Windwalker Voyages Bahamas 2019 Bahamas 2017 Bahamas 2015 Bahamas 2013 Florida to Maine 2006 East Coast and Caribbean 2003	Bahamas 2019 Overview Chart / Route Status Reports Logs Photos
2019 Abacos Trip At last count, we have visited the Abacos on over 10 trips since the 90's. While every cruising area has its charms, you can't beat the northern Bahamas for secure anchorages, wonderful scenery, excellent climate, and ease of access from South Florida. With marinas, restaurants, marine services and tourist attractions available when you want them, it is also a great place to anchor in a remote area, swim off the boat, and just be laid back for weeks at a time. It is also a place full of new things to discover. On this trip, we explored the hiking opportunities off the beach at Crab Cay, a new way (to us) to access the ocean beach on Manjack, the ridge trail on Tilloo above the pond, and the remnants of an old camp in the Water Cay area. We also thoroughly explored Green Turtle Cay via foot and golf cart while at the dock at Green Turtle Club for a few days. After a night anchored near the Lake Worth inlet, we left in the dark and made good time to West end. The winds were forecast 15-20 from the NW/NE but seemed lighter than that, but the 4-5' seas made for a lumpy and wet crossing. Waiting wasn't much of an option with strong East winds coming for the next week. Old Bahama Bay is fully open again, including the restaurant, but clearing in is a little more complicated as customs officials now actually board your vessel - a long walk around the basin from the office. It was hot, so we splurged for the $28 electrical hookup and ran the air conditioning through the night. The tide was not with us to use the Indian Cay Channel, so rather than wait until noon or so for mid tide, we left early and rounded memory rock enroute to Great Sale. This adds 15 miles to the trip, but the early start got us there just as it was getting dark and we anchored close to the eastern edge of the bight. With an incoming weather system, we did not dally there and next morning made the transit to the Crab Cay anchorage where we spent 4 days, waiting for the winds to die down. Sharing the anchorage with about 10 other boats (a lot for there), we did some snorkling around the boat and took the dinghy into the beach. A trail goes over to a rocky overlook where you can see south to the Manjack area. From Crab we moved to Manjack for 3 days, overlapping with friends John and Carla on Reverie, who were heading home after a month in the Exumas. Great snorkling on the two wrecks along the shore in the anchorage, with thousands of fish, including parrot fish that were at least two feet long. Next stop, after traversing the Whale Cay passage was Water Point. There were 2 or 3 other boats in the area, but anchored so far away it was like having the place to ourselves. Over a couple of days, we explored all the little bays and beaches, and found a trail leading to an old camp on one of the small islets. There is a well developed channel leading to a marina basin that was all lit up at night, but we saw no activity there. Google supplied some background - this was being developed as a port area for supplying material and workers to Bakers Bay, but they had a falling out with the owners and everything is on hold. From there we went to Marsh Harbour for a day, picked up some supplies and got a new BTC sim card. Using an old Galaxy-3 phone that could use the micro-sim we had as a hotspot, internet connectivity was good but not great. The new nano-sim fit into our newer Galaxy-8 and performance became excellent. We also had drinks and conch fritters at Blue Hole (used to be Curly Tails), and dinner at Mangoes (which was closed on the last trip in 2017). The house batteries during the trip had been starting to fail. Bought new in 2003, they had tested OK before we left, but the 16 years of use started catching up to them and the engine was cranking slower and slower as the days progressed. After using only about 20 AH on one bank, the voltage had dropped to 11.4 over night in Marsh -clearly a problem. Replacing these large Group 31 Gel Cells in the Abacos was not going to happen, so instead we bought an outrageously expensive marine starting battery. The thought was that if the engine wouldn't start on the house bank, this new battery and some jumper cables would do the deed. As it turned out, we made it home without needing it by keeping the stronger bank charged and isolated for engine starting. With most interior lighting LED now, we don't need that much power at anchor, and running the generator twice a day to keep the freezer plates cold also tops up the batteries. From Marsh we rounded Point Set and spent a few days anchored off Tilloo Pond. A nice spot in east winds, with few boats and only a couple of guest houses on the shore, we landed the dinghy on a small beach in the pond and hiked up to the top of the ridge. Great views of the boat back in the anchorage and the waves crashing on the ocean side of the island. With easterly swells, at high tide the waves crashed high enough to see them from the boat. Definitely a nice couple of days. From there we moved on to Guana Cay's Fisher's Bay, planning on doing the Sunday Pig Roast at Nipper's, but the anchorage was crowded with charterers and small waves and wakes were rolling in from the West, making it very uncomfortable. After a nasty afternoon and evening, we decided to split first thing in the morning and moved around the Whale to Coco Bay off Green Turtle. This is a delightful anchorage in prevailing conditions, protected on 3 sides and only a couple of miles from south side of Crab Cay (the one near Manjack). Although we didn't explore this time, the offshore reefs at the north end of Green Turtle are accessible from here, as are some very nice beaches. From Coco, we began the "luxury" part of the trip and moved into White Sound to the Green Turtle Club for 4 days. Their Wednesday "steak night" corresponded to Iris' birthday, so we ate and drank well. GT Club is a nice stop, offering full access to the resort amenities including a nice pool. Most of the north end of the island is accessible by foot from here and we explored quite a bit - from Coco Bay around the north side to Ocean Beach. Later, we rented a gas-powered golf cart and explored the south end, including downtown New Plymouth, snorkling at Bita Beach, and a long walk on the beach at Gillum Bay. This beach goes around the south end of the island, right across from the anchorage at No Name Cay (home of the swimming pigs) and is pristine. From GTC, we headed home, stopping at Great Sale and Old Bahama Bay. Again, the tide did not favor Indian Cay Passage so we made the longer trip through Memory Rock Passage. This time, after arriving at OBB before 3PM, we made use of the facilities - they have a nice pool with a waterfall and bar. With an early start, it was a pleasant crossing, motersailing with light winds and minimal seas. The Gulf Stream was strong however, probably reaching almost 4 knots at about 15NM off of the Lake Worth inlet, and for a while we were crabbing 45 degrees from our course over ground. We easily got through the Sunday traffic around Peanut Island and through the bridges, arriving back at our slip before 5pm.

