From West End to Carter’s Cay

Our full day in West End was spent, for the most part, relaxing after 3 solid days of traveling.  Sydney was happy as she got off the boat, went on multiple walks, went for a swim in the ocean, and lounged by the pool.

 

We spent our afternoon poolside relaxing in some lounge chairs, enjoying a couple beers, and eating the famous cracked conch sandwich and fresh conch fritters this area is known for.

We woke up early the next morning still deciding where we wanted to go next (first world problems).  Sydney and I walked back to the beach to see the sunrise, packed up, filled the boat with as much water as we could (as we intend to be on anchor for the next several days) and decided to head to Carter’s Cay.

We spent the first couple of hours traveling with 3 feet of water underneath our keel, then the next several hours with 8-11 feet under our keel which made us a bit more comfortable.  The water was crystal clear and like glass for the entire trip to Carter’s Cay.  

Entry into Carter’s Cay was a bit sketchy.  Dan carefully navigated a narrow path that gave us less than 1.5 feet of clearance under our keel.  Once we got into this protected inlet, we set anchor in about 12 feet of water in between 4 non-occupied Bahamian boats.  Carter’s Cay is an uninhabited island that used to have a US missile tracking station on it.  Now it is used by local fisherman during lobster season as a place to sleep and rest during season.  No one was on the island, that we could tell.

There was a wreck about 100 yards east of us that was full of snappers and lobster.  This boat must have broken anchor at some point and drifted into this very shallow area.  Dan went for a quick snorkel while Sydney and I waited on the dingy.  A large sting ray decided to join him (large dark object in the 3rd picture).

We took a tour around the island on the dingy then returned back for an unbelievably peaceful evening, as we were the only ones in the inlet.  Summer Chaser was situated perfectly in the counter current, meaning the boat wasn’t affected by the rapid current that was about 20 yards west of us.  Being in the counter currently significantly reduces the stress on the anchor when the tidal flow changes.

The next morning, after addressing an A/C pump issue, we took some fishing rods out in the dingy to see if we could catch some fish for an appetizer or dinner.  We caught several snappers and 1 small grouper which served it’s purpose and provided us enough ceviche for 2 days.  We enjoyed the ceviche with a  blueberry/jalapeño margarita as our late afternoon snack.

As usual, I woke up around 3 AM to take Sydney for a quick pee on her patch of grass in the back of the boat. The sky was so clear and the water so calm, we could see the stars reflecting like lights in the water.  I wish my camera could have caught this never before seen (by me) view of the stars.

I woke the next morning, enjoyed the sunrise (because that’s what I do) and prepared the boat to head to Angel Fish Cay (pictures are of sunrise and in the opposite direction - both beautiful).