Conditions: Sun & clouds. Winds from the south/southeast 10 mph. Some medium chop to start then calmer.
Distance traveled: 37.5 nautical miles
Time underway: 4 hours
Average Speed: 9.3 knots
Max Speed: 11.2 knots
Fuel used: 50 gallons
It was another morning where we woke up unsure if it was going to be a travel day. We’ve resigned to the fact that the forecast can change in a matter of hours so while you can plan, you can’t count on anything to be what it was when you went to sleep the night before. While we saw that there was a thunderstorm threat throughout the day, upon checking the radar it appeared as if we would beat any storms in the “future-cast” to our destination. The winds were blowing at a reasonable 10 mph out of the southeast so we knew we’d have a bit of a head-sea, but we’d be heading through the banks in much shallower waters than our prior day’s travel and while we always prefer to travel on perfectly smooth days (who doesn’t?) we were perfectly happy to press on, particularly as the thunderstorm threats for the following day were worse.
Something that is good to know that wasn’t indicated in any of our guides (that we saw): you have to clear out of Nassau Harbor much in the same way you clear in. I had heard someone else do it on the radio and a check at the office before our departure confirmed it. Hail Harbor Control on 16, they will switch you to 9, ask for your destination and presumably grant you permission to exit. We were bound for the western entrance/exit of the harbor en route to Highbourne Cay (pronounced “key”), a 38 nautical mile ride. The only “challenge” of this trip is crossing the “Yellow Bank.” It’s a stretch of several miles that is dotted with coral heads, the shallowest of which can be around three feet below the surface at low tide. Negotiating it is straight-forward but requires a vigilant watch and optimally good sunlight (midday sun is most ideal) to be able to carefully pick out the threatening heads which appear as big dark spots beneath the glimmering water. Most are probably deeper than they appear but we steered around anything that looked menacing.
Hard to capture in a picture but the dark spot off our starboard bow is one of the hundreds of prominent coral heads lurking just beneath the surface in the Yellow Bank.
Once clear of the coral-dodging it was easy-going to Highbourne. While the entrance to Highbourne Cay Marina is not exactly tricky, the charts must be obeyed carefully and the prudent mariner will make use of the land-based range markers on their approach. The first set of markers appear as you are eastbound (90 degrees True) towards the entrance. When the range markers line up so one appears on top of the other you are on course. Then once you are through a cut marked by a stake on a rock, you turn to port and line up another set of markers to make your approach into the basin. You wouldn’t want to stray from the proper course coming in but, again, not a high level of difficulty and plenty of boats and yachts do it every day.
Yes, we are as close to that rock as it appears. But much bigger boats have to pass it every day on approach to Highbourne.
On approach to our slip at Highbourne Cay Marina right in between our new friends from Blue Nose (the yellow boat) and Dusty Sea (the blue boat).
Highbourne Cay is a 500-acre private cay with paths and trails and perfect beaches making it a wonderful gateway to the Exumas and Highbourne Cay Marina is a truly wonderful spot. While you can certainly continue beyond here for your first stop or anchor near the island rather than pay for dockage, it was a welcome respite after a couple of tense days. It’s also a place everyone we’ve spoken to has recommended and a regular stop for some very good friends of ours so when we were able to secure a three-night reservation we took it. There are several large yachts here and then a good mix of everything else in this relatively small marina. It is very casual but feels very exclusive in the most unpretentious way. And you really start to feel that shared vibe among boaters here that many of us worked hard to get to this spot. I suspect that feeling only will only increase the further “out-island” we get.
We cannot say enough nice things about the people there. Shannie, who took our reservation by phone the week prior (reservations are highly recommended as the place fills up) was also behind the lovely first voice we heard upon hailing the marina as we made our approach (VHF 71). She was an absolute pleasure to deal with and her friendly smile is infectious. Carolyn in the office was also always extremely helpful as was everyone we asked anything of during our stay including Joel who was always ready with a warm smile and big hello. We know it takes a lot of work to maintain a vibe that seems so organic and all of that hard work has made Highbourne one of our favorite cruising destinations ever. In addition to the well-kept fixed docks, facilities and grounds, there is a terrific, very well-stocked ship’s store with everything from freshly baked bread to frozen meats, fruit and veggies as well as a very good variety of everyday supplies. Being on an out island there is naturally a bit of a premium to the prices which we found perfectly reasonable and the convenience was priceless.
