We had fine sailing from Treasure Cay to the Northern Abacos. Once again, we traversed the infamous Whale Cay Passage successfully. We stopped for the night at Manjack Cay. We dinghied ashore for a stroll on the beach and then relaxed for the evening and watched a beautiful sunset.
In the morning we checked the weather to see if we would have enough time to explore the far northern Abacos. These cays are scattered along the north rim of the little Bahama Bank, a fragile barrier between Grand Bahama, and Great and Little Abaco. There is only one settlement among these cays and not many harbors. They are out-islands in the truest sense of the word.
Wind direction is the determining factor in cruising here, for there are no all-around protected anchorages. Because the wind was beginning to clock ahead of a cold front, we decided to sail to Foxtown, a settlement on the north coast of Little Abaco where we would find protection from strong southerly winds under its high limestone bluffs. Here we anchored for the night with a few other boats. We arrived close to sunset, so we had supper and went to bed.
The next day, we headed for Great Sale Cay a very large sprawling cay in the middle of the little Bahama Bank. The afternoon we arrived was warm and languid so we anchored off the western shore, swam and dinghied ashore to visit with other cruisers who were planning to sneak back to Florida ahead of an approaching squally cold front.
When we awoke the next day, all but a few of the boats that had shared the anchorage were gone. The wind had clocked, so we sailed around the southern tip of the island to anchor in the wide harbor for shelter from a strong northerly wind that was expected. There are lovely beaches on this cay and shelter from many directions.
Wind direction is the determining factor in cruising here, for there are no all-around protected anchorages. Because the wind was beginning to clock ahead of a cold front, we decided to sail to Foxtown, a settlement on the north coast of Little Abaco where we would find protection from strong southerly winds under its high limestone bluffs. Here we anchored for the night with a few other boats. We arrived close to sunset, so we had supper and went to bed.
The next day, we headed for Great Sale Cay a very large sprawling cay in the middle of the little Bahama Bank. The afternoon we arrived was warm and languid so we anchored off the western shore, swam and dinghied ashore to visit with other cruisers who were planning to sneak back to Florida ahead of an approaching squally cold front.When we awoke the next day, all but a few of the boats that had shared the anchorage were gone. The wind had clocked, so we sailed around the southern tip of the island to anchor in the wide harbor for shelter from a strong northerly wind that was expected. There are lovely beaches on this cay and shelter from many directions.
This beautiful cay is totally uninhabited and undeveloped . Yet, of course, Great Sale, too, is up for grabs,. If you happen to have 7.5 million dollars and you can buy your own piece of Great Sale paradise!
We were now close enough to get the weather reports from the states and knew that if we timed it right we could visit a couple more islands in the northern Abacos. So on Tuesday morning, we hauled up the anchor, unfurled the main and staysail, and headed north before a fresh westerly breeze to revisit one of our favorite spots.
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