Leg 5 - Compass Cay, The Exumas, Bahamas
4/2/24 - 4/3/24
105 Miles
Island hoping begins! We intended to get up early...oops we slept in, must be those gentle Bahama breezes lulling us to sleep! We weren't too delayed, still we had a wait at the fuel dock with the fishing boats who take on 500 + gallons at a time to fuel up. We wanted to fuel up before we headed south where the marinas get smaller and fuel is harder to come by. Heading south, we passed the busy waters around Nassau to enter the deepest waters of the Bahamas, known at The Tongue of the Ocean. Funny, maybe even a little scary of a name, the Tongue gave us no trouble. Moving from shallow to deep water, back to shallow waters throughout the Bahamas - we are very happy with our robust collection of electronics on COAST. The closer we got to the Exuma Cays. the more sailboats we saw, evidence of why we wanted to be in these waters - known for gentle breezes, endless pristine anchorages and gorgeous beaches. The Exuma Cays is where we intended to spend the majority of our time. We’ve been to the Exumas with friends a few times over the last five years. In 2022 before thinking of doing the Loop we were in the Bahamas with a different boat, MANA. At that time we did a much broader swing through the Bahamas, of course the Exumas were included. In 2022 traveling the Bahama highlights we passed many anchorages tucked away along the coast, we dreamed of when we could come back, slow it down and experience a more intimate visit to the Exumas. With these memories we built in this trip to make the Exumas a priority, visiting our favorite spots while making plenty of time for some new ones.
Usually our first stop in the Exumas is Highbourne Cay, unfortunately the marina didn’t have room for us. We think we might swing back through as we exit the Exumas. Happily our next desired stop had room - Compass Cay Marina. We approached Compass Cay from the Exuma Bank , the cut is narrow and super shallow. Entering this tiny harbor it is wild super yachts can get in and they sure do! COAST was smaller than some of the super yacht’s tenders! Most visitors come to swim with the tame nurse sharks Compass is know for, but Compass is really a nature preserve promoting high standards in ecological conservation. We took full advantage of the walking trails, beach walks and finding our way to Rachel’s Bubble Bath.
Plenty of sweet spots to find an anchorage.
Compass Cay Marina
COAST immediately greeted by the famed nurse sharks in the harbor.
Captain Walt braving a shark visit!
Nurse shark at COAST’s stern.
Turtle swimming by to say hello!
Compass Cay city center!
Walk of Fame!
Pathway from the marina to the walking trails is lined with endeared belonging left behind, personal artifacts or just junk-fun to exam for sure!
Seems the preferred donation is beer and wine bottles acting as wind chimes.
I loved our morning walks!
I so wanted to bring this home and frame it!
Dinghy ride in search of Rachels’s Bubble Bath!
Pretty sketchy idea of where we were going-we had a strong sense of intuition we were headed the right way even though it looked like we were walking across the moon’s surface.
We found it! After meeting a father and son leaving the spot. I’m not sure we would have known this was it!
We arrived 2 hours too early to fully experience the Rachel’s Bubble Bath magic. At high tide the consistency of the water flowing over the opening simulates a bubble bath. We enjoyed a mini version!
Compass Cay Marina Welcome Deck
Decorated in similar fashion to the Walk of Fame.
They encourage personal mementos to leave behind so you come back!
Bye bye Compass Cay
Up next Staniel Cay Yacht Club
4,156 Miles to date since August 1.
All our best from the vessel COAST, Captain Walt and first mate Aimee.
