Allan's Cay Excursion to Ships Channel Cay in the Exumas

Allan's Cay is a good northern anchorage in the northern section of the Exumas available to sailboats coming from New Providence to the Exumas.  We stay there a week and each night 4-6 sailboats come in and anchor and most leave the next morning. A few of us stay to explore.  We take an excursion to Ships Channel Cay and hike the high country, about 150 feet at its peak, drift over shallow reefs snorkeling, and explore the nurse shark breeding area. 

Fair Winds crossing the White Banks between New Providence
and the Exumas.  Full sails! 

Fair Winds heeling to the wind

Jean and Gordon on bow of Fair Winds to
check anchor as we arrive at Allan's Cay. 

 We dinghy 5 miles to Ships Channel Cay where excursions from Nassau and the cruise ships come to snorkel and have lunch with the sharks.  We land at a beautiful white beach and hike up and up to 150 highest point. 

Beach at Ships Channel Cay

One of excursion boats from Nassau and the cruise ships

The trail on Ships Channel Cay

Margaret and D on the trail 

Up and up, down and down

Cactus on the trail and view of the lush island

Curly tail lizard on trail. They are friendly,
letting you feed it leaves. One sat on D's knee. 

Overlooking the beach at Ships Channel Cay

We dinghy past the bluff overlooking the reef on Ships Channel Cay

We explore the nurse shark breeding area on Ships Channel Cay. The season is March through June, so we are safe, its only February!!  We see rays and conch and even find a secured Powerboat Adventure vessel.

Clear shallow water of the nurse shark breeding area

We find lots of conch. Margaret holds a conch that is
one of the more mature ones, with a beautiful color and full lip. 

D walks the sandy flats of the nurse shark breeding area at low tide. 

We explore Leaf Cay across from Allan's Cay. The wind blown bushes show the harsh conditions for survival.  The beaches on the Exuma Sound side are coral rock and sandy coves.

Wind swept bushes on Leaf Cay

Sandy beaches and rocky points of Leaf Cay on the Exuma Sound side. 

Weather! Storm brewing but for now, the sun shines on the water.

We anchor side by side and mostly have the anchorage to ourselves. Each night a few sailboats come in for the night and leave the next morning transiting to Nassau or down the Exumas.

Fly Away and Fair Winds at anchor at Allan's Cay

D dinghies past Fly Away

D dinghies past Fly Away and Fair Winds

Jean and I snorkel over some reefs when I spy a lobster.  Jean checks it out, and declares it a keeper. Gordon brought his gear, gloves, tickle stick, and net. He jumps into the water and tickles it, but the lobster is no dummy, and withdraws deeper in its hole. Gordon dives again and with 2 hands grabs and pulls the lobster, but once again, as strong as he is, he is thwarted, needing to surface to breathe.  D, totally unprepared, enlists the help of a passer by, a young VietNamese/Chinese man, who enthusiastically jumps in to help, but unfortunately, he can't swim and has never had snorkel gear or fins on before. D heads back to Fly Away to get the big guns, a Hawaiian sling. He dives 3 times before success, and the lobster is ours for dinner.  

D holds the lobster that took all four of us, plus one passer by, to catch. 

Dinner that night - as our friend Harry would chant before dinner - Yummm!