offers great beach combing and for whatever reason, we’ve found more sea glass along this shore than any place else in the Bahamas!
Getting in to the anchorage is fairly straight forward. If approaching from the Atlantic side of Thomas Cay, the Thomas Cut is deep and wide, so if the weather offshore is settled, you can run in the Atlantic down to Thomas Cut and round Thomas Cay to port and pick a spot to anchor close to shore in 12-15 feet. If you’re coming from the banks, head for Overyonder Cay (just north of Sampson Cay) and follow the charts toward the Overyonder Cut. Follow the shore line along the SW side of Thomas Cay to get in to the anchorage. At the SW corner of Thomas Cay, stay within 15-20 feet of the shore to get in behind the reef which runs North/South along the western edge of the anchorage. Once you’re on the inside, between the reef and Thomas Cay, you’ll be well protected from all around weather.
Look for the trail makers at the beach on the north end of the island to walk across to the Atlantic side of the island. The beach on that side is chock full of treasures and if you go at low tide, look for sea glass which is especially thick in the area where the trail opens up to the beach. The blue glass should be left for me find on my next trip. Just kidding – but not really…:)
The pic to the right is our son and daughter-in-law hunting for sea glass. The ledge in the left side of the picture seems to have a ton of sea glass in it all the time and it has the added bonus of good sun protection on a hot day. You just have to go at low tide so you can get up in there!
That’s it! Our top 3 anchorages in the Northern Exumas. I could have easily made this list a “Top 10” or “Top 20” list because in truth, there are very few “Bad” anchorages in the Exumas. But these three anchorages hold special memories for us and we continue to return to them year after year because they never dissapoint.
Happy Holidays from Michelle and me and we hope you will enjoy anchoring in and exploring the Bahamas as much as we have. If you’ve got a favorite anchorage that you’d like to share with us, leave a comment on this post. I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting places to explore.