April 15-16, 2021 Tug & Barge, Barraterre/Georgetown, Brigantine Cay

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April 15

Tug and Barge Cays, clearly visible to the west, have been tempting us our while we enjoy our anchorage.   From a distance you would think that was really a tugboat!  So we went to visit. 

On the way across the shallow bank we were escorted by this 5ft nurse shark.

We anchored Second Star on the sand bar, then snorkled all the way around the islands.  There were a surprising number of pretty corals and reef fish, considering everything else for miles around was just sand and eelgrass.

Squirrelfish
Featherduster worms
It was a perfect day to visit, with little wind, and we managed to be there exactly at slack tide, so the current wasn't too strong.

From there we moved to nearby Williams Bay for the night, just one cove south of where we had been the previous nights.  

April 16
In the morning Brent hiked around the Williams Bay area visiting the dramatic cliffs and narrow beaches that face the deep ocean side of the island.  He came back very impressed by the stark beauty of the coastline.

After lunch we motored the few miles over to the tiny village of Barraterre. 
Here we got a taxi over to Georgetown, driven by a very personable guy named Dimitri: very Bahamian, complete with the occasional "yah, mon!" thrown into the conversation.  He was knowlegable about boats and the local waters as well as a good tour guide of the Georgetown area, so was a fun guy to talk with.


As a former British colony, traffic drives on the left side of the road. And the right side.  And the middle. And fast around any curve or roundabout. You must honk a greeting at anybody you know. 

It was something of a shock to be in a "big" city after 14 months of Covid isolation and 2 months of boat life. All the people & traffic & activity seemed very alien after so long alone.  People are very respectful about covid precautions. It will just take time to get used to being around people again.

We filled the propane tank and bought a few groceries in the small, very nice grocery. Finally got the onions I had been looking for at Black Point!  Prices were 2x what we're used to in Virginia, but we were expecting that.  Lois definitely did a double take at $7.53 for a green pepper, though!  Luckily she still had some she'd dehydrated especially for this trip so we could skip the fresh ones this time.

The taxi returned us to Barraterre just in time to sneak out of the very shallow channel before low tide.  Just 4 miles away we dropped anchor for the night at isolated Brigatine Cay.  There is nothing but water and an uninhabited island within eyesight. Not many cruisers bother visiting the Brigantine Islands because there's not enough water for boats with 5+ ft draft.  Our draft is only 3ft, so we have plenty of water here. 

After dark we can see other anchor lights 5 miles away.  There is also a pretty spectacular display of stars and a crescent moon. Somewhere on the island a night bird is calling.  This is very nice.


Comments

Jane said…
So impressed with all of your pictures and still grateful for the maps-without which I would be so very confused!
April 17, 2021 at 4:17 PM
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