The Exumas was the final destination for our trip and we spent about a month cruising this amazing island chain. The good thing about sailing the Exumas is that pretty much all the way down you can stay on the side of the banks, where you will always see the bottom and will never get any high waves – you are well protected from the prevailing Easterlies. Here, you will truly experience what they call “Champagne Sailing”, pure pleasure and little work. Additionally, you can literally island-hop, all the islands are about 5-8 miles away from each other and it makes sailing the Exumas total bliss and fun.
Exuma is a district of the Bahamas that consists of over 365 islands and cays. The largest of the cays, Great Exuma, hosts the capital of the district, Georgetown. There are hundreds of places to stop along the beautiful island chain and it will take you forever to explore every beach and every hidden cove. We made only 6 stops and only covered the basic spots, but each of them was wonderful and unique. So, you can arrange your trip around these main places and add some other cool and more secluded anchorages to your list, as well as exploring Georgetown.
We left Nassau about 9 am and proceeded outward from New Providence Island in the direction of Highbourne Cay. The departure time was chosen with a purpose. In order to reach the Exumas from Nassau, you need to cross the Yellow Bank – one of the three coral reefs in the middle of the way, which are called Middle Ground, Yellow Bank and White Bank. Coral reefs, especially some scattered extra-high coral heads present a real danger for a sailboat, so we wanted to make sure we would be crossing the Yellow Bank at a higher tide.
Finally, after a day of a pleasant sailing, at about 6 pm, we dropped anchor at our first Exuma island – Highbourne Cay.
Island 1 — Highbourne Cay
Highbourne Cay is the last island where you will have cell service until you reach Staniel Cay, so make sure you do all your calls and internet stuff before you leave!
There is not much to do at this island, except roam its pristine white-sand beaches. However, after a week in Nassau it was exactly what we needed and we spent the next couple of days, soaking in the gentle crystal-clear Bahamian water.
About 2 miles to the North lies another interesting island called Allen’s Cay. It’s a dinghy ride away, especially if you have a powerful motor. The island is famous for its inhabitants: the endangered Bahamian Rock Iguana, or as people simply call it for its distinctive colors, Pink Iguana.
Island 2 — Norman’s Cay
An easy afternoon sail and you are at Norman’s Cay. Take good precaution on the approach to the anchorage, because there are scattered coral heads all around. They are very well visible in the water and look like bright black spots. I actually had to stand on the bow and direct Michael around them! So, passing through them at a higher tide will certainly be in your favor.
Norman’s Cay is famous for its diving and snorkeling attraction: a partially submerged plane wreck.
Originally a World War II craft, it was used to smuggle drugs between Colombia and the US in the 70s and early 80s. One day its pilot missed the Norman’s Cay airstrip, and now the partially submerged wreck bares its cracked fuselage bones on a sandy shoal. Here is an interesting article about the wreck and its pilot.
For lunch or dinner, or simply to grab a drink or two, visit MacDuff’s – a surprisingly well-established restaurant on this rather remote island. The prices are steep, but it comes with the location, I guess. However, they do accept credit cards, so we treated ourselves to a burger and two huge painkillers. Even though there is no Internet anywhere on the island or the anchorage, the restaurants allows to use their WiFi inside, so grab the opportunity!
Island 3 — Shroud Cay
Right before you arrive to Shroud Cay, you will cross an imaginary line on the water – the border of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. It is a 112 acre rectangular territory that spreads all the way from Shroud to Bell Cay and serves as a sanctuary for coral and sea life, mangroves, numerous birds and the only terrestrial mammal, native to the Bahamas – Bahamian hutia.
One of the magical experiences at Shroud Cay is birdwatching. The island is home to one of the most magnificent creatures: the white-tailed tropicbird. You will notice that the belly of this beauty looks green-blue. But it’s an illusion – it is only the water, reflecting from its bright snow-white feathers. Every morning they played in the sunny air, showing off their flowing, angel-like tails and performing mid-air tricks: these birds are skilled fliers and just a pleasure to watch.
Within the Exuma Land and Sea Park borders you are not allowed to fish or gather anything from the sea floor. There are mooring fields around every island – anchoring is discouraged to protect the coral. Both anchoring and mooring has a nightly fee:
Nightly Mooring Rates (as for 2019)
- Up to 39’ 11” $20
- 40’ to 49’11” $30
- 50’ to 59’11” $40
- 60’ to 69’11” $60
- 70’ to 89’11” $90
Anchoring Rates:
- < 90’ $0.50 per foot
- 90’ and above $1.00 per foot
Paying is easy: either a ranger comes by your boat, or you can drop the money in an envelope into one of the boxes, located at the beaches next to the mooring fields.
