Trip from Nassau to Frozen/ Alder's Cay





This is a compound on Alder's Cay.  We hadn't seen so many palm trees in one place.  I guess they brought them in when they built the place.







This is the only settlement on Little Harbor Cay called Flo's place.  It is a popular spot for cruisers.  There is a deep water anchorage just off the shore.  The entrance is narrow but after negotiating the cut between the cays coming in from the ocean side, it didn't seem as bad.





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Our luck ran out with the sailing gods.  We had such great sailing days coming up from Georgetown we were starting to think it was normal.  Our first few hours out of Nassau were just as pleasant.  The winds were steady out of the right direction with seas only 2-3 feet and a decent interval between them.  We were screaming along, way faster than we needed to since we had to time our arrival with the incoming tide through the cut.  Then things turned ugly.  We thought the front we were trying to beat had arrived early but that wasn't the case.  The winds picked up and the seas did as well.  We had 6-8 foot waves driven by the wind.  As we neared the shallower water of the Berry Islands, the waves became like those of the Gulf of Mexico, steep and choppy.  This is not fun in case you have never experienced those conditions.  To slow the boat down, we set the boat up to lay alongside the waves.  This is a storm tactic we had never tried before and it worked well.  You have to zen out to the motion but you know you are safe.  We went back and forth on just where we would anchor, judging which cut would be the safest to enter and which anchorage would offer the best holding, etc., etc.  We chose to go in behind Frozen/Alder Cay and made it in by dodging rocks and tide and I'm sure a few sea demons.  We chose to anchor where we had heard there was good holding and settled in for a bumpy but safe night.  We had had such good sailing for so many miles we couldn't complain too much.  A sunset toddy helped soothe frayed nerves.

This is Flo's Place on Little Harbor Cay and the owner is the only inhabitant on the entire island.  His mother, Flo, passed away a few years ago but the son continues the tradition of cooking and providing a respite for cruisers.  We'll have to visit next time.

We've grown used to seeing houses with magnificient views in states of decay and disrepair.  This one had an especially good view of either the shallow inerior of the Berry Islands or the ocean.

These are typical waves that greet any boat coming in through narrow cuts.

This is a huge pipeline running from a docking station in deep water to the shore of Frozen Cay.  The pipeline then ran to a compound.  We had visions of Dr. Evil or Dr. No or Spectre or whoever the Man from Uncle had to do battle with setting up a compound here.

This was one of 3 large barracuda that we caught.  While they are edible, they sometimes carry a diese down here that we didn't want to take a chance on getting.  We did catch 2  cerros, a type of mackerel that were quite tasty.

This was the compound on Alder Cay, very close by.  It had a Hobie Cat on shore so they must be the relaxed good guys.