Jumentos!
On Sunday we got as far south as we are going to travel on this trip, farther south than Cupcake has ever sailed. To get here we had to make our way across part of the Great Bahama Bank from Little Exuma to Flamingo Cay. The sail was about 35 miles and began with a pair of dolphins escorting us for a mile or so.
Dolphin escort at the bow.
They spotted us and zoomed over to ride our bow wake. When they joined up with us we were just motoring away from the anchorage, but we soon got the sails set and were enjoying a smooth 5.5 knots under reefed main and full genoa. The dolphins would ride just under the bow, then scoot to one side or the other, then back under the bow. We are pretty certain they were bottlenose dolphins. Having them play along with us made the day feel charmed.
After a while the escorts must have spotted some fish, because as quickly as they joined us, the shot off to our port and were gone. Those guys have smaller tails than I expected, given how incredibly swift they are. Powerful, beautiful animals.
The winds on the sail to Flamingo Cay provided us with the opportunity to sail fast under reefed main, slower under single reef, and ultimately at about 4.5 knots under spinnaker. We were all quite pleased to have used all our sails on a single tack.
Turquoise clouds in the Jumentos.
As we closed in on Flamingo Cay we raised Piper on the VHF and anchored in a surprisingly crowded anchorage. The Jumentos are described as remote and challenging to get to, both are correct. But they are not uncrowded. Because everyone interested in heading down here waits for the same favorable weather, we are all on the same schedule when we get here. Everyone in the anchorage was extremely friendly and welcoming. Island Pearl, a monohull from Vermont went so far as to direct us to a sandy patch right behind them when they saw we were having a challenging time finding a good spot to set the anchor. We passed a very restful night thanks, in part, to their assistance.
Moss, Finn, and Mackie.
In the morning we said hello to Cookie Monster who said they wanted to anchor near us so it would be a dessert section of the anchorage.
Moss reunited with Finn and Mackie from Piper and Ellen and I enjoyed the evening with Tripp and Lisa. We convinced Piper to return with us to Georgetown through the Hog Cay cut despite the fact that they need a foot more water than Cupcake to make it through. We’ve got plans for how to make that happen in the days ahead.
Tink and company in the Flamingo Cay cave.
After sleeping in until a decadent 8:30 this morning we got breakfast and school out of the way so we could explore Flamingo Cay. We found the pond with the bright red shrimp, the beach with the plane wreck, the drive-in cave, and a gorgeous tropical island. Although the day was a little rainy, it was a warm rain so nobody minded all that much.
Red shrimp in a little pond on Flamingo Cay.
Nassau Grouper (epinephelus striatus).
We set sail for Water Cay, back to the north. And in following that course, we began the first step of our return to Maine. It’s not going to happen any time soon (we don’t anticipate getting home until mid-July) but for the first time this trip, we turned the bow northward with no expectation of being back in these waters again this year.
Heading north.
On the way to Water Cay we stopped at a blue hole. It’s a deep spot (around 65’) surrounded by a ring of shallow water (chart said 7’ but we didn’t see anything less than 28’…the chart can be a little theoretical in this part of the Bahamas). Along with Piper we dropped anchor and then snorkeled the edge of the abyss. Because it was getting late in the day, the shadows were spooky, the deep dark blue of the hole was downright frightening.
Ellen the conch hunter.
Ellen dove down pretty much to the limit of her endurance, around 18’ and came up with a conch. The ocean out here was literally crawling with the things. I grabbed another one so we’ve got the makings for tomorrow’s fritters. Tonight, however, we are hosting Piper for dinner. Ellen is preparing chicken parmigiana.
Approaching Water Cay.
Ok, so now it is Monday and we still don’t have any internet connection but I’ll keep on typing anyway. We walked to the peak, such as it is, atop Water Cay this morning. Got a nice view of the boats in the anchorage and a good sense of how sere and inhospitable these islands are. I would not want to shipwreck on a Jumento.
Water Cay. That’s Cupcake on the right.
Moss hitched a ride on Piper for the day, so Ellen and I had Cupcake to ourselves for the 25 mile run back up to the Hog Cay cut. The sailing was excellent and we raced along flying the spinnaker the majority of the way. Along with Piper, who was also flying the chute, we made a beautiful spectacle.
Ellen checks on our chute while Piper chases Cupcake.
We passed through the cut this afternoon with a little bit less water than last time. Because we were earlier on the tide, we saw just 5.1’ of water as we came over the shallow bar. Piper, with her 5.5’ draft, needed to wait about an hour longer before she safely passed through.
Tink leading her mother ship over the shallow bar.
Lisa, aboard their dinghy Tink, led the way taking soundings with a hand-held depth sounder.
Now we are all anchored in a delightfully calm cove on the east side of the cut.
Sunset at Hog Cay.
Ellen is making tortillas and jambalaya chicken for dinner. We hope Lisa brings some more of the excellent brownies she made for dessert last night.
Prepping the asymmetrical.
Does this kid look like she wants to go home?