Black Point Great Guana Cay, Exuma

Six miles south of Staniel Cay is Black Point the second largest community in the Exumas.  We anchored in beautiful clear water with star fish scattered along the bottom.   The town has two restaurants with Lorraine’s being the more widely known.  Her fried conch was excellent, sweet and tender, but she would not share her secret of how to tenderize the conch. 

There is a small grocery store but it was closed as many of the island residents were in Nassau for a funeral.  The island has a small school for up to grade 8.  For high school the children need to move to Nassau where they stay with relatives while in school. 

Our paths crossed with Octopus (member of our boat club in Vermont) and we had coffee with them after our dinner at Lorraine’s.  They are headed north after spending time in Georgetown.  Apparently Benoit’s volleyball team in Georgetown was the champ.

The anchorage in Black Point has no protection from the west so we headed to Little Farmers Cay as a cold front was arriving the next day with strong nw winds predicted.Weather – We get a daily weather update on our SSB radio.  We usually listen to Chris Parker every morning (except Sunday) at 6:30 to get updated weather. 

Little Farmers Cay, Exuma

Little Farmers Cay has 55 residents most of whom are descended from the original settler, a freed slave who brought the island from the crown.  The island has its own flag and the inhabitants are very proud of their island.

We picked up a mooring between two islands, Little Farmers Cay and Great Guana Cay.  Between the islands we get better protection from the winds but we are in the channels from the cuts from the Exuma Sound so we get a lot of current making the anchorage rolly.  

The island has a local restaurant (Ocean Club owned by Terry Bains) serving Bahamian food.   Choices are fish, conch, lobster, chicken, steak and mutton (in season).  (Apparently mutton is in season when Terry goes to Big Farmers Cay to hunt a goat.)  According to Terry a Vermont ski resort owner has a modest home on the point on the next island.

We got tired of the rolly anchorage after a few days and went back to Black Point where the current is non-existent.  We had a great sail with the wind on the beam.

Cave Island, Exuma

We left Black Point again and had another great sail down to Cave Island.  Cave Island is just south of Little Farmers Cay.  We anchored in the lee of the island waiting for a better weather window before entering Exuma Sound for the last 30 miles to Georgetown.  The anchorage was better protected from the effects of the current so it was smoother than Little Farmers Cay.  Cave Island is private with security cameras in its harbor.  The cut from the banks to Exuma Sound is wide and deep just south of Cave Island.