Off the Beaten Track

As I write this it has been exactly two months since we entered the Bahamas. We like to think about our favorite spots and what has made them special. I feel I've had the most fun where the natural beauty of an area is the main attraction, despite delightful times in various communities. I like sheltered anchorages where I can see the sun come up and set dramatically, always looking for that green flash.


We could really see the weather coming in while visiting this anchorage by Manjack Cay.

Later that evening we were treated to a sunset where the sun's rays peeked through a hole and illuminated the undersides of the clouds.

 I like exploring narrow creeks in mangrove swamps, looking for shells on deserted pink beaches or snorkeling on shallow reefs without swells or current. I especially like calm weather, not just because I’ve been fighting motion sickness, but because I can see so much under the water. Favorite sightings have been the sea turtles who rise to the surface, look around and then, I swear, a shocked expression comes over their face and they madly dive for safety. I like drifting with the dinghy and watching them swim. Another great sighting was deep in a mangrove swamp when I released an 18 inch barracuda that I had caught. It oriented itself back in the water but then convulsed and WHAM! A giant creature rose from the shallow muck and snapped it up as if it was a piece of popcorn and then disappeared. A giant Snook? Later that day I got all excited seeing baby Sargent Major fish in the same waterway.


The baby Sargent Major fish are the striped guys in the center. The huge fish appeared from the muck or from under a nearby ledge.

Several places I’ve enjoyed gliding over the upside down jellyfish or nurse sharks.

An upside down jellyfish


Nurse Shark


I feel like an explorer


Nico said he felt this spot seemed like it was the same since the dawn of time.


No footprints here - but lots of sand dollars and coral on Manjack Cay


Same here on Green Turtle Cay


The color is beyond description


The clouds never cease to amaze me.

Some places are so interesting that they have become incredibly popular with cruisers. The influx of people brings money to the local economy but it also brings over crowding and commercialism. So many islands have pigs now or beach bars catering to tourists.




OK, I admit that some snouts are hard to resist.

 Small harbors are hard to get into. We do have a habit of over loving special places. I’ve also realized that there is a reason some spots are so popular here - mainly amenities, some special sight and protection from the wind. If you read in a cruising guide about a series of islands where you will hardly see another person, there is usually a good reason such as shallow water and no wind protection. We are now in the northern part of the Abacos that you never hear about, waiting out a westerly wind in the only spot where we could find some protection.