March was a pretty solid month of moving, going a total of 561 miles and about 52% of those being pure sailing miles. We had great sailing while in the Bahamas, but had to motor across the Gulf Stream since our weather window was dead calm between two major storm systems. Now that we're back in Florida we're seeing the challenges of coastal cruising again where it's never the right wind to go where you want. We've had two major gales and several days in the 25+ knots of wind since returning to Florida, followed by dead calm days that you also cannot sail. It's a bit frustrating, as this year's weather continues to be very unusual (according to everyone we've talked to)
29 Nights on Anchor 1 Night on Mooring 1 Night on Passage
We spent one night at the Warderick Wells mooring field since it's a beautiful spot that is only accessible if you stay on the mooring. It's worth it so we stayed the night there before crossing back to Eleuthera. The one night on passage was our crossing back to Fort Pierce, we did the passage overnight from Pensacola Cay in the Abacos.
72 kWh of Solar Generated
In the month of March we generated 72 kWh of solar power. This was the most ever, and we're really seeing the benefit of longer days, and the sun being higher in the sky. Now that we're making more power, we're also using more power, as we can flex to high usage items like our induction stove and watermaker. Weather in the Bahamas was great for generating solar, but since being in Florida our weather has been much more hit and miss.
$1,223 Total Spent $39.45 Average Per Day
We're back in the US! Which means we're back in the land of abundance. There isn't much to buy in the outer islands of the Bahamas. Now that we're back in the US it was time to restock and splurge a bit on some luxuries (bacon!) We spent a bit more on restaurants this month, and likely will going forward with our current plans to return to Muskegon by the end of the summer. We want to get a better taste of the East coast on our way North, although we may just go to every brewery and pizza place we can find :). The first stop after getting back to Fort Pierce was Sailfish Brewing Company for some Pizza and Beer. Other than that, we went to Cap'n Jacks in Hope Town and a brewery in New Smyrna. We got our of March only spending $1,223 which included topping off all of our fuel.
We started March in Staniel Cay in the Exumas. Here we grabbed some groceries, gas for the dinghy and waited out some higher winds before continuing north. We had been in this anchorage before, on our way south through the Exumas but we found a nice beach we hadn’t visited the first time. The anchorage is really well protected and just a nice place to spend a few days.
Once the winds died off a bit we headed north. We hoped to anchor at The Mice anchorage but getting in there we saw some shallow water so we turned around and continued to another anchorage. We ended up at Fowl Cay. The anchorage was really pretty and gave us access to Rachel’s Bubble Bath which is a pool with waves that crash over the rocks and the foaming water gives it a bubble bath feel. It was really pretty and we both decided it was one of our favorite stops.
The anchorage there was a bit rolly and shallower than we expected. It was a squally evening and just at low tide a big squall came through with a wind shift that moved the boat into shallower water. We were touching the bottom until the wind shifted back and moved us into deeper water once again. The next morning we left first thing, before the next low tide hit.
We moved north, into the Exumas Land and Sea Park to O’Brian’s Cay. From here we snorkeled at The Aquarium spot which was amazing! There were so many fish that swam right up to you. The coral here was great and we had the place to ourselves! We also took the dinghy to nearby Cambridge Cay for some hiking before spending the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the nearby sandbars, enjoying the crystal clear shallow waters.
The next morning we headed off to the Wardrick Wells mooring field which would be our final stop in the Exumas. We got a ball in the north mooring field which is stunning! Wardrick Wells has lots of hiking trails that we really enjoyed. We hiked up to Boo Boo Hill for great views of the mooring field and the crashing waves of the Exuma sound across the island. The tradition is to leave a piece of driftwood or other small momento with your boat name at the top of the hill. We completely forgot and didn’t make a sign at all, I guess we will have to go back some day!
Wardrick Wells was a beautiful spot that we could have stayed at longer but the next day we had a great weather window to cross the Exuma sound back to Eleuthera. We had a fantastic sail over and landed at Govener’s Harbor which is a town we didn’t stop at when we headed south through Eleuthera.
