All the natural forces finally came together on February 12 to give us the paradise that we always knew we would find in the Bahamas. At 6:30 a.m., we departed Long Island, Bahamas, with Jay Sea Dee (Jodi and John) and headed for the Jumento Cays. I was a bit apprehensive about going to the Jumentos, as the Jumentos are totally unpopulated except for one small town -- Duncan Town -- at the southern end of the Jumentos. We basically would have to be totally self-sufficient while there -- i.e., we were on our own!
What we found was that although almost all of these Cays are unpopulated, and we were told there would be no other boats here, the Jumentos have become more popular, and a few other cruisers are usually close by. We always found fellow cruisers in the same anchorage, some we already knew, and others we quickly became friendly with. This was worth the trip!
We arrived at the first cay, Flamingo Cay (i.e., paradise) at 2:30 p.m. I never knew that being in a remote area like this could be so enjoyable. A few boats were already anchored in front of one of the beaches and rather than crowd them, Charmed and Jay Sea Dee anchored off another beach just to the south. The day was sunny and warm, the water -- showing off in different hues of blue -- was crystal clear, and the beaches invited a lazy walk. The landscape of the Jumentos really is not so different from the Exumas, so I wondered what made this visit to Flamingo Cay so different and enjoyable for me. In part, it must be the weather. I am not a fan of the cold, and it was not only no longer cold, but it was also no longer too windy. For a long time I had been looking forward to jumping into the water and swimming and snorkeling, and with this warm weather and this clear, clean water, I could finally do it and really enjoy it. This calm, warm weather also makes longer dinghy explorations possible. It is also nice to be away from the sometimes constant chatter on the VHF radio. The VHF is really a cruiser's only means of communication in the Bahamas, so we generally have the VHF on and scanning the channels from dawn to dusk. In places like George Town and Long Island, it seems cruisers are always talking to each other about one thing or another, and so I welcomed the quiet we found in the Jumentos.
In any event, at the beach on Flamingo Cay, we found sea fans, beautiful shells, another sand dollar and even an old float from a fishing net. What treasures! Craig later dove under our boat (sitting in about 8 feet of water), and came back with more sea biscuits for Jodi and I. The boys then went spear fishing and all of us went snorkeling. It's amazing to be able to watch the varied and colorful fish, the living sea fans and other beautiful creatures in their own habitat.
Two days later we headed further south to Buna Vista Cay. Again, it was another beautiful day. On the way, John saw a small fishing boat and hailed it on the VHF. Fisherman Allan came back, and John asked him what he was catching. He had crawfish (which we know as lobster, but not like the Maine lobster we are more familiar with) and told John he would also be in Buna Vista Cay that night, so John asked him to stop by Jay Sea Dee. When we arrived at Buna Vista at 11 a.m., it was just us and Jay Sea Dee. Sea Star (Dan and Kathy) arrived shortly after us, and Jodi, Kathy and I went to the beach for a walk. As we walked south on the beach, we saw a small shark swimming north toward us and very close to shore. Kathy raised her camera for a shot, but that shark must have seen us at the same instant, because he turned left and sped away from us faster than I had ever seen anything swim. We also saw several live star fish in the water and within a few feet of shore. They were bright orange in color and probably at least eight inches in diameter. I have never seen star fish so big or so beautiful.
Back at the boat later, Craig and I put on our snorkeling masks and swam over to Jay Sea Dee and back. We were in only 8 feet of, again, crystal clear water, so we could see everything. I think there was a star fish every 30 feet -- really a spectacular find. After our swim, we dinghied over to Jay Sea Dee for dinner. For Valentine's Day, the boys cooked us a fabulous dinner and even did the dishes after!
While there, fisherman Allan came by with his fishing partner Randy.
Allan and Randy had already cleaned their catch and the lobster tails were ready for sale. Charmed and Jay Sea Dee each purchased 8 of these freshly caught lobster tails for $20. We were back to Jay Sea Dee the next night for a lobster dinner!! John did a great job grilling the lobster tails, and even I enjoyed one!
What we found was that although almost all of these Cays are unpopulated, and we were told there would be no other boats here, the Jumentos have become more popular, and a few other cruisers are usually close by. We always found fellow cruisers in the same anchorage, some we already knew, and others we quickly became friendly with. This was worth the trip!
We arrived at the first cay, Flamingo Cay (i.e., paradise) at 2:30 p.m. I never knew that being in a remote area like this could be so enjoyable. A few boats were already anchored in front of one of the beaches and rather than crowd them, Charmed and Jay Sea Dee anchored off another beach just to the south. The day was sunny and warm, the water -- showing off in different hues of blue -- was crystal clear, and the beaches invited a lazy walk. The landscape of the Jumentos really is not so different from the Exumas, so I wondered what made this visit to Flamingo Cay so different and enjoyable for me. In part, it must be the weather. I am not a fan of the cold, and it was not only no longer cold, but it was also no longer too windy. For a long time I had been looking forward to jumping into the water and swimming and snorkeling, and with this warm weather and this clear, clean water, I could finally do it and really enjoy it. This calm, warm weather also makes longer dinghy explorations possible. It is also nice to be away from the sometimes constant chatter on the VHF radio. The VHF is really a cruiser's only means of communication in the Bahamas, so we generally have the VHF on and scanning the channels from dawn to dusk. In places like George Town and Long Island, it seems cruisers are always talking to each other about one thing or another, and so I welcomed the quiet we found in the Jumentos.
In any event, at the beach on Flamingo Cay, we found sea fans, beautiful shells, another sand dollar and even an old float from a fishing net. What treasures! Craig later dove under our boat (sitting in about 8 feet of water), and came back with more sea biscuits for Jodi and I. The boys then went spear fishing and all of us went snorkeling. It's amazing to be able to watch the varied and colorful fish, the living sea fans and other beautiful creatures in their own habitat.
Two days later we headed further south to Buna Vista Cay. Again, it was another beautiful day. On the way, John saw a small fishing boat and hailed it on the VHF. Fisherman Allan came back, and John asked him what he was catching. He had crawfish (which we know as lobster, but not like the Maine lobster we are more familiar with) and told John he would also be in Buna Vista Cay that night, so John asked him to stop by Jay Sea Dee. When we arrived at Buna Vista at 11 a.m., it was just us and Jay Sea Dee. Sea Star (Dan and Kathy) arrived shortly after us, and Jodi, Kathy and I went to the beach for a walk. As we walked south on the beach, we saw a small shark swimming north toward us and very close to shore. Kathy raised her camera for a shot, but that shark must have seen us at the same instant, because he turned left and sped away from us faster than I had ever seen anything swim. We also saw several live star fish in the water and within a few feet of shore. They were bright orange in color and probably at least eight inches in diameter. I have never seen star fish so big or so beautiful.
Back at the boat later, Craig and I put on our snorkeling masks and swam over to Jay Sea Dee and back. We were in only 8 feet of, again, crystal clear water, so we could see everything. I think there was a star fish every 30 feet -- really a spectacular find. After our swim, we dinghied over to Jay Sea Dee for dinner. For Valentine's Day, the boys cooked us a fabulous dinner and even did the dishes after!
While there, fisherman Allan came by with his fishing partner Randy.Allan and Randy had already cleaned their catch and the lobster tails were ready for sale. Charmed and Jay Sea Dee each purchased 8 of these freshly caught lobster tails for $20. We were back to Jay Sea Dee the next night for a lobster dinner!! John did a great job grilling the lobster tails, and even I enjoyed one!
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