Jumentos Bound

South of the Exumas, strung along the banks in a long, thin southeast-curving line, lie a series of rocks and cays called the Jumentos and Ragged Islands.  Cruising here is not for the faint of heart, or the weekend pleasure sailor.  Depending on your choice of 2 courses, one is dependent on a rising tide at a narrow cut which will then allow most shallow-draft vessels to pass safely.  The longer, alternate route still requires a pass through Comer Channel and a short passage in open seas, exposed on the east by miles of shallow banks and open ocean to the east.

Photo: Note the curved string of islands just north of Cuba, ocean to the east and the Great Bahama Banks extending westward and north towards the swampy south shore of Andros.  You will also see the Tongue of the Ocean- the deep water extending down between Andros and the northern Exuma chain, cutting into the shallow Banks.

When you arrive at the top of the island string, nothing more than scattered rocks and reