The Far Bahamas
The Far Bahamas
The islands beyond Great Exuma are often called the Far Bahamas in charts and cruising guides. We will go further on future cruises but did sail to Long Island and Cat Island. We liked them both.
Because we needed fuel, we sailed first to Stella Maris on Long Island. There is a charming resort and small marina there. On the way Lynn caught a nice sized tuna. It was her biggest fish to date. We enjoyed a couple of days at Stella Maris. Much of cruising is driven by weather and we skipped the chance to go further south to Thompson’s Bay because of an expected front. We sailed north to Cat Island instead.
Because of the front, we went into Hawks Nest, another resort and marina. We rode the front out there and fell in love with the place. There are complementary bicycles for marina guests, making the short trip to the resort quick, easy, and pleasant. The resort has its own runway and a lot of guests come in by private plane.
From there we went to New Bight on Cat Island. There is a large bay and a small village. More charm but not protection from westerlies. Our plan was to sail to Little San Salvador, anchor for the night, then go to the west side of Eleuthera. We were unable to contact the marina near the south end, the only place with a fuel dock and were concerned they were closed. We could have worked our way up to Rock Sound and carried fuel in jerry jugs but we aren’t ready to rough it that much yet.
Instead, we sailed back across the sound to Staniel Cay.