We had an easy transit down from Nassau to Allen’s Cay, our first stop in the Exumas. The more popular stop is the next island down, Highborne Cay, borne out by the number of really big stink boats passing us and heading for there. The space between Allen’s and Leaf Cays, famous for its iguana is thankfully far too small and shallow for the big stinks. We were able to park up alone in not a great deal of water on the sand bank between the channels with a bunch of monohulls around us. We are finding considerable advantages of having a boat that only draws 3 ½ feet.
Peace. So nice. These Cays are all very low (no higher than 20 feet) but provide lovely shelter for the East winds we are expecting. There is a little current (1 ½ knts at half tide) but there are lots of little bays for us to duck into and plenty to see.
We decided to spend New Year here. On our first night here, we were very surprised to see a full blown fireworks display at Highbourne Cay. Not sure if someone pressed the New Year display button two days early by mistake but it looked good!
We had the pleasant surprise of Ana and Augustin (our neighbours in Nassau Yacht Haven) arriving who parked up behind us. Fresh coffee was offered and we did the return for them with a sundowner. Rusty nails and Argentinian red wine don’t mix well but it was a lovely night.
It is interesting to hear others drive to push off sailing. Ana and Augustin are both lawyers and although neither can go off full term due to work commitments, are intending to sail 3 months a year keeping the boat in the Caribbean. They only started sailing 5 years ago but decided early that if they were to sail they wanted to do it properly. They are on their second yacht, this one a 42 Benneteau Oceanis that they bought in Italy and shipped across, which they have done up nicely even with an office so that they can keep up with work back home. They are going as far as the Dominican Republic this year and will leave the boat parked up until they return after the hurricane season of 2015, about November, to continue their way south.
New Year itself was quiet. We made a few calls back home to family and friends with Lou’s new data allowance. Thanks to the drunken crowd in Andover for letting us hear Big Ben with them– much appreciated. Our own bells here didn’t include fireworks but we were just about awake!
We are really looking forward to this year. 2014 was a year of planning, packing up and a degree of panicking! 2015 should be so much more.
We wish you all a happy and successful New Year and hope to see one or two of you out here in the coming months to help us in our adventures.
skylarkingaround 