(see http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/winlink.cgi?KG4EYP for latest position)

After too many gray and rainy days at Allen's Cay we have finally moved to Ship Channel Cay, a whopping 7 miles away. The Allen's Cay anchorage is a popular spot; at least one other boat was always anchored there (and sometimes as many as five - but when we've been there in midwinter we've seen a dozen), and big powerboats came daily with boatloads of daytrippers to feed the iguanas and hang out for half an hour. Here, we are the only boat within sight.

It's kind of odd, because we're not that far off the beaten path. But the anchorage is just the lee of the rocky island, no beach and no protection from anything but easterlies. There are no iguanas (Allen's), no marina (Highborne), no ruins of famous drug-runners' hideaways (Norman's). Most importantly, the direct route from Nassau crosses over lots of shallow coral heads which must be dodged, while the routes from Nassau to the other northern Exuma cays named above are relatively hazard-free.

Which is why, I guess, when Britt set the anchor in the grassy bottom (alas, this cay ALSO lacks the lovely sand bottom the others have!) he saw lots of conch, which are increasingly rare in the Exumas. And when we snorkeled on the Exuma Sound side of the cay, we saw two HUGE GINORMOUS LOBSTERS - and one of them wasn't even hiding in his hole, but instead strutted across the bottom as if to dare predators, "Come and get me!" (Then again, full-grown lobsters have pretty much no predators other than
humans - and lobster season's closed right now.)

We plan to take advantage of the flat calm (finally!) weather and do some more snorkeling near these remote and uninhabited cays. Hopefully we will finally get some sunshine as well as we are SICK of gray skies. Then, when the wind fills in, we'll gear up to make the passage back to the US.
- posted by S/V Windom @ 6/05/2007 [link]