March 24-26 Rose Isalnd, Allens Cay

We pull out of the marina to discover that the Nassau anchorage is too crowded for our tastes. The Captain quickly consults the charts and we head off to Rose Island, about 6 miles from Nassau Harbour and a good staging area for the Exumas. We pick our way through a coral patch to get into the anchorage...Craig at the helm and me on the bow, spotting the coral heads which like to feed on fiberglass and keel. They are denied a taste of Hakuna Matata. The anchorage is rugged and essentially deserted, only 2 other boats. Once the hook is set, it is time for a quick lobster check. The season ends in a few days and this looks a good spot. I can see some fine starfish which turn out to be the only residents. No luck, for the 5 minutes I was able to stay in the water. 0.5mm suit and the water is like ice.

AM in Rose Island.

We head out in the morning for Allens Cay. It is 40 miles across the bank. It starts off calm and even looks as if we might sail a bit. Before you know it, the winds are howling at 25knots, seas building to 6 feet and once again we are heading right into it. It was a screaming ride...

Note water over the toe rail!!

Wow...all worth it once we arrive to Allens Cay, perhaps the most beautiful spot yet. We spend an extra day here. In the AM, we snorkeled and searched for lobster. The end of season and a popular anchorage, we do not see ONE lobster. Sometimes you want a lobster for dinner, but what you get is baked chicken. The snorkeling was good, with surprising corals, fish and conch (huge!) for such a shallow spot. A French Canadian on the beach shows us how to get the conch out...Craig is still having chicken. ($11.50 for a 2pound pack of split breasts, might as well be filet mignon)

The beach and the anchorage.

A fine sea biscuit specimen.

Are those lizards???

The attraction here is the iguanas on the beach. This is the only place in the Bahamas that they live. We were told that they will go for red toenail polish. So that I can run this story to ground, I touch up before going to the beach...

Well, it's true, and I can not stand still long enough for the good camera shot for fear that a toe will be bitten off. Alcohol was involved.

Rescue at sea...

We were dinghy riding and got flagged down by these folks, who were quite a ways out when we spotted them. He could not get the dinghy in gear...turns out all he had to do was turn down the throttle. Captain Craig gives a lesson and saves the day...

A little beach spot by the main anchorage, only room for one boat but a bit shallow for our draft.