“Warning: Prudent Mariners will not rely solely on any single aid to navigation. The position of features is approximate.
Some areas are unsurveyed. Unchartered hazards may exist”.
~ MapTech
After nearly a month in the Exumas, it was time to turn north and return to the mainland. We estimate that we will arrive back in the States by early March. In February, the northeast trade winds blow strong and steady out of the southeast, so we will be running or reaching the rest of the way. We plan to make a few more stops in the Exumas before crossing Exuma Sound to Eleuthera.
The Exumas have unique geometry. East of the island chain is an oval-shaped sound reaching depths of 6,000 feet. To the west is the shallow Exuma bank. Most anchorages are tucked between shallow coves on the western or leeward side of the cays from the prevailing trade winds. Mariners must navigate through cuts to reach protective anchorages when traveling north from George Town on the Exuma Sound side.
Navigating the Exuma Cays involves judicious risk-taking, where we must make decisions that balance a situation’s potential benefits and harms. Careful thought goes into the timing and course of every passage. We look at wind speed/direction, current, tide, depth, passage time, and time of day to optimize visual navigation. We rely on multiple resources when planning our course and examining all the resources in detail.
- MapTech Chart Kit –Region 9, 7th edition (2013).
- AquaMaps
- Bahamas Cruising Guide
- Tide Charts
- Weather Apps (Predict wind, Windy)
- Navionics
- Local knowledge
- Other boats
Rarely do all the sources of information line up. For example, all charts provide depth sounds for mean low water (MLW). However, this does not account for the influence of extremely high or low tides based on the moon’s phase. We find ourselves making judgments using lines of evidence.
On February 4th, we planned a 42-nautical mile (NM) passage from George Town to Farmers Cay. The steady 15 knots wind out of the east and gentle sea state made for an idyllic passage up the sound. We timed our departure at mid-cycle between low tide and high tide. The rationale called for a planned departure at 8 AM, which would give us a buffer of at least 1.5 feet in depth (relative to MLW in the charts) to leave the shallow harbor and avoid running aground. On the back side, we would enter through the cut at Farmers Cay less than an hour after high slack tide.
All the cruising guides clearly state that passages between cuts must be well thought out.
Depending on the tidal flow, width of the cut, depth, bottom geometry, and wind speed, tide cuts can produce rip tides running from 2.5 to 4 knots and up to 6 knots in places. If the wind is against the current, it can create a narrow millrace of water that should be avoided. Heavy offshore swells can compound the conditions and produce dangerous sea conditions known as a rage. Rages make passage out to sea impossible/ Slack tide may or may not occur in the cut at the predicted high and low water times, and the moment of change may happen after the forecast times but depends on the bottom contours, depth, and width.
Fortunately, the following sea in the sound was less than one-foot waves, and we arrived at the cut slightly after slack tide. Even so, we encountered 1 to 3-foot choppy standing waves as we passed through the 300-ft opening, and Kailoa pitched forward as Scott steered us steadily onward. Luckily, the conditions only lasted 10 minutes before we hit the shallow, calm waters on the leeward side.
Scott was able to secure the one mooring off Farmers Cay Yacht Club. When we approached the large mooring ball, we found the lead lines in a tangle, and we could not pull them with a boat hook. We made a couple of circles to survey the situation and launched the dingy while we motored Kailoa up to the mooring ball. With that approach, Scott managed to loop a line from Kailoa to the mooring tether from the dinghy and secure Kailoa. We were happy to be on the mooring because the wind blew steadily at 20 knots for 2 days.
The family that has owned and managed Farmers Cay Yacht Club for 35 years greeted us after we landed. They hosted a happy hour, two-for-one rum punch, and free conch fritters. As legend has it, Little Farmers Cay was first settled by a freed slave female and her children. The island was permanently willed to her descendants. Today, 60 people live in this settlement.
The enchanting harbor was bustling with islanders and visitors. We immediately fell in love with the harbor wharf, covered by two thatched huts. Islanders strung conch together in the water by the landing as sting rays collected fallen conch scraps. The water was like glass, and we spotted numerous turtles poking above the surface. There were at least four restaurants and a pothole-filled runway for small planes to land. The island was dotted with homes and gardens. Most people traveled around the islands by boat.
We met Denzel, a painter who lived in a modest house on the outskirts of the village. He invited us to view his paintings and gave us a tour of his garden. Of course, we couldn’t resist purchasing one of his pieces of the local sailing regatta. Before leaving with the painting, he gave us a painted stone, two pomegranates, and lemon grass cuttings for tea.
When we went to shore to settle our bill, the owner said, “You are leaving too early.” Little Farmers hosts a popular regatta in February, and we hear that it is quite an event. Cruisers travel from afar to attend the events, and the entire settlement is involved. Unfortunately, we needed to stay on track and take advantage of the favorable weather. This is definitely a place we would return to.
After 2 nights at Little Farmers Cay, we set sail for Staniel Cay, a 22 NM passage that would take less than 3 hours. We considered our options and associated risks.
Option 1: Exit the Farmers Cut and enter the Staniel Cay Cut. After analysis, it would be impossible to time the passage through both cuts with slack tide. The Staniel Cay cut was even narrower than the Farmers Cut. The wind was expected to gust to 19 knots, so we deemed this too dangerous.
Option 2: Navigate through the shallows from Farmers Cay, then from the bank to the shallow around Staniel Cay. The risk here was that we might run around. Earlier that day, we watched a 50 ft power boat run aground Little Farmers Cay. The power boater needed to be towed off the bank by the owner of the Yacht Club.
We choose the risk of running aground in the sand over getting sideways on Kailoa in a cut.
We studied the charts in detail and agreed to a course out of Farmers Cay and into Staniel Cay. The trick is that none of the chart resources provide consistent information. On Map Tech, the chart had us crossing in 4 ft 6 inches of water (MLW); we draw approximately 6 ft. Other resources indicated depths of either 5 or 7 ft. We mitigated our risk by timing our departure with high tide leaving Farmers Cay. With this approach, we would enter Staniel 3 hours after high tide, giving us another foot of depth buffer from MLW.
We found the most reliable source was Aqua Map, and fortunately, we never encountered depths less than 7 feet deep. We arrived at Staniel Cay around 5 PM, around 45 m, minutes before sunset. All the planning paid off, and we arrived safely without adverse event.
Kailoa signing off!
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