Our plan was to head north, up the Exuma chain of islands and in the general direction of Nassau. Kim plotted an itinerary of easy day sails, that could all be completed before lunch. A pace giving us opportunities to stop, explore and enjoy this remote archipelago. That reminds me, I need to check if the Bahamas is technically part of the Caribbean and if it falls under the definition of an archipelago.

With Tourterelle and Kerpa we departed George Town towards Lee Stocking Island. We motored our way along the sound and out through the cut (gap in the reef). We had our main reefed as the wind was brisk, the seas were calm. A catamaran could make the same journey on the inside of the sound but as we have a keel we took the ocean route. Passing through a cut always has an air of exhilaration, the unknown condition of the sand on the bar, the breaking waves and the knowledge that reef and total destruction is only meters to both our port and starboard sides. Anyway, enough drama, we cruised through the cut and once again we followed Tourterelle through the shallow water to a sheltered bay and our anchorage with only one other yacht. A few hours later we were joined by our Barbados 50 friends, Jiyu and Balanec. I’m sure we crushed that lone yachts feeling of paradise, with the arrival of 5 yachts and 13 people.

Sundowners were called on the sandy and sheltered beach nearby. We hadn’t seen Jiyu and Balanec since Barbados and even back then our non-existent French language skills made it difficult. Our communication skills had improved and we shared stories. Jerome and Kelly (Jiyu) demonstrated the art of cleaning a number of conchs that they had collected. A task that is not without risk, it requires a good technique and an understanding of this mollusc’s anatomy.

Tourterelle leading the way

All following Tourterelle

Our anchorage was next to an abandoned marine research station. We walked through the facility, past the lab with dozens of fish tanks, past the sea water ponds, though the accommodation and office facilities. The buildings were still intact, some needed some basic roof repairs but all needed some attention. It was like a small ghost town that included an abandoned F250 ute, a truck and other broken machinery. The desalination plant had been removed and items of value such as copper wires and the generator wiring had also been taken. It would have been a very expensive facility to build.

A group picnic was called on Easter Sunday. It was held on a large deserted beach located in the next bay, just a short dingy trip around the corner. Simon was perched on the front of Kerpa’s dingy to try and keep the bow down. Paul slowed down to ensure that my back was ok, only to have Simon topple overboard. Simon’s sunglasses went flying and he was rather concerned about finding them until he realised that he could stand up. Once we knew he was ok I could not stop laughing as it was rather comical. The whole area is very shallow.

To keep the children entertained a water polo type game was organised. The kids picked the team members and we started with a basic set of rules, get the ball into your sides dingy and stop the other team from doing the same. After a few time outs, the rules evolved further, we found some common ground by applying several principles of rugby with a line in to start the game and no forward passes (unless you’re a child). We now had a full contact game plus the added bonus of drowning ones opponent in a tackle.

We did plan to anchor off Leaf Cay to visit the swimming iguana’s but the wind was up and the anchorage was untenable. We made the call to head to our next island, Rudder Cut Cay. Jiyu and Balanec also joined us but anchored around the corner in shallow water. At least the one other yacht did not feel too overcrowded. The following day we headed to the beach to explore the nearby cave and to have game 2 of our rugby water polo match. Unfortunately the game was postponed as both Mia and Jerome had trod on a small sea urchin requiring the removal of splinters from their feet. There was nothing obvious in the water so they must have been very small.

Later that afternoon, the boys decided they wanted to go searching for lobster. They did not have any luck but they did find a magical snorkelling spot with great coral and loads of colourful fish just 30 meters behind Aura. The following day was windy and overcast but we were determined to snorkel of the mermaid and piano statue that was commissioned by David Copperfield. Afterwards we snorkelled on the coral reef and I was amazed at how good it was. Even though the day was overcast, the clarity was amazing. I was happy snorkelling along until I spotted a big barracuda to my side. Having caught a few of these, I know how big there teeth are so I headed back to the dingy. As I got closer, Ian was telling me to hurry….I know that barracuda are scary looking but not dangerous unless you annoy then. As I was propelled out of the water into the dingy, Ian explained that he saw a big shark behind one of the coral heads. Good call Ian :-)

The following day we set sail for Black Point, this time taking the route across the Exuma bank. We had a great sail with good wind and flat water with depths between 2.5 and 4 meters. We were sailing along at 6-7 knots in turquoise water…a truly amazing experience. We found a lovely anchorage around the corner from Black Point Settlement and the following day decided to walk into town. It was about a 7km round trip but it was good to stretch the legs. The intention was to do some provisioning and more importantly, have lunch prepared by someone else. The settlement was small with very little in the way of fresh provisions. We had an awesome cheese burger, the walk was well worth it.

Next stop was Big Majors and Staniel Cays. These islands are probably more touristy than the others we have visited as it is the home of the swimming pigs and the Thunderball grotto that was made famous by a couple of James Bond movies. We anchored off Big Majors as we were expecting strong winds and squalls from the south. We got up bright and early the next day and went and visited the pigs. We tried to feed them from the dingy so they had to swim out to us. We only managed one taker while the rest stayed ashore. We figured that they are too well fed so why swim for your supper when tourists go to shore and feed them. Later that day I noticed something big and dark swimming around Aura…on further inspection I noticed it was a shark. Maybe something to do with the chicken juice I had put down the sink. Si got to GoPro and took some cool underwater shots. After some research we confirmed that it was a nurse shark…relatively harmless but he didn’t know that when he had his hand in the water.

Later that afternoon, the wind increased with some rain. We decided to call a Mexican Train game with Kerpa and Tourterelle. To go with the “Mexican” theme, we made margaritas and fajitas while Ian and Ann made nachos with homemade salsa, fried beans and a relish made out of plantain’s (oversize bananas). Great fun with the Simon winning...or so we think.

After a night of pitching back and forth due to the wind coming from the the south, Tourterelle decided to move anchorages. On the charts it showed only 1.7 meters at low tide in a small section. As it was high tide, we decided to follow them around with the expectation that it was likely that the depths would be closer to 2.5 meters (we have a 2m draft). It was an easy motor around where we anchored between the cays, Big and Little Major. A lovely spot with very few boats. That afternoon we took the dingy to the Thunderball Grotto. It is another one of those must do’s and we weren’t disappointed. It is a cave that you swim into with light that filters through a hole in the ceiling. The fish were amazing and come right up to you expecting to be fed. After leaving the Grotto we noticed a yacht (Oyster 62’) that appeared to be dragging its anchor as a result of a strong current at low and high tide. The water was ebbing and the current was fast flowing. We tried to assist by using Helios to push them around but we didn’t have the power to budge it. Si dived on the keel to confirm that it was aground. After a few stressful minutes, the lady onboard was able to engage the engine and get the yacht out of the shallow sandy area and away from the rocks. Later that day, Simon had to tow a dingy back to their yacht as they had run out of fuel…all part of a days work on Aura.

More to follow...