Windwalker Voyages

Bahamas 2019

2019 Abacos Trip

At last count, we have visited the Abacos on over 10 trips since the 90's. While every cruising area has its charms, you can't beat the northern Bahamas for secure anchorages, wonderful scenery, excellent climate, and ease of access from South Florida. With marinas, restaurants, marine services and tourist attractions available when you want them, it is also a great place to anchor in a remote area, swim off the boat, and just be laid back for weeks at a time.

It is also a place full of new things to discover. On this trip, we explored the hiking opportunities off the beach at Crab Cay, a new way (to us) to access the ocean beach on Manjack, the ridge trail on Tilloo above the pond, and the remnants of an old camp in the Water Cay area. We also thoroughly explored Green Turtle Cay via foot and golf cart while at the dock at Green Turtle Club for a few days.

After a night anchored near the Lake Worth inlet, we left in the dark and made good time to West end. The winds were forecast 15-20 from the NW/NE but seemed lighter than that, but the 4-5' seas made for a lumpy and wet crossing. Waiting wasn't much of an option with strong East winds coming for the next week. Old Bahama Bay is fully open again, including the restaurant, but clearing in is a little more complicated as customs officials now actually board your vessel - a long walk around the basin from the office. It was hot, so we splurged for the $28 electrical hookup and ran the air conditioning through the night.

The tide was not with us to use the Indian Cay Channel, so rather than wait until noon or so for mid tide, we left early and rounded memory rock enroute to Great Sale. This adds 15 miles to the trip, but the early start got us there just as it was getting dark and we anchored close to the eastern edge of the bight. With an incoming weather system, we did not dally there and next morning made the transit to the Crab Cay anchorage where we spent 4 days, waiting for the winds to die down. Sharing the anchorage with about 10 other boats (a lot for there), we did some snorkling around the boat and took the dinghy into the beach. A trail goes over to a rocky overlook where you can see south to the Manjack area.

