Feb 26, 2023 Issac's Bay to Lee Stocking to Tug & Barge

Patience and flexibility are essential traits for this kind of trip.  You've heard the phrase "the winds of change"?  It was coined because the winds and forecasts thereof change so frequently that any plan you make is good only for the length of time it takes to say it out loud.

Isaac Bay was a great anchorage but we were ready to change the scenery.  We decided why not go to Georgetown in the southern end of the Exumas.  Georgetown has fresh vegetables, gasoline, a fun straw market, and several of our friends are hanging there.  The wind is reasonable for the 40 mile trip.  We slipped out of Isaac bay, careful to round the shallow rocks, then turned south across the shallow Exuma bank. We ran past Little Farmers Cay, then into a just deep enough but narrow channel leading to Cave Cay Cut a few miles further south.  Cave Cay Cut is a narrow pass between islands that took us into the deep water of the sound.  It took some time getting through the cut sailing against the 3.5 knots of incoming tidal flow.  Once past the rocks the current dropped off quickly and we set our course southeast, with the wind nicely abeam.  A large ocean swell of 3 to 4 foot high waves was coming at us from port bow and put some challenge into the ride, but became less of a problem when the depth dropped into abyss level. 

The boat sailed very nicely and we enjoyed watching the islands roll by.   We passed the entrance to Lee Stocking Island, which we visited recently.  We got talking about our good memories of that place from our recent visit and prior times.  Gradually the interest in Georgetown diminished as Lee Stocking got further aft, and we changed our plan.

Plan B:  We came off the sound at speed running the narrow Rat Cay Cut, then perfectly executed a quick jibe to steer away from dangerously shallow water.  Fifteen minutes later the sails came down in the lee of Rat Cay.  We took lunch riding the anchor there, then hoisted anchor and sail again to make for Lee Stocking, just a few miles up the bank.  

The cove known as The Window already had 20 boats anchored there, so we went one beach down where the water is too shallow for most boats to consider. We spent a quiet night all alone soaking in 3 feet of water, and had the beach to ourselves.

Next morning Brent & Sam took a 3 mile hike over the big hill to the far side of the island.   The island is covered in jungle through which run a few lightly tread pathways. The rewards for making the trek is spectacular vistas and pristine deep water beaches. 

 

Sam was first to make it down the steep incline to the beach. 

Wandering up the shore we found a set of caves carved by the tide.  We were on the scene at low tide.  At high tide this entire plain is awash.  

This beautiful cowry shell had just come in on the last tide. 

We moved the boat a mile to Tug & Barge, tiny islands where we had some great snorkelling on our last trip.  Tug is about 15 feet long stem to stern. Up close it looks very tiny.

The best sights are between the two, and around tug. 

Our new acquision for this trip was a Pup Plank- an inflatable ramp for Sam to use to get herself back on the boat if she goes swimming (on purpose or not).  Turns out it works pretty well to take her along while we snorkel- she swims when she wants to, then uses the ramp chute to climb back onto the platform that one of us is pulling along.  She loves swimming but never could have accompanied us without the floating ramp.

Right after this photo was snapped, I put my head into the water to look around. We were in 6ft of water depth and there, not very far away, was a group of BIG Atlantic Rays laying in a pile in the sand. I counted 12 that I could see, but there were others scattered about in the sand away from the main pile, every one of them bigger than 6 feet across. I don't get spooked by much, but this was an unnerving sight since they were *big* and I was outnumbered. Were they going to take offense at me dropping in during what was obviously mating season?   A few flapped their wings at me, but nobody really moved, so I swam on past. 

We swam off to the islands, and saw lots of familiar fish: 5 types of angelfish, tangs, squirrel & butterfly & parrot fish, a really large grouper hiding under a coral head, big schools of amberjack.  But I was left with the impression that a lot of coral had died in the last 2 years.  There were none of the beautiful sea whips or sea fans that I remembered.  Very sad to see. 

After one circuit of the two islands we headed back to the boat. The stern where our swim ladder is had swung a bit on the anchor......and OF COURSE it's now right over the stingray orgy just 6 feet below.  How fast can I scamper up that ladder?  LOL

After the swim we went back to our shallow anchorage planning a second night in this great little spot. 

It's a very quiet night this evening. There will be no wind to speak of for the next couple days, so we'll sit here happily until we can sail onward.