February 25, 2017- February 28, 2017
We Left West End at about 8:30 am after filling up with fuel and water. I got my first taste of watching on the bow for the changes in water color to keep Bob informed so he could stay in deep water and avoid rocks and coral (I had studied the water colors and what they indicate about the bottom while in West End). Once we were on the Little Bahama Bank (a body of water between the barrier cays and Grand Bahama) we could relax as the water was 12-14 feet deep our whole trip to Great Sale Cay. It was a long day of motoring since there was no wind, but the view of crystal clear turquoise water in every direction was amazing.
We anchored in Great Sale Cay at about 2pm. Unfortunately, the water was cloudy and when I put on my snorkel gear and swam out to check the anchor I couldn't find it. Not one to give up easily I tried every technique I could to locate it, but the water was just too cloudy. I enjoyed the swim anyway. The water just invited me to jump in, so I did that, too.
In the morning we decided to continue on to Powell Cay hoping to find clearer water. I was able to see the anchor this time and enjoyed swimming around looking at the shells and vegetation on the bottom, but there were no fish. We took the dinghy in closer to shore to explore a bit. In the morning the wind was too strong to snorkel the reef on the ocean side of the cay so we pulled up the anchor and continued east to Manjack and Crab Cays. It was a much more protected anchorage, but still too windy for me to get in the water for a swim. The next morning we explored the cays by dinghy. I even got out to beach comb a bit. I collected a perfect sand dollar and a tiny shell. On the way back to the boat we saw a green sea turtle and followed it for a bit. They swim amazingly fast.
The next morning it was still too windy to snorkel so we motored over to Green Turtle Cay where we followed the narrow channel into Black Sound and took a mooring. Here we were protected on all sides from the wind and the water was calm. Since we couldn't find the dock master of The Other Shore Marina (they owned the mooring) we walked to Pineapples Bar and Grill. The bar is open air with a pool and picnic tables right by the Bay of Abaco. It was noon so we had lunch. The meal was a little pricey, but delicious. I'm sure the fish in my sandwich was fresh caught grouper! No one seemed worried that we couldn't check in or pay the mooring fee.
We took the dinghy into the only settlement on Green Turtle Cay, Plymouth. This unique little village was settled by loyalist who left the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War.
Since we will be staying on Green Turtle Cay for several days my next blog post will be about our continuing exploration of this picturesque cay.
Thank you for reading my blog.
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| This picture gives you an idea of the beauty of the water. |
In the morning we decided to continue on to Powell Cay hoping to find clearer water. I was able to see the anchor this time and enjoyed swimming around looking at the shells and vegetation on the bottom, but there were no fish. We took the dinghy in closer to shore to explore a bit. In the morning the wind was too strong to snorkel the reef on the ocean side of the cay so we pulled up the anchor and continued east to Manjack and Crab Cays. It was a much more protected anchorage, but still too windy for me to get in the water for a swim. The next morning we explored the cays by dinghy. I even got out to beach comb a bit. I collected a perfect sand dollar and a tiny shell. On the way back to the boat we saw a green sea turtle and followed it for a bit. They swim amazingly fast.
The next morning it was still too windy to snorkel so we motored over to Green Turtle Cay where we followed the narrow channel into Black Sound and took a mooring. Here we were protected on all sides from the wind and the water was calm. Since we couldn't find the dock master of The Other Shore Marina (they owned the mooring) we walked to Pineapples Bar and Grill. The bar is open air with a pool and picnic tables right by the Bay of Abaco. It was noon so we had lunch. The meal was a little pricey, but delicious. I'm sure the fish in my sandwich was fresh caught grouper! No one seemed worried that we couldn't check in or pay the mooring fee.
We took the dinghy into the only settlement on Green Turtle Cay, Plymouth. This unique little village was settled by loyalist who left the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War.
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| In this tiny settlement I counted five very well maintained churches. |
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| This is one of the two liquor stores in town. The other one serves breakfast. |
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| Colorful houses and white picket fences line the sides of the narrow roads. |
Since we will be staying on Green Turtle Cay for several days my next blog post will be about our continuing exploration of this picturesque cay.
Thank you for reading my blog.