One of the cool things to do at Shroud Cay, besides, obviously, chilling at the beach or hiking wild rocky trails, is to go on a dinghy ride among the mangroves. The whole center of the island is basically a marsh, and at high tide has several creeks, winding through the mangroves. Take your dinghy to one of the entrances and have fun navigating the narrow crystal-clear waterways! Just be careful of the tides: one of our fellow sailors got stranded on a shoal and had to wait for the next high tide to get out!
It was at Shroud Cay when we noticed that our alternator bracket cracked, so we decided to skip Warderick Wells and make a beeline to Staniel Cay, where we would have cell signal and services.
Island 4 — Staniel Cay
Staniel Cay is one of the main destinations for Exuma tourists. It’s the most developed island in central Exumas, and the majority of the locals are families where everybody is related and has worked in the hospitality industry for generations.
The main gathering point is Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It has a wonderful restaurant, marina and all the amenities for cruisers: garbage disposal, water, fuel and supplies.
At the restaurant a casual menu is offered, as well as two dinner seatings for a more upscale dining, which you must reserve by 4 pm. The bar is common meeting place for sailors and crew from all over the world. This is a lively spot – don’t miss it!
Right below the fish cleaning table on the dock, nurse sharks take shifts begging for fish scraps. They are so close that you can touch them. People call them “kittens” here, perhaps because of their similarity to cat fish and maybe because they like to be petted like cats.
The town has two supermarkets (Blue Store and Pink Store), where credit cards are accepted, a yellow General Store, but the most unique place is … the laundry! Besides being a laundry, it is also a bar, where you can have a beer or two waiting for your load. It’s also the only liquor store in town. I already mentioned in my Nassau article: if you have a chance to stop in Nassau, stock up on your booze. Here at Staniel a bottle of average wine is $35, a case of beer is $70, and the rum is $18 a liter. Needless to say, we bought rum!
There are plenty of things to do around Staniel Cay, and the area hosts perhaps the main attraction in the whole Bahamas: swimming pigs.
Swimming Pigs
We anchored right across the beach at Big Major’s Spot – the cay about half a mile North from Staniel. The moment you beach your dinghy, you get surrounded by none other than … pigs! Real pigs of all sizes, with curious snouts and curly tails. No one knows exactly how they got there. There are legends about sailors who brought them here to slaughter in the future, but never came back, so now these pigs simply live on the beach. All the present generation pigs, about 20 of them, were born here.
They have some wooden canopies for shade and bowls with fresh water. Almost all the tourists bring them something to eat, and some local guides even make them do dog tricks for a treat.
Needless to say, it is enormous fun to hang out around them, but be careful: one of the pigs is known for unexpectedly biting your butt!
Thunderball Cave
Another wonderful landmark of Staniel Cay is the grotto, where a scene from the famous James Bond “Thunderball” movie was shot. You can only get inside during low tide, otherwise the entrance will be completely under water. After you make your way through the strong current and find yourself inside, the view is truly magical. This video will tell you more than a thousand words:
Party Beach
We didn’t want to swim a lot at the Pig Beach, because the animals do their business right there in the water, so we found another cool place to spend our afternoons right across from the Pig Beach. This beach has many names: some call it Party Beach, some call it Sunset Beach or Happy Hour Beach.
Through the years, cruisers donated beach chairs, tables, games, a fire pit and even a swing. Cruisers often gather here for a sunset celebration: they swim, have a drink and socialize. Everyone cleans up after themselves.
We had several unforgettable afternoons and evenings at this hospitable beach and I finally learned how to paddle-board. 😄
In the meantime, we had our alternator bracket completely fixed and finally it was time to move a bit more South – to Black Point.
In the next articles I will cover two more amazing places which I consider to be truly the two brightest diamonds in the Exuma chain: Black Point with its true island hospitality and breathtaking Warderick Wells.
Sailing Bahamas would not be possible without the Explorer Chartbook. Broken into three books with water resistant pages, it will make sailing Bahamas a lot easier and will save you tons of stress and possibly even prevent a disaster! Detailed charts, waypoints, latest depth soundings, loads of local information and advice. Really, this is a must-have for anyone who is sailing Bahamas.
Buy Explorer Charts on Amazon:
