Read PDF - Southwinds Magazine

TRAVELS WITH ANGELCruising the NorthernmostBahamas with 5200By Rebecca BurgSingle-handed vessels Defiant, Bill Robinson’s Morganketch, and Angel, my Bayfield cutter, fled from the grayclouds. Earlier, we’d left Mangrove Cay on the LittleBahama Bank, and squally weather had quickly replacedthe day’s benign beginnings. The Bank’s shallow expansewas generating wave patterns that were steep and choppywith irregular spacing between their misshapen crests. Thewinds gusted between 25 to 30 knots and were on the nose.Heavily reefed—and miserable with upwind work—Angelrepeatedly griped (“gripe/griped” wasa description of boat behavior thatstarted in the old days of sail), peevishlyjabbing her bowsprit at the offendingwaves. Like me, Angel is a connoisseurof fair weather and we didn’t see muchuse for the concepts of machismo orswashbuckling derring-do. Defiantlooked equally as uncomfortable as shebounced ahead in bursts of cold spray.“Five miles to go,” Bill radioed, wearinessevident in his voice. It wasn’t soonenough when two fatigued cruisersslipped into the welcome shelter ofGreat Sale Cay. Despite having anabundance of room, Defiant and Angelanchored nearly on top of each other inthis uninhabited island rest stop.Beyond Great Sale, boats canexplore the northernmost out islands ofthe Bahamas, from the remote WalkersCay to the Carters Cays. Within this 30-some-mile stretch, there are two tinyBahamian settlements and oceanic vistasof exotic, tropical poetry to mesmerizeone’s senses with. Here are some of the world’s remainingwild tropical isles that haven’t been completely spoiledby man. Lose yourself among the tree-coated islets of theDouble Breasted Cays and you might just feel like aRobinson Crusoe. Sugar-white sand beaches are ringedwith pure waters of a luminous, unearthly blue-green hue.Tropical fish and sea grasses swirl under the dinghy’sshadow and sand crabs scuttle along the beach. The northernmostout island is Walkers Cay. Its settlement is a portof entry with a marina, a runway for small planes and areputation for quality dive trips. Another settlement is nestledin the Grand Cays. Dockage, homey Bahamian cookingand basic goods are available. Strangers Cay and mostof the Carters Cays are wild with the occasional, secretiveget-away cottage and pier. There’s an abundance of pristineAtlantic side beaches. The white sandbanks are shifty,and traveling in calm seas, in daylight, is necessary forsuccessful navigation through serpentine passes and hiddenanchorages.Defiant and Angel’s intimate anchoring practice starteda trend. Sailboats, concerned about their drafts, often cue inon others to determine whether an area appears satisfactoryor not. A small sloop wandered toward us, puzzled overour positions, then dropped anchor as close as she safelycould. Amused, I watched a fourth newcomer join oursmall cluster. By the next day, we were in the midst of a40 June 2008 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com