April 6-7, 2021 Soldier Cay & Compass Cay

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Our first anchorage in the Exumas was Shroud Cay.  We found it beautiful but overrun with people.  Apparently some of these people thought the same.  Usually Second Star is the early bird, but this morning by the time our anchor was up at least half the anchorage was already on the move.

We pushed west to get away from the field of boats still on anchor then headed south with the vague plan to find a place less crowded.  We enjoyed perfect sailing conditions covering about 30 miles while working out a plan by reading the chart and guidebook as we went.  Then in the last couple miles changed the plan to anchor at Soldier Cay. 

Here the water is very clear.  Rocks 15 feet down are very visible.  Brent swam a coral garden nearby and was rewarded with the richest sea life display of the trip.  


The guidebook says you can see every color of blue imaginable in these waters.  That's easy to believe as you turn 360° and see a huge spectrum of color from white to deep saphire all within a short distance of the boat

The nearby islands are all private.  The few buildings we see appear well built with style and first class materials.  Serious money homes.  No plans to go ashore here.  

April 7
Today we moved to the northern part of Compass Cay. 
This involved putting the boat through a narrow pass at Bell's Cay between rough rock and one of those beautiful Bahamas sand bars that goes on for miles.  Instinct strongly urges one to stay away from submerged rock, but here that's where the deep water is.  So holding our breath and trusting in our depth sounder we pushed through quickly before the running tide pushed us sideways into peril.  The rest of the transit was without drama.

Reaching the northern edge of Compass Cay dropped anchor in a  small, pretty cove just outside the channel, again taking advantage of our shallow draft to go where other boats dare not go. 

With Second Star secure we took the dinghy over the mile to Rocky Dundes to snorkel.  This cay is bowl shaped and has an opening just at the low water line where you can swim in to view the interior.  We enjoyed the beautiful coral and many fish. Unfortunately our underwater camera's battery was flat, so no photos.

On the way home to Second Star stopped by the white sand beach to warm in the sun and wiggle toes in the sand.  The water between us and Second Star is a big expanse of 1-2ft deep water.



Comments

Jane said…
Wow!!! Your pictures are spectacular! So nice to see that you are finding great riches and are away from all the crazies! Keep it up!
April 9, 2021 at 8:42 PM
Lynn and Ed said…
Beautiful photo of Second Star at anchor.
April 10, 2021 at 9:54 AM
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