We spent two days in Govener’s Harbor. The town has several little cafes, a couple grocery stores, gas station and free water. It was one of the cuter towns we wandered around in the Bahamas. Friday night the town has a fish fry event. They serve dinner and block off the nearby street for dancing. It was mostly cruisers and tourists, not many locals but a really fun event we were glad we could attend.
We then had our window to sail north, stopping for a night near Spanish Wells before continuing to the Abacos. We skipped over the Abacos on our way south through the Bahamas so we were excited to see some new places before crossing back to the U. S.
We had a rolly, but overall good sail north to the Abacos. We landed at our anchorage and ended up being right by our friends on Sandpiper. The next day we enjoyed catching up with them and taking a walk on the beach and island trail nearby.
Our next stop was a short jump up to Snake Cay. We had the anchorage to ourselves and it was so peaceful! We took the dinghy through the shallow, mangrove lined waters and saw several eagle rays and turtles.
The next day we motored through the calm to Hope Town. We stayed here three days. The town is really cute and the beach on the ocean side is lovely. We wandered through town, got some ice cream and lunch at the waterfront restaurant. It was a nice change of pace to get back into some civilization as the Exumas, where we were most of the previous month was very remote.
We also visited the lighthouse in town and enjoyed a beach bonfire with several other young cruisers before we continued north. We caught up with some boats we had seen previously in the Exumas and met some new friends.
Our next stop was about 10 miles north at Great Guana Cay. We stayed one night, taking the afternoon to wander through town and along the beach. We grabbed some groceries and planned to continue north the following day.
Our next passage had use going through the Whale Cut, which is a few miles out in the ocean rather than staying inside on the bank. We had several days of very calm weather so we went through without any issues. We anchored at Nunjack Cay where we planned to wait out some heavy north wind forecast to come in the next couple days. We had two nice days/nights on anchor there before the weather set in. Ryan had a great final spearfishing session- he got us three lobsters!
During the nice weather we enjoyed taking the dinghy through the mangrove lined river, seeing plenty of sea turtles. We also hiked on some of the island trails. The bay on the north side of the island is a common place for tour boats to take people to feed sharks and rays. We walked the beach and saw plenty of small sharks and big rays as the tourists were tossing food out to them.
Our final day and night here we had some heavy winds bringing waves and a sleepless night. Our midnight storm brought plenty of lightning, rain and 43 knots of wind! Thankfully our anchor held and we made it through.
After the storms and wind died down we made a run for it to get closer to our jumping off point to cross back to the U.S. We sailed to Allans/Pensacola Cay and had a nice calm night. The following morning we headed off first thing to start our crossing. We were able to sail several hours along the bank (shallow Bahamas waters) before our wind totally died and we had to motor. Although it was alot of engine hours we were happy we had a calm crossing in the gulf stream back to Florida. Along the way we caught a cer0 mackerel and a little tunny.
We made it into Fort Pierce the following morning around 10:30. After checking back into the U.S we walked the pier and enjoyed some pizza and beer at a local brewery. After picking up a large grocery order we went to bed early.
The next few days brought wind and rain. We were glad to be back in Florida for this weather as it was forecast to be worse in the islands where we were in the Bahamas. We did however get hit by a line of strong winds bringing 46 knots in the middle of the night unexpectedly. Thankfully, once again our anchor held us in place and it was over in about an hour.
Before leaving Fort Pierce we checked out the farmers market and had a nice walk around town. Our next stop was just 12 miles north in Vero Beach. Here we spent two nights, waiting out some strong north wind before continuing on. Thankfully we had sunny skies along with our north wind so we got out and walked the parks, the town and to the beach and back.
Our way down the east coast it was cold and we had quite a lot of bad weather so we felt like we were just moving quickly to get south. On our way back north we are hoping for better, warmer weather so we can enjoy it more and make more of an effort to get off the boat and explore all the towns we stop in.