From Crab we moved to Manjack for 3 days, overlapping with friends John and Carla on Reverie, who were heading home after a month in the Exumas. Great snorkling on the two wrecks along the shore in the anchorage, with thousands of fish, including parrot fish that were at least two feet long.

Next stop, after traversing the Whale Cay passage was Water Point. There were 2 or 3 other boats in the area, but anchored so far away it was like having the place to ourselves. Over a couple of days, we explored all the little bays and beaches, and found a trail leading to an old camp on one of the small islets. There is a well developed channel leading to a marina basin that was all lit up at night, but we saw no activity there. Google supplied some background - this was being developed as a port area for supplying material and workers to Bakers Bay, but they had a falling out with the owners and everything is on hold.

From there we went to Marsh Harbour for a day, picked up some supplies and got a new BTC sim card. Using an old Galaxy-3 phone that could use the micro-sim we had as a hotspot, internet connectivity was good but not great. The new nano-sim fit into our newer Galaxy-8 and performance became excellent. We also had drinks and conch fritters at Blue Hole (used to be Curly Tails), and dinner at Mangoes (which was closed on the last trip in 2017).

The house batteries during the trip had been starting to fail. Bought new in 2003, they had tested OK before we left, but the 16 years of use started catching up to them and the engine was cranking slower and slower as the days progressed. After using only about 20 AH on one bank, the voltage had dropped to 11.4 over night in Marsh -clearly a problem. Replacing these large Group 31 Gel Cells in the Abacos was not going to happen, so instead we bought an outrageously expensive marine starting battery. The thought was that if the engine wouldn't start on the house bank, this new battery and some jumper cables would do the deed. As it turned out, we made it home without needing it by keeping the stronger bank charged and isolated for engine starting. With most interior lighting LED now, we don't need that much power at anchor, and running the generator twice a day to keep the freezer plates cold also tops up the batteries.

From Marsh we rounded Point Set and spent a few days anchored off Tilloo Pond. A nice spot in east winds, with few boats and only a couple of guest houses on the shore, we landed the dinghy on a small beach in the pond and hiked up to the top of the ridge. Great views of the boat back in the anchorage and the waves crashing on the ocean side of the island. With easterly swells, at high tide the waves crashed high enough to see them from the boat. Definitely a nice couple of days.

From there we moved on to Guana Cay's Fisher's Bay, planning on doing the Sunday Pig Roast at Nipper's, but the anchorage was crowded with charterers and small waves and wakes were rolling in from the West, making it very uncomfortable. After a nasty afternoon and evening, we decided to split first thing in the morning and moved around the Whale to Coco Bay off Green Turtle. This is a delightful anchorage in prevailing conditions, protected on 3 sides and only a couple of miles from south side of Crab Cay (the one near Manjack). Although we didn't explore this time, the offshore reefs at the north end of Green Turtle are accessible from here, as are some very nice beaches.

From Coco, we began the "luxury" part of the trip and moved into White Sound to the Green Turtle Club for 4 days. Their Wednesday "steak night" corresponded to Iris' birthday, so we ate and drank well. GT Club is a nice stop, offering full access to the resort amenities including a nice pool. Most of the north end of the island is accessible by foot from here and we explored quite a bit - from Coco Bay around the north side to Ocean Beach. Later, we rented a gas-powered golf cart and explored the south end, including downtown New Plymouth, snorkling at Bita Beach, and a long walk on the beach at Gillum Bay. This beach goes around the south end of the island, right across from the anchorage at No Name Cay (home of the swimming pigs) and is pristine.

From GTC, we headed home, stopping at Great Sale and Old Bahama Bay. Again, the tide did not favor Indian Cay Passage so we made the longer trip through Memory Rock Passage. This time, after arriving at OBB before 3PM, we made use of the facilities - they have a nice pool with a waterfall and bar. With an early start, it was a pleasant crossing, motersailing with light winds and minimal seas. The Gulf Stream was strong however, probably reaching almost 4 knots at about 15NM off of the Lake Worth inlet, and for a while we were crabbing 45 degrees from our course over ground. We easily got through the Sunday traffic around Peanut Island and through the bridges, arriving back at our slip before 5pm.