Thursday, January 27, 2011

Life in the Jumento Cays




From Flamingo Cay we had a great sail south about 25 miles to Nurse Cay. From Nurse Cay we headed another 12 miles down the chain to one of our favourite anchorages Johnson Cay. Johnson provides good protection from every direction but the north as it is wide open to the ocean. It has a lovely crescent beach for walking and lots of rock for climbing and exploring. Unfortunately most of the Jumento beaches are on the bank side and are poor for shelling but they are great for walking. Buenavista Cay has a beach that is about 1.5 miles long and we walked the whole beach without finding any treasures; however we did make a rescue.

At low tide we saw a small pile of sand moving on the beach. Rob uncovered a beautiful helmet shell and its occupant who we named Herman was high and dry and definitely in trouble. As much as we love helmet shells we have never taken a shell with a live occupant and so while singing Born Free we moved Herman further out to sea. Just to make sure that he was indeed healthy and happy we returned to see how he was doing the next morning. We had suggested to him that he get a move on and by the next morning Herman was no more to be seen.

Before going to Buenavista we spent a night at Man O War Bay as it is a good spot to anchor for protection from the north and the west. We did some kayaking and snorkelling right off the boat. We often see sting rays around the boat and it almost seems like they associate boats with food. While the weather is forecast to be good we decided to head up the chain a few miles to Buenavista Cay. The beach is the longest in the Jumentos. The day we found Herman was the warmest day we have had in The Bahamas and we had to keep dipping in the ocean just to stay cool enough to walk. This seldom happens in the winter as the trade winds dominate the weather patterns. From Buenavista we motored down to the northern end of Raccoon Cay where once again we spent a glorious day paddling and snorkelling. It is such a pleasure not to fight the trade winds.

We have talked to Lynn and Peter on the VHF radio and we are hoping to connect with them by Monday. This weekend we are expecting a front that will keep us pinned down for a couple of days and even though we are only 12 miles apart the weather gods rule. We have been anchoring by ourselves for the most part; however we may have to share the anchorage for the front as there are fewer places to hide in poor weather. Next week we hope to get to Duncan Town, population less than 100 and the only settlement in the Jumentos. The local little store will order groceries for cruisers and then you can pick them up when the weekly mail boat comes. We may try and do this as we are as of today officially out of lettuce. Thank goodness for cabbage and canned bean and potato salad. We are not starving yet?! The little school lets cruisers use their lunch room for internet and just asks that you leave a donation so that is also on our Duncan Town list of things to do. When you are sailing down here you are really in the remote Bahamas and last night we didn't see a single light except for the full moon which has been absolutely stunning.

Today we had hoped to move to another Raccoon Cay anchorage but the wind and the surge is making us change our mind. We will head back to Johnson Cay and be comfortable for the day. Besides I want to make yoghurt and the bacteria don't like to be jostled so we need a relatively settled anchorage. That being said you have to realize that rocking gently is as good as it gets anchored in the Jumentos. Not having a surge is a pleasant surprise.

This picture shows how the conch shells have become part of the limestone on many of the beaches. It must have taken a thousand years or more we thought. I think that there were more conch alive in those days that died natural deaths and just washed up on the shores of the various islands.

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