Our next stop was in Titusville, where we stayed a few days and visited with Erika’s aunt Nancy and uncle Tom. We actually had great wind to sail up the ICW the entire way there. We enjoyed catching up with Nancy and Tom and sharing travel stories as they had just returned from a big trip to Australia and New Zealand.
We also got to see a rocket launch while anchored in Titusville. Our final day here brought wind and rain once again. Finally after it all blew through we had some sun and calm the following day for us to continue north.
We stopped in New Smyrna beach and spent and afternoon walking around town. We enjoyed a couple of calm evenings here on anchor before heading off again.
We are ending March, sailing up the coast to St Augustine. We have calm seas and light winds.
We visited the Abacos as the last island chain before crossing back to the U. S. Most of our cruising in the Bahamas we spent in the Berries, Eleuthera and the Exumas. The Abacos were a bonus for us on our way back north. We staged near Spanish Wells, at the Egg Island anchorage to cross north to the Abacos. The anchorage was pretty rolly but it was super easy to get up and sail right off anchor before sunrise.
We ended up having just short of two weeks in the Abacos before we had our window to cross the gulf stream. We certainly didn’t see everything there is in this island chain but we did enjoy the handful of stops we made.
Lynyard Cay
We landed in the Abacos and anchored at Lynard Cay. We draw 6 ft so we can’t get into Little Harbor and the bay near there, The Bright of Old Robinson was very rolly so we continued in a couple miles, out of the swell. There is a small beach on shore and we found some what of a hiking trail to get out and stretch our legs. The anchorage was quiet and calm.
Snake Cay
We stopped here for one night and enjoyed taking the dinghy through Snake Cut into the mangroves. We saw several eagle rays and turtles in the shallow waters. This was also the first time in the Bahamas that we had the anchorage all to ourselves!
Hope Town
Our next stop was Hope Town. We found the water in the anchorages nearest to town to be pretty shallow. We anchored under the lighthouse for our first night in town. With the very low tide that happened we ended up touching bottom with our 6 ft draft so the following day we moved to anchor behind the Parrot Cays which was further out. The dinghy ride from there is just over a mile to town so it wasn’t too bad.
The town itself is super cute and we really enjoyed wandering around. We grabbed some ice cream and then headed to the grocery store. The store was not well stocked at all either time we visited. We were able to grab a couple veggies but not as many as we had hoped for.
Our final day in town we visited the lighthouse which is free to walk up. The views from the top are well worth the climb. Afterwards we treated ourselves to lunch at Cap’N Jacks which is right on the water. It was probably the best restaurant meal we had in the Bahamas and the prices were very reasonable. We finished off the night with a beach bonfire with some friends as a perfect end to our time in town.
Great Guana Cay
We headed north and stopped at Great Guana Cay. Anchored in Fisher’s Bay we had easy access to town. There are two beach restaurants here, Nippers and Grabbers. We didn’t eat at either but they both looked fun and were full of guests. There is a grocery store in town and a liquor store. The grocery store here was better stocked than in Hope Town. The beer at the liquor store was priced better than most other places we had seen. We really enjoyed the beach on the ocean side of the island. It is a huge beach with super soft sand and practically nobody else around.
Nunjack Cay
We skipped over Green Turtle and headed straight to Nunjack. We stayed here several nights. It had great north, northeast protection, okay south and southwest protection. There is plenty to see in this anchorage. We really enjoyed taking the dinghy through the mangroves to see the turtles. The nearby art trail is also nice to see. There is some creative art, mostly made with items washed up on the beaches.
To the north of the anchorage there is a nice trail system. There are a couple cottages on the island but they don’t mind if you walk the trails. The local tour boats also frequent this bay to feed the sharks and rays so you can see plenty of them as you walk the beach. If its calm on the outside, there is great spearfishing on the ocean side here.
From there, after the storms passed we had a window to cross back to the U.S. We headed for Allans/Pensacola Cay where we stayed the night before heading across the gulf stream. We didn’t go to shore at this anchorage but it looked really nice.
