Nassau to Allen’s Cay, Exumas

April 4, 2007

Two nights and one day was enough time in Nassau, so on Wednesday morning we weighed anchor and set off for Allen’s Cay, 28.6 miles south east of Nassau and at the northern tip of the Exumas. The winds were light and from the south east so we knew we would have to motorsail the whole way, however this turned out to be less of an issue since we thought since the winds died down completely and we ended up motoring in flat calm. We set up the autopilot and both sat on the foredeck and marveled at the spectacularly clear water. We have been told that the water in the Exumas is even clearer than that in the Abacos but that was hard to believe at the time. Motoring across the Great Bahama Bank to Allen’s Cay, we started to believe the rumours. At one point we saw a giant turtle swim past. We arrived at Allen’s Cay around 4:45 PM and set down two anchors in anticipation of strong currents running through the anchorage. Kristen dove down to set the Fortress by hand and stepped on a buried conch shell, cutting the bottom of her left foot. After cleaning it up and putting a bandage on, we decided that Kristen is out of the water until it heals so as not to attract infections or hungry underwater animals! So for now she is the designated dinghy driver for Hans while he snorkels and hunts for dinner. We started exploring the nearby reefs, but the current was too strong and Hans was unable to keep up with any potential dinner prospects.

Some friends from Denmark we met in Marsh Harbour a couple months ago were anchored here for the night and invited us over for dinner. It was fun to see them again and we caught up on what we’ve been doing, future plans and eventually the state of the world. They are on a Malö 40 which is a dream boat for both of us. You can check it out at maloyachts.com and maybe we’ll start a collection on this website for our next boat! Speaking of new boats, our new dinghy is proving to be a very worthwhile investment. Ding Ding III is dry and comfortable and the 8hp engine zips us around from reef to reef with ease. It’s very liberating and fun to go fast!






Scenes from the transit over the Bahama Banks.