Hello everyone,
It ‘s 7AM here in the Exumas and we just departed Elizabeth Harbour and Conch Cay Cut. It was a little sketchy at the cut with some 8-10 foot rollers but once outside things calmed down a bit. The seas should improve the farther north we go. Time to go fishing!
Our lucky yellow cedar plug is soon deployed. Within the hour we have a double strike. Both reels are singing. As we are bring in both fish, a school of tuna erupts next to the boat. The birds have arrived to check out the action. Unfortunately, both fish manage to escape. It appears that they were also small tuna. While reeling in our lucky yellow lure, a huge wahoo snatches it just off the back swim platform. The line pays out sever hundred yards before going limp. We think he swallowed the whole plug and cut the line with his sharp teeth. Dang!! That was our lucky lure. We continue fishing all day without even a nibble. We pull out all of our lures trying to entice the fish. 4:30 PM and we are just getting ready to pull in the lines when both reels simultaneously pay out. It’s another double hook up. This time we land both small yellowfin tuna without loosing them. Jeff soon has them cleaned and in the refrigerator.
1700 hours finds us exiting the Exuma Sound via the “Wide Opening” cut. Our Chart shows a wide cut north of the Exuma Park headquarters with the notation “wide opening”. After searching the guide books to see what cut this is, I finally find one guide book with some info. Apparently this cut is named “ Wide Opening “. The old sailing ships used this route along with the U.S. Navy during the Cuban missed crisis. We find it wide, deep, and easy to transit. I wonder why all of the guide books don’t list it as a good cut?
Reaching our anchorage at Shroud Cay, we see Compass Rose, a 42 ft. Krogen already at anchor. The sun sets just as we shut down the engine. John and Pam hail us on the VHF for a nice chat. They are on their way to the Exumas.
We are weighing anchor the next morning just before sunrise. We have an easy trip across the shallow coral head strewn White Bank. Palm Cay Marina in Nassau is our home for the evening. The channel into the Marina is interesting. There are three wooden poles about ¼ mile apart in the bay. The dock master tells us to keep the first pole to starboard, the second pole to port, and the third to starboard. Certainly not your standard channel markers but they work and we are soon tied up to the docks. The Marina is new with condos being built along the beach. Being far away from downtown and having 24 hour security make this a great stop in Nassau. Cruisers are starting to avoid the marinas in Nassau harbor because of all the crime. Nassau has certainly changed for the worse over the last ten years. Palm Cay seems to be avoiding this reputation. Dameron. , the dock master is really trying to entice boaters to his facility and he is doing a great job. The restaurant overlooking the beach was also excellent. Aubrey, the pizza oven chef, made us two wonderful pizzas for dinner. All in all Palm Cay is a good stop in Nassau.
Total miles Georgetown to Shroud:107
Total miles Shroud to Nassau:46
Total Miles This Year:906