The Bahamas
Sailing to Honeymoon Harbor, Bimini Islands
February 12, 2017
We departed Bimini Sands Marina at high tide and headed to the Sapona wreck, 3 miles away. We checked out the wreck but decided it was too choppy to snorkel and continued on to Honeymoon Harbor, an additional 2 more miles south. Wow, 5 miles in one day! We watched literally every single cruising boat that had been in the Bimini Islands head out across the Banks, most of them headed for Nassau. I wondered if we were making the right decision to stay in the Bimini chain - if everyone else is leaving, surely it's because it's better somewhere else?
We arrived at Honeymoon Harbor off Gun Cay and chased off our favorite Canadians. They had clearly seen us coming and activated the emergency Independence avoidance strategy: raise the anchor and leave. We had previously chased them out of three spots in Key Largo. They thought they'd be able to shake us by sailing to a foreign country; they tried to find an obscure anchorage, but we hunted them down!
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| Honeymoon Harbor anchorage with Great Bahama Bank to the east |
We dinghyed to shore and were followed by sting rays. "Give us food!" they said. Hastings filled them in on how stingy we are with food rations, and they left. (Actually, Hastings completely ignores any marine life). Fisherman clean their catch here, so the sting rays follow boats around hoping for food.
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| Hastings pretending there are no sting rays |
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| Sting rays and Independence |
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| Honeymoon Harbor Beach |
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| Honeymoon Harbor Beach |
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| GoPro photos make everything look small :-) |
We paddle boarded through clear waters. We watched devil rays jump. We took a time lapse of sunset and were really bummed when a trawler motored right in front of us and parked themselves on top of our anchor. We cheered ourselves up with a "1st anchorage" cocktail and laid on the trampolines looking at a billion stars.
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| Paddle boarding around Honeymoon Harbor |
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| Paddling with a sting ray through swimming pool clear waters |
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| Paddling to Honeymoon Harbor beach |
Regardless of the rude weather change, our very first anchorage was unbelievable!
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| Gun Cay Lighthouse in the background |
Check out our 3 minute video on Honeymoon Harbor! We paddle board with stingrays, take lots of drone footage including rays and a shark, and I take some underwater snorkel shots. Enjoy!
11 comments
A bull shark is one of the only things that will get me out of the water, even while scuba diving.
ReplyDeleteWow! I keep telling myself that they have plenty of other things to eat here, and the water is clear so they know I'm a person. No one was spearing or chumming, so that was a big plus.
DeleteHappy First Anchorage! It looks amazing . . . and to have it all to yourselves most of the day, is even better.
ReplyDeleteStephanie @ SV CAMBRIA
Such a beautiful spot - we were really lucky to have such great weather that day as it's been windy ever since!
DeleteBeautiful photos! We have never been to the Bimini group, so please, explore them all for us. :-)
ReplyDeleteBull sharks can be dangerous; I would stay clear of them. It is so annoying when other boats lay on top of your anchor. Luckily, the wind often shifts enough that the situation "clears" and usually, no damage is done, but still, not being able to leave and pick up the anchor in an emergency if needed, is stressful. We eased up about it a bit the longer we cruised, but always kept a close eye on things.
I'm certainly wishing I could "ease up" a little! Matt is much for chill and lenient with stressful situations and other boaters.... and if it wasn't one thing, it would be another, wouldn't it?!
DeleteI can't believe that Hastings was so disinterested in the stingrays. There's nothing worse than having to be on anchor watch all night worrying that some boat is going to hit you and not being able to escape.
ReplyDeleteHe's never interested in marine life. I think it's so far removed from his land life he just can't comprehend that there's creatures in the ocean!
DeleteI just wanted to drop by and say thank you for your incredible honeymoon guides. Your writing not only transports us to stunning destinations but also equips us with practical tips and advice. It's evident how much effort you put into each post, and it doesn't go unnoticed. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog you haave here
ReplyDeleteThoughtful blog thanks for posting.
ReplyDelete