Sneaking In The Back Door

Bell Island to Big Majors  |  2.4 Hours  |  13.8 Miles   

It was difficult to say farewell to the Land and Sea Park. For the last week we've enjoyed the park's serenity and natural beauty from Shroud Cay in the north to Cambridge Cay in the south. I took a few extra laps around the deck just marveling at the crystal clear water. It just doesn't get much better than this, but variety is the spice of life and we had to continue our trek south through the Exuma chain. At 9:30 we raised the anchor and headed out Bell Cut into the deep waters of Exuma Sound. This was a new route for us, taking advantage of low wind, minimal waves, and a straight point-to-point path. As a bonus we got to see the "back side" of familiar islands for the first time. We were able to match a charted geologic feature with a view when we passed Max's Table Rock Cave. The favored turquoise water of the shallows was replaced by the royal blue of the deep.

A short distance later we cruised by Bell Rock then passed the beaches we walked two days ago. We exited the park and moved along the beautiful crescent beach at Compass Cay. I had the chart book out following our progress. The conspicuous wind turbines of Over Yonder Cay were an easily visible landmark. Spotting the BTC (Bahamas Telecommunications Company) tower on Staniel Cay signaled we were nearing our turn into Big Rock Cut. We came in the "back door" of Staniel Cay. Large homes lined the waterfront.

After passing the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, we hooked back to the north and claimed a spot in the large anchorage west of Big Majors. We quickly dropped the dinghy and headed to shore. We disposed of a bag of trash ($8) and filled up the two gas tanks for the dinghy ($6.68/gallon). While Barry was paying, our friend Steve arrived in his dinghy and joined us for a late lunch. Afterwards we took one of my favorite strolls through the bougainvillea tunnel on our way to the grocery store. We didn't need much, which was good since our three items -- a loaf of bread, a pack of English muffins, and a bag of spinach -- came in just under $30. A quick selfie in front of the sign was our last task of the day. Not long after arriving back at Crossroads, the day was gone. The sun made a brief appearance at the bottom of a thick cloud bank as it moved below the horizon.