The Bahamas
Great Harbour Cay Shelling Beach and Soldier Cay
 |
| Independence at anchor off the Shelling Beach, Great Harbour Cay |
After 3 nights at Great Harbour Cay Marina, we departed and sailed 25 miles in 3 hours to get to the other side of Great Harbour Cay. It was a very sporting sail at 8 knots (very fast for us!)
The Shelling Beach is a truly beautiful slice of heaven! Sadly, it is only tenable in west winds, so after one night it was time to move on. We sailed for 2 hours to reach Soldier Cay, 7 miles south.
We took the dinghy and our handheld depth sounder to sound out the 2 miles from Soldier Cay to Hoffman's Cay. We saw a few 4 feet depths at mid-tide (we draw just under 4 feet) and were un-impressed by the scenery; however, the protection against the forecasted 25 knot east winds would be better.
We wanted to travel the next day at the 7AM high tide, which would give us poor lighting for spotting shoals. Traveling by sailboat requires a non-stop list of pros and cons.
So, should we stay at beautiful Soldier Cay or press on?
 |
| Our route: Great Harbour Cay Marina, all the way around to the other side of Great Harbour Cay, then to Soldier's Cay |
It was really lovely to be back at anchor after being neighbors with a men's only fishing trip. Men think that women can talk, but no one is as energetic at full time communication than men on a fishing trip!
 |
| Sea turtle |
 |
| Hastings running on the beach |
 |
| Petite Cay, an island just off the Shelling Beach anchorage |
 |
| Sailing in light winds |
 |
| The anchorage at Soldier Cay |
 |
| The beach at Soldier Cay |
We wanted to travel the next day at the 7AM high tide, which would give us poor lighting for spotting shoals. Traveling by sailboat requires a non-stop list of pros and cons.
So, should we stay at beautiful Soldier Cay or press on?
5 comments
Ah, to be back at anchor. Move on, but wait for decent light, around 10am or so. You want the sun above or behind you when there are a lot of shoals and reefs. Unless you have a trustworthy track in and out iffy areas, I wouldn't trust it. But, I'm sure you know this already. :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, we went right at 7AM - if we had waited a few hours the tide would have been much lower. But we had 7 feet the whole way, and it's just sand bars so we wouldn't have injured ourselves. All's well that ends well - and the next anchorage didn't have a surge so it was definitely worth it!
DeleteSiting here listening to Chesney.Boats. Vessels of freedom. Harbours of healing.
ReplyDeleteAnd saw Hastings running free. Perfect. So happy to see your freedom and his healing.
Siting here listening to Chesney.Boats. Vessels of freedom. Harbours of healing.
ReplyDeleteAnd saw Hastings running free. Perfect. So happy to see your freedom and his healing.
How sweet and perfect. So wonderful that Hastings made it through his dark time over the winter and is totally back to himself. He will be 12 in two weeks!
Delete