We were happy to spend 3 nights at the marina in Spanish Cay to sit out weather but it was time to move on. With more rain in the forecast, we took in local knowledge and decided to head to the protected Northern anchorage of Manjack/Nunjack Cay (it is known by either name, depending on who you talk to or what chart you’re looking at). Of the multiple anchorages around this Cay, we specifically chose this one due to its only wind and wave exposure being from the N/NE. We were expecting some rain/storms to blow through with SE winds moving to the SW. It was a short hop of 11nm to make the anchorage with just one other boat to start. Once the wind and weather filled in, the anchorage was quite full with fellow cruisers trying to ride out the storm. Of course the weather came in at night and we had a few tense hours where we had our VHF radio on and were watching our instruments and the other boat anchor lights to see if we/they were dragging anchor into one another or onto shore. Luckily there was only one boat that drug their anchor but it was caught quickly and didn’t cause any issues.
This island is a “private island” but the locals allow boaters to “respectfully” enjoy the island and use their trails to get to/from the Sea of Abaco side to the Atlantic side of the island. We took advantage of the calm before the storm to bring the dinghy ashore to see the rays on the beach. They will come right up to shore and even allow you to touch them. We also went on the “art walk” which was lined with a myriad of creations made by fellow cruisers and maybe even a few locals. This walk led from the main anchorage to a smaller and more private beach.
After the weather moved through. We moved to the Crab Cay Anchorage on the SE side of the island. This anchorage was more comfortable as there was less swell from the Atlantic coming through but it is more exposed to the winds from the SW to NE. Luckily, the winds were dying and we had a lovely, calm night. From this anchorage, you can easily dinghy, at high tide, through the mangroves of the inner island to see turtles and rays. Unfortunately, the turtles are camera shy and we didn’t catch any on film, but we promise they were there. Justin also had to do a bit of boat work as our sacrificial zinc on the propeller had almost disappeared and needed to be replaced.
At this point, we had spent 2 weeks in the Bahamas and were in need of some groceries and further route planning for the rest of our trip . Stay tuned for our trip to Green Turtle Cay and beyond. Skål