One of the many comfortable spots set up for you to while away the day.
The Bahamas is well-known for their Nurse Sharks, which are a bit like giant catfish – they are bottom-feeders and are fairly docile. Here they wait for fish scraps from people cleaning fish. These are the sharks that many people come here to swim with. Jasper couldn’t quite figure them out and the Admiral kept calling them “nerve” sharks because any shark makes him a little nervous! By the way, some of these critters were 8 feet long!
Name boards from years of visitors adorn the structures at Highbourne. The OLOH crew was quite pleased to see our friends’ yacht RELEMAR prominently represented. We know this is a special place for them and it was at the top of their list of recommendations.
Joel is a legend at Highbourne and that most certainly has something to do with his spectacular conch fritters.
After speaking with some Highbourne regulars and reviewing a chart with them we had a fix on some spots for dinghy exploration for the next few days. On our first full day, we loaded up OLOH’s tender with our new beach chairs (thanks Andre) and made for Southwest Allen’s Cay, just a couple of miles to the north. It is precisely what we traveled so far to experience. It is a picture-perfect, horseshoe-shaped beach and wonderful anchorage in which two sailboats had dropped the hook well off the beach. We beached the dinghy and let Jasper run free. Well, that provided a quick lesson. Jasper loves to stay close to wherever we are. Unless there is some kind of creature or critter for him to chase. The islands here are loaded with iguanas, something new for Jasper. And the moment he saw one run off into the brush he took off. Two heart attacks and a bit of scolding later, Jasper was relegated to a long lede and that’s how it was going to be. It’s simply not worth the risk to us. We’ll favor sandbars for off-leash time.
ADMIRAL NOTE: Picture the scene from a distance. Two guys and a dog running in the water and playing catch, monkey in the middle and loving life. Suddenly there’s movement on the empty and secluded beach. Something small… er…not that small and brown and creeping. Jasper, always on the alert for moving objects, spies it quickly and there is no stopping him. Beyond the beach, an unknown island. Thick scrub and trees and pitted coral cliffs edge the waterline. Within seconds he has disappeared! Are you still picturing it from a distance — say an anchored sailboat? What you’d suddenly hear as you were reading Summer of Fire by Kitty Pilgrim or your favorite book by Howard Zinn is two grown men screaming at the top of their lungs and running full-bore out of the water toward the scrub. Barefoot, freaked out and stepping on every sharp object that filled their path. A.J disappeared behind a tree and I (foolishly) ran up the rock hill that crested about 20 feet above the beach. Jasper was nowhere to be seen…but his moose-like movements could be detected deep in the brush. As Alpha dog, it is my job to have the “get the “F’ back here voice” and once that was deployed Jasper reluctantly tiptoed down a rocky ledge and jumped into the water. That’s when the leash went on…and we collapsed into our chairs with a cold one.
Jasper points to something…he’s just not sure what that something is! Not so fast, Jasper. This is their island.
We dined at Xuma, Highbourne’s open-air restaurant and had a very nice experience complimented by a spectacular sunset.
The path to the restaurant.
Dinner reservations are a must at this beautifully perched spot.
The next day after a long walk on the island we dinghy-ventured about six miles south in crystal blue water to Norman’s Cay in search of a dining spot called MacDuff’s. Norman’s is also home to an exclusive yet easy-going resort and if there were people there we didn’t see them. Beaching the dinghy here was a bit of a challenge with the rocks lining the sand but we picked our spot carefully and with an incoming tide, we knew we’d be fine for a while. A better move here would be to anchor slightly off the beach. Norman’s Cay has a landing strip and apparently the bartender at MacDuff’s is also the air traffic controller for the island. Go figure. After winding our way up a wood slat path above the beach we once again had arrived at exactly the kind of spot we seek. It was perfect (and virtually empty).
