This is what the Exumas are all about!

That park is my goal. I've wanted to go there ever since I heard about it. With any luck, the weather will start to lay down and we'll be there in about 2 weeks.
 
i've been to many many many places, by boat, by plane... i lived in the caribbean for 15 years... flown all over the islands from the DR to the Grenadines... cruised the BVIs...flown thru the bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Provo, etc... and i really feel that the best cruising grounds are the Exumas. about 100 miles of islands and cays, hundreds of beaches and sandbars to choose from, and for the most part all accessible thru smooth sheltered waters. it simply doens't get any better than that.

Warderick Wells and the Exumas Land & Sea Park is simply incredible. words, and even pictures, just can't capture the beauty. And it's about as close from So Fl as Key West.
 
I've been told once I experience the Exumas, I'll never go back to the Abacos. I can't wait to find out for myself.
 
Thanks for sharing. As if I wasn't already dissatisfied enough with the swamp water run off in our lake.
 
Pascal thanks for sharing that. When the show starts which way is charmer facing? NE? And what part of the mooring field were you in? The North end?
 
we were pointing SW at the start and the end, looking over the cut at the south end of the mooring field by the park office, towards emerald rock.

we were on the main mooring field, just across from the park office. most of the moorings are for boats under 60, they typiclaly put the larger boats on the 3 outer moorings at the entrance, but the surge can be an issue there. I asked if we could get one of the couple of moorings that can handle larger boats on the inside. it's a little narrow coming all the way in with boats swinging on the moorings but it is worth it.
 
Pascal and others, we have never been to the Exumas but are thinking of a week or two in the area. A few days in the Berrys, Paradaise Island and Atlantis for maybe four or five days (kids really looking forward to this) and the Exumas for a week. We tend to stay at marinas most of the time and the kids like to swim a lot. What are the best spots in the Exumas and what marinas do you recommend with swimming pool etc. for a family. This would be in the last week of July and first week of August so I will need to put togther a bad weather plan as well.

Thanks,

Rick

Viking Sport Cruiser 50 FY
"Silver Lining"
 
well, Atlantis isnt' my cup of tea, it's too much like disney world there. even though the whole thing is pretty impressive, Orlando is a lot closer! :)

A week in the Exumas is pretty good. 40 NM from Nassau gets you to Highborne Cay Marina although i prefer to anchor at Normans, just a few miles south. really beautiful anchorage with dozens of beaches and sandbars. there is a restaurant there as well.

another 20 NM south is another must visit, Warderick Wells and the Exumas land and sea Park.

then further south, also about 20/25NM, is Samson Cay and Staniel Cay. both have Marinas but radically different. Samson is very nicely landscape adn detailed, but "cold". Great lagoon with sandbars off the docks and great protection from weather. Staniel on the other hand is more relaxed with a great party atmosphere. Most rustic docks that are exposed to the W and NW. but it's probalby my favorite spot anywhere.

You have many places to visit around staniel and compass... dozens of beaches, sandbars, snorkeling spots, etc... hard to beat.

none of these places have pools... why bother with pools when you have pristine natural water!

there are many many other places to stop at in between, like Hawksbill, Shroud, Bell, etc... just a couple of miles south of staniel is a very nice anchorage off bitter Guana.

further south (past Big Farmers) you have even more great anchorages, with fewer boats and different scenery (higher elevations on the islands which gives it more of a Caribbean feel). it's a little further though and you may want an extra week for that which is why most boats on a week long trip out of Nassau dnot' typically go beyond Staniel.

teh Berrys are nice but just dont' compare. coming out of the north, you may want to stop at Great Harbor Cay (anchor in the cove on the East side weather permitting), spend a day there, then move on to Hoffman / Cay for a day, then go to Paradise Island. and use the extra time in the exumas.

Here is another snapshot, this was taken at Normans on Friday morning:

26977_111613168874573_104013689634521_81158_4902421_n.jpg


if you have google earth, check out this KMZ file, it has a sample itinerary for exumas with some pictures in the place marks...
http://www.yachtcharmer.com/assets/exumas.kmz
 
Thank you Pascal. Is there a good guide like the Dodge guide for the Abacos? I found one on line, the Cruising Guide to the Exumas by Stephen Pavlidis. I think I already have the Explorer charts for the exumas but a guide is also useful. Is Georgetown worth going to? Your itinerary looks like a a nice one week cruise combined with 4 or 5 days in Paradise Island. My wife will have to fly home from Nassau for a few days so Atlantis seems like a nice place to hang out with the kids.

-Rick

Viking Sport Cruiser 50 FY
"Silver Lining"
 
The pavlidis guide is excellent, very detailed. Much better than the general bahamas guide like embassy

Georgetown is ok but north worth the extra40 miles in the sound in my opinion although if you have time there are some great anchorages along thecwayblikw behind Rudder Cay or Lee stocking. Very scenic and differen. From the northern Ex.
 
Thanks Pascal. This is great timing for this thread for me. I just got the Pavlidis guide. It's been very good reading so far. I'm glad to hear that somebody who's been there, done that gives the guide two thumbs up. His section on "Dinghy Safety" made me add a few things to my dink-kit (mainly the blankets as I hadn't ever thought about that).

We're not much on marinas, so I think the Exumas will suit us well. If there's a mooring ball option, I'm taking it. If not, the oversized Delta will do the job. However, I've never done a Bahamian Moor. Are these needed on a regular basis? Will an oversized Fortress with 20' of chain (200 rode) suffice? From the looks of things, the Exumas have more sandy anchorages vs. the Abacos where I always fouled my Fortress with grass?
 
yes, quite a bit of sand in the Exumas although it depends on where you anchor. I dont' like bahamian moorings since handling a second anchor on a large boat is a PITA unless you have dual rollers and anchors on the bow. we dont' so using a second anchor would mean manually handling a 100lbs anchor and chain... no thanks, I prefer to choose the right spots instead.

for instance, at Normans most boats anchor off the point at the west side, where the channel is pretty narrow. Instead i usually anchor past the DC3, at the east end where the channel is wider. We flip every 6 hours but there is enough room to swing around adn that 110lbs bruce just resets perfectly (I still use the portable GPS at night and make sure i'm on board for the tide change...). Problem with the FX is that it will not reset if you anchor in a channel, bugt if you use it with the delta, bahamian style, it will be fine since it won't have to reset

there are moorings at Warerdick wells and other islands in the park, there are also a handful of balls off staniel.

and no matter where you anchor, make sure the boat is well lit. a small anchor light is not enough in my opinion, tehre are many boats running at high speed at night, you want to be seen.
 
We also only draw 18", so I typically anchor in the shallows, away from other boats. I'm pretty confident the Delta will reset. I fully agree the FX won't.

When I changed the bulbs in our anchor light to LED, I made it much, much brighter. We're usually the brightest anchor light in an anchorage. I'll try and come up with something else too. I've got an LED cockpit light I can leave on. I'm not sure what I could do for the bow.
 
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