That concluded our 3 month cruising visa in the Bahamas. We certainly didn’t see everything but we felt 3 months gave us enough time to see quite a bit! Traveling through the Berry Islands, Eleuthera, the Exumas and ending with the Abacos was a great way to go! Hopefully we can cruise through again some day and hit some spots we missed this time around!
For more information on our time in the other island groups check out our posts below-
We had heard from several sailors that the Exumas are the best cruising ground in the Bahamas! We were super excited to make it to these islands. After spending just over a month in the Exumas we can now confirm! The Exumas are stunning and they have some much to offer!
Allan Cay
This was our frist stop in the Exumas. We anchored in-between Allan and Leaf Cay. The area is stunning! There is strong current in this anchorage and the holding varies. There are sandy spots with fantastic holding but also spots with hard pack sand. We waited out a blow here and held just fine. Several charter boats came into the anchorage and one struggled to anchor and did end up dragging overnight. Be mindful and check your anchor set if you plan to stay here.
Inside the anchorage we found some really nice snorkeling. Ryan went spearfishing twice a day (at slack tide due to the strong current in the anchorage). He ended up getting several lion fish, snapper and grouper. The main attraction on Allan seems to be the Rock Iguanas. They are used to tourists feeding them so they will run up as you approach the beach. If you don’t have anything for them they will leave you alone. We did see a few tour boats come through each morning, drop people off for about a half hour then they would leave. You can have the beach to yourself or share with only other cruisers if you wait until after the tour boats clear out.
Norman’s Cay
We anchored in the bay on the north east side of the island as we had west and north winds during our stay. The bay is beautiful and there is plenty of space to anchor with good holding. Along the whale tale at the edge of the bay is great spearfishing and snorkeling. We headed out that way a couple of times. We got a snapper, trigger fish, a crab and a lobster here. There is shallow snorkeling then it drops off to about 20-25 ft.
The must see item everyone talks about on Norman’s is the plane wreck. The plan is believed to have crashed in the 1980s by drug smugglers. It lays in shallow water and there are plenty of fish calling it home. Do be sure to go during slack time. Friends of ours said when they attempted the current was pretty strong. We went during slack and had nearly no current.
The beaches surrounding this anchorage are stunning. We took the dinghy around and found some really pretty spots. There are plenty of deep water channels then shallow spots and sandbars giving you all the beautiful and varying shades of blue.
Shroud Cay
A visit to Shroud Cay is a must! But if you can time it with the Young Cruisers Association’s Floatchella event, than its even better. We rafted up 15 boats in total and then took the tide to float through the natural lazy river that flows through the island. The day we did this float the current wasn’t super strong so we didn’t float too far. But the previous day we took our paddle boards through on our own and paddled quite far. The mangrove lines channels flow all the way through to the other side of the island. The water is crystal clear and the scenery is stunning! We saw several turtles and a couple small lemon sharks along the way. Highly recommend visiting this island.
Big Majors Spot
We anchored just off from the famous pig beach at Big Majors Spot near Staniel Cay. The major attractions here are the pig beach, thunderball grotto and Staniel Cay Yacht Club.
To visit the grotto is is best to go at low, slack tide. This way you can enter the cave snorkeling/swimming with your head above water. If you plan to go at high tide you’ll have to swim underwater to reach the entrance. The current does move quickly through the cave, we were a bit late for slack tide and had to swim against current to enter. Once in the cave there are ropes to grab onto. Inside the cave, in the center area there is no current and you can swim around without worry. There are plenty of fish to see and the cave itself is really pretty! While there will be tour boats and it is a more crowded place to visit we really enjoyed it!
The pig beach wasn’t that exciting for us. Plenty of tour boats visit the pigs each day. They will swim out to the boats expecting food. We did take the dinghy over to see them and gave them some stale food from the pantry. The anchorage its self is nice and well-protected so its a great place to anchor and spend a few days but the pigs aren’t why you visit.
The day we visited the yacht club they happened to be hosting a wahoo fishing tournament. We arrived as they were weighing all the fish from the days catch. It was really cool to see the giant fish being brought in. the yacht club is an iconic stop for anyone cruising the Bahamas. It has a great atmosphere and a fantastic happy hour! The food was nothing special but the rum punch was great (2 for 1 at happy hour 4-6pm) and it was a great place to hang out with some fellow cruisers for the evening.
Black Point Settlement
We spent two days in Black Point. In town you will find a couple small grocery/convenience stores. The laundry in town is supposed to be one of the best in the Bahamas although we didn’t use it we have heard it is really nice. There are a couple restaurants to chose from. We were there during the Super Bowl. Every restaurant in town was having some type of special but we ended up at Lorraines for dinner, drinks and to watch the game. It was a fun place to hang out, many cruisers and locals showed up to watch the game.
The following day we went back to Lorraines to grab some local bread. They bake cinnamon, cinnamon raison, cinnamon raison coconut and plain white bread. It was so good and well worth the $10 a loft price. After walking through town you can head across the island to see the blow hole and from there walking along the beach there are lots of cool rock formations and beautiful beaches.
George Town
George Town is a huge cruising hub and many boats spend the entire season here. During our stay there were about 350-400 boats in the Harbor. We happened to be in town at the beginning of the 2024 cruising regatta. There were so many events taking place! We really enjoyed the cruisers junkanoo parade. The event showcased a couple local junkanoo groups and a group of cruisers. It was really fun to see all the costumes and be part of something the locals celebrate every year.
We anchored near Monument Beach on Stocking Island. The hiking trails on the island are really pretty and the beaches along the Exuma Sound/Atlantic side of the island are stunning!
Of course, no visit to George Town would be complete without spending some time at the Chat N Chill. Every Sunday they do a pig roast event that starts at noon. It is $25 a plate. Their normal/everyday menu features burgers, hot dogs, chicken and conch burgers. The beach has volley ball nets, yard games and plenty of tables in the shade. We always found someone we knew or we met new friends hanging out on the beach there.
In Town you will find groceries and two liquor stores right near the dingy dock. There is also a gas station, free RO water and trash. You can listen in on the cruisers net each morning at 8am on channel 72 for more details on what is happening in the harbor or to have any questions you have answered.
Our final day we took the dinghy south to Crab Cay. There is a man-made cut that you can take the dinghy through. The project was abandoned so it doesn’t go all the way through the island but it does go back pretty far. We enjoyed floating through and seeing the crabs along the tall rocky walls on either side.
On our way back North, through the Exumas we took our time and stopped at several anchorages we had passed on our way south to George Town.
Between Norman’s Pond and Leaf Cay
We both agreed this was one of our favorite anchorages. It is really pretty and there are tons of small beaches and rocky areas to explore. We spent our time spearfishing, exploring and just relaxing on the beaches.
Rudder Cut Cay
This is another stop we really enjoyed. Here you can snorkel around the piano and mermaid statue. We then snorkeled the shallow bay at Rudder Cut Beach where there are tons of sea turtles. The turtles don’t mind you swimming with them at all and many are quite large. Along the rocky edge of the bay we found plenty of small fish, a lemon shark, lobster and small corals. The other attraction nearby is a cave you can dingy into.
Oven Rock
We stopped here to see the cave with a salt water pool inside. If you are brave enough you can snorkel or cave dive in the water here. We did not, opting only to walk around the cave and check out the pool. It was really cool to see and worth a stop for an afternoon or night if you have time. The anchorage is just north of Big Farmer’s if you do need anything in town.
Little Bay (just south of Black Point)
We read this anchorage is typically pretty quiet, empty but we found plenty of other boats here the night we stayed. The beach here is one of the nicest we found. The white sand is super soft and the water is shallow, perfect for anchoring the dinghy off the beach and walking in. There isn’t much else here but you are just south of Black Point. It was a really pretty stop and we enjoyed it.
Fowl Cay
This anchorage is just outside of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We anchored here to stop at Rachel’s Bubble Bath. The “bubble bath” was one of our favorite stops in the Exumas! After wading in through shallow river you arrive at this pool. When the wave crash over the rocks the foamy water in the pool give it a bubble bath/jacuzzi feel.
The anchorage also have great snorkeling in the north west corner. The other nearby attraction are the Rocky Dundas caves. There are mooring balls outside the caves to tie your dingy to. We went by to check it out but the waves and swell were up so we didn’t feel good about swimming into the caves. We were stopped by the park rangers on our way back to the anchorage and told that even if your anchored outside the park you are supposed to pay the fees if you enter the park- $14 per person per day.
The anchorage here was pretty rolly in 15-20 south east wind. We also found it to be pretty shallow. We anchored in enough water but at low tide the wind shifted directions to be out of the north as a squall went through. Once the boat shifted we were touching the bottom until thankfully the wind shifted back and we ended back in deeper water. We left first thing in the morning before the next low tide (we draw 6 ft).
O’Brian’s Cay
From this spot you are really close to the aquarium snorkeling spot. There are so many fish here and the coral was really pretty! It was one of the best, if not the best, snorkeling spot we visited! Around the corner from the aquarium you can hang out on the sand bars. The huge area of shallow water is stunning and we saw several sting rays as we wandering around the shore.
We also took the dinghy to nearby Cambridge Cay for some hiking. We really enjoyed the rocky coastline on the sound side of the island. The trail is well-marked and you can get great views along the way.
Wardrick Wells
Our final stop in the Exumas was Wardrick Wells. The north mooring field is a really pretty spot! You do need to call the day before to get on the list. We were a bit confused by this process. We called and they said there were 9 boats ahead of us on the list for arrival the following day. They didn’t confirm that we would get a ball or not. We were told to hail the park ranger on VHF channel 9 upon arrival to the entrance. When we did that the ranger asked if we were on the list, we said yes and were given a ball assignment. The ball cost us $30 for the night with a 39 ft boatl. If you can’t get into the north mooring field there is another one, Emerald Rock that typically has balls available.
There are several beautiful hiking trails on the island. After hiking for a few hours we stopped off at the coral garden at the south end of the mooring field. There is a pretty strong current if you don’t go at slack tide. We saw a spotted eagle ray and several large fish. We didn’t snorkel for long as it was pretty wavey when we went.
Wardrick Wells was another one of our favorite stops. We ended up only staying one day as we had a great weather window to sail back north from the Exumas the following day. There are plenty of other anchorages and great things to see and do in the Exumas. We hope to cruise through this island chain again some day!
We didn't travel too far this month, only going 182 miles (our lowest monthly total since leaving Muskegon). But we spent 80% of these miles under sail. We've had great wind for sailing in the Exumas. We really only motored when going through cuts, inlets, and getting in and off anchor.
29 Nights on Anchor 0 Nights At Marina
We spent all 29 nights of this leap year February on anchor this month. We didn't spend any nights at marinas or mooring balls this month and we've spent most of our time in remote anchorages
62 kWh of Solar Generated
We generated 62 kWh of solar in February, just over 2.1 kWh per day. This is 27% higher than January, and the highest solar generation we've had since leaving the slip in July 2023. We've also been using more electricity. Since we have more electricity to use, we've been using it more - making more water, doing more laundry, using our induction stove and electric tea kettle.... We finally have sufficient solar to have a bit more breathing room on our batteries.
$847 Total Spent $29.20 Average Per Day
For the second month in a row, we've spent around $850 for the whole month. This month we didn't go to to any marinas, but we decided to spend a bit more on restaurants. We spent $214 at restaurants, $251 on groceries as we continued to be successful in fishing with our hand reel and pole spear. Those were the top two costs, followed by Starlink internet at $150. We also bought $101 in 'non-groceries' and $89 in fuel. 2/3 of the fuel cost was actually gasoline for our dinghy this month.
