After leaving Hope Town, we sailed past Tilloo Cay and through the remainder of the Sea of Abacos to Little Harbour. It was a relaxing afternoon with plenty of sunshine and smooth sailing in the calm blue water. We waited for high tide to let us past any shallow spots along our waterway and gave us confidence to get there at a leisurely pace. Along the way we decided to stop at Sandy Cay for a quick dip and snorkel the healthy reef.
Sandy Cay
Anchoring close to the moorings, available for smaller vessels, we were able to jump off our swim platform and snorkel over to the reef. Diving into the chilly water was refreshing and made us rush past the deep water towards the forest of coral. The reef is just over a half mile long with a beautiful variety of coral and brightly colored fish. We swam around identifying what we could and taking pictures of our surroundings. The shots from our GoPro were far from being perfect so we made a trip back to Tipsy Gypsy to let go of the idea and drop it off for less of a load.
Floating is easy in salt water but still takes effort to move around the current and swell. Swimming the reef puts me in a meditative state with regulated breathing and drifting quietly. Our favorite sightings were the endangered Nassau Grouper and a fever of Eagle Spotted Rays.
Little Harbour
Continuing on from Sandy Cay, we made it to Little Harbour. This harbour is exceptional for protection in all directions of wind and is a pleasant change of scenery from the low lying land in the rest of the Abacos. We were not able to get into the harbour because of low tide. Instead we anchored just outside for a secluded time on the water. If you do make it into the harbour, you can expect a calm anchorage with moorings available and a long beach surrounding the very popular Pete’s Pub – Where the Elite Eat in their Bare Feet. They serve a drink called the Blaster and it’s very tasty. Also located in Little Harbour is Johnston’s Bronze Art Foundry which is filled with awesome works of bronze art in many shapes and sizes.
Also nearby is the Bight of Old Robinson where many blue holes are found. Take your dinghy at high tide to get through and find these magical areas in nature. There are Green Turtles, Giant Starfish, and plenty of fish to enjoy while in this area of the Abacos.
Lynyard Cay
At the end of our day, we decided it’d be best to have a good night sleep and move to Lynyard Cay. Behind the ocean swell rolling in, this anchorage was far better than the outside of Little Harbour. This is a great anchorage before crossing over to other islands in the Bahamas because it’s located close to a wide ocean opening. We could have gotten into Little Harbour but felt this would be better for us to leave at any point rather than wait for tide to come in and allow us to leave the harbour. There is an exceptional beach and had a ton of baby conchs roaming the shore.
While anchored in Lynyard Cay, we made sure our boat was ready to go for the upcoming passage. This meant checking our lines, stowing loose items, and setting out what we would need while underway. In the morning, we left Little Harbour and the Abacos for Eleuthera!
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