The good people you meet along the way – A.J. chats it up with Julie and Sean from their sailing cat that was anchored off of Norman’s Cay as they continue to make their way from Canada to, well, they may just keep on going! Nice to meet you both.
The MacDuff’s Margarita, their specialty, had a hint of coconut that even had Jasper intrigued.
Yes, we know it’s the same shot…and yes, Jasper has plenty of water to drink…so why does it look like he’s eyeballing our cocktails and licking his lips!?Still eyeing the drinks…
We leave MacDuff’s totally satiated and head toward the beach to our tender. It looks pretty calm out there doesn’t it? Well, it was assuredly not!
Unfortunately, as has happened on several occasions throughout this adventure, there was payment to be made for things initially going so well. On this day it came in the form of a wind that had shifted and was now opposing the tide making for a long and wet dinghy ride back to Highbourne. There was simply no protection from it and we had to take our salty lumps. While soggy and exhausted, we made it back in one piece and Jasper was unusually excited to get off of the dinghy.
ADMIRAL NOTE:As we careened over 4ft swells Jasper placed his full 90lbs against my body. The two of us sat up front receiving the brunt of the slamming and the spray. At one point I turned to A.J. and said, “this is total bullsh@t – why can’t we have one day where we aren’t getting our @sses handed to us?!” In truth, it felt like we weren’t going to get back without some catastrophe happening because we were getting slammed so badly. Jasper finally just laid down on the floor of the tender, giving up trying to maintain his balance. By the time we arrived safely (thank you Captain) back to port we were completely drenched and in desperate need of a libation…would we do it again to have our MacDuff’s experience…? Oh sure.
We spent our final day playing with Jasper on one of the island’s many empty beaches, had a terrific lunch at Xuma and spent time with our new friends from Blue Nose and Salt Wind and some time going over charts with our new friends from Dusty Sea, getting destination suggestions as well as invaluable local knowledge about navigating in certain spots as we continue down the island chain. We look forward to seeing them all again when we reach Compass Cay.
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On our last evening we joined a group under the dock gazebo a few slips from OLOH where the crew from the fishing vessel Bone Cutter was filleting their daily catch. We were treated to some incredible Spanish Mackerel sashimi in addition to some good company.
This young man excellently fileted Spanish Mackerel, made a delicious ceviche and shared it with everyone. Mmmmm good. Thank you!This terrific group of friends has been coming to Highbourne for 26 years to fish, drink and enjoy life. They shared their catch with everyone and their good energy was infectious. We thank them for making our last night special.
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A beautiful last night at Highbourne Cay – now a favorite stop of ours. This was the first spot we stopped at on arrival. We were taking Jasper for his first walk and a wonderful couple was sitting here enjoying the view. They were so warm and kind to us and loved Jasper. They gave us some great tips about the island and told us we’d fall in love with the place like they had. We did. Thanks, La Sirena, for being our first smiles on the island – we’ll always think of this gazebo as your spot!
After a couple of weeks spent exclusively dockside in The Bahamas we are very much looking forward to getting a bit away from civilization and enjoying time on a mooring at our next stop in Warderick Wells, part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. See you out there!
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I can still smell the salty sea, feel the wind on my face, love the Atlantic Ocean and fondly remember growing up on the Jersey Shore. STAY SAFE AND HAPPY
The young man making the food in the red shirt is my son in law Mark. I just happened to be looking at photos of Highbourne Cay when my husband spotted the photos. His crew is the Bonecutter crew that you shared food with.
[…] Cay Marina’s fuel dock to top off the tanks around four hours later. Jasper enjoyed being back in familiar territory and while we already missed our friends and the vibe at Compass, Highbourne was the other top […]
Hey Paula - Unfortunately we don't have any direct contact info for Joel but the number we have for Highbourne is (242) 355-1008. One of our favorite places anywhere - enjoy and let us know how it goes!
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