January 2024 Berry Islands to the Exumas, Bahamas

We started the year leaving Great Harbour Cay and heading to Hoffman’s Cay in the Berry Islands. It was a very pleasant sail with light winds and flat water. On the way, we caught two cotton mouth jacks. One we kept, one we actually threw back because we had such a stockpile of fish!

We anchored surrounded by small islands all of which had their own secluded beaches to explore. We spent the afternoon walking to Hoffman’s blue hole and exploring some of the beautiful beaches in the area.

The islands in this area had several great, short hikes! We walked across Hoffman’s Cay to the ocean side where we found a picture-perfect beach with nobody around. We walked the entire length of the beach and found a ton of sea glass along the way! Everywhere we went here was stunning! This area was by far our favorite in the Berry Islands!

The final day in the anchorage we met up with our friends aboard SV Sea Rex who we had met in West Palm. We went back to the blue hole to jump in as we didn’t realize there was a path down to the water during our first visit. It was nice to hang out with other young cruisers for the day. They gave us some great intel on Eleuthera and the Exumas where we are headed next. They are off to the Abacos but hopefully we see them again one day.

With some incoming weather we set off south along the Berry Islands. We spent one night at Frazer Hog Cay then continued to Chub Cay to wait out some wind. The following morning we headed into the marina at Chub Cay to treat ourselves and the boat for a night. Resande was in need of a good washing after several upwind passages left her covered in salt. We also enjoyed the day/evening in the marina. The island here is private so you aren’t allowed ashore unless you pay a landing fee or are staying at the marina or resort on the island. Having a slip got us access to all the resort amenities. We relaxed by the pool and in the hot tub all afternoon then headed to the local restaurant for dinner. We ended up having a nice time talking with a few other cruisers during dinner.

The following day was our window to leave the Berry Islands before the next big wind storm. We left the marina and started off in some big, sloppy waves. Eventually they smoothed out and we enjoyed a really nice sail to the west end of New Providence Island. This is where we stayed through the next couple days of high winds.

We made the most of our time in this anchorage. We found some great snorkeling nearby. Ryan saw two spotted eagle rays swim by. We both saw plenty of fish and some great little coral reefs. We also saw the statue of a Bahamian girl which was placed underwater not far from shore.

Once the high winds were over we headed off to Spanish Wells just north of Eleuthera. We had a fantastic sail all the way to the anchorage. We started off down-wind then had a wind shift putting us on a beam-reach/slightly upwind. The waves died off as the passage continued. Once we hit the shallower water of the bank we caught three fish- a little tunny, an amberjack and a yellow snapper! We got the anchor down and enjoyed a nice sushi night!

Being in the Bahamas and in less of a hurry, we have been able to actually sail most of our passages. In the Great Lakes and all the way down the coast we had many days of no wind or high winds. Also needing to make many miles and trying to do so in the daylight often forced us to motor or motor sail. Everyone on board has been really enjoying the passages without the engine noise!

We stayed in Spanish Wells, at the Meeks Patch anchorage for four nights. There is a nicely stocked grocery store in town so we re-provisioned. Our pantry is very-well stocked from all the provisioning we did in Florida before crossing, we mostly just needed fresh veggies. We found prices on some things not so different from the U.S but others were double or triple the cost!

The Meeks Patch anchorage is nicely protected from any ocean swell. The small island was really nice to paddle board around on a calm day. We also enjoyed harvesting several coconuts and got some snorkeling in. There are no big reefs around the anchorage but several small patches of coral in the shallow waters.

After several days it was time to continue south. We went through Current Cut to get to the island of Eleuthera which Spanish Wells sits just north of. It was a flat calm day which we were happy about because the current runs very quickly through the cut so thankfully we only had that to deal with, no wind or waves.

We anchored near the Glass Window Bridge and the Queen’s Bath. Both were amazing to see. The sun came out just as we reached the bridge. The bridge gives you a great view of the different water colors from the deep blue Atlantic Ocean side to the teal Bahamas Bank side of the island. The only difference is the depth of the water, it is crystal clear on both sides.

Continuing down Eleuthera we stayed in Hatchet Bay for two nights. This was the most calm, protected anchorage we had seen in a while. This was a land-locked lake that they built a channel into so it is protected on all sides. Most anchorages in the islands are only protected from a couple directions so if the wind changes you have to move.

While in Hatchet Bay we walked across the island to the beach on the Atlantic side and walked to the Hatchet Bay Cave. You can go about a half mile back into this cave. There were only a couple bats near the back. The stalagmites and stalactites were really cool to see. Walking back through the small town on our way back to the boat we stopped off at the Front Porch Restaurant for a drink. All the locals we have talked with on the islands have been so nice and welcoming and this place was no different!

From Hatchet Bay we headed to the Pinapple Cays area of Eleuthera and anchored for the night. The whole coast of Eleuthera was really pretty. Its rocky with small caves along the way. The land is taller than in the Berry Islands. We were lucky enough to have two sets of dolphins play on our bow during this passage. They each stayed for only a couple minutes before diving back down into the water and swimming away. It was a highlight of the entire trip to watch them swim so close in the beautiful turquoise water!

The following day we sailed off anchor and had a perfect sail all the way to Rock Sound at the bottom of the island. We had a couple really nice weather days to explore before a big blow came through that lasted days. We ended up staying in Rock Sound for a full week to wait it out.

Thankfully there is plenty to see and do in Rock Sound. We walked around town and found the locals to be really welcoming and friendly. Across the island from the anchorage is a pink sand beach. We also found some great spearfishing in the bay we were anchored. Ryan got us a couple snappers and a giant spider crab. We also visited the Cathedral Caves and got several small boat projects done.

Once the wind died down a bit we made a run for it! We crossed the Exuma Sound and made landfall on Allan Cay in the Exuma Island Chain! It was a pretty wavy, rolly passage but we were very happy to finally be in the Exumas!

We spent several days at Allan Cay. The anchorage is surrounded by small little beaches and the water is super clear! Ryan did a ton of spearfishing, he got 5 lion fish, a snapper and a grouper! We also harvested some whelk (sea snails) to steam up. We are really enjoying tasting all the different sea food.

Allan Cay is also home to the Bahamian Rock Iguanas. Tour boats come through and the tourists feed the iguanas so they expect to be fed. As soon as we pulled the dinghy up they all came running towards us. Once they realized we didn’t have any snacks they left us alone during our visit.

We bumped into our friends aboard Keilani who we first met in the North Channel of Lake Huron. It was nice to catch up with them again. We then waited out some more high winds at Allan Cay before moving on to Norman’s Cay. The water at Norman’s Cay is stunning. There are many sand bars and shallower waters that then drop off to deeper waters giving you beautiful changes in the shades of blue.We will be here a couple days enjoying it before we head on to Shroud Cay for a Young Cruisers Association event where we will be able to catch up with several boats we have met and hopefully met lots of new friends.

January 2024 Cruising Stats and Spending

December 2023 Florida to the Bahamas

February 2024 Island Hopping in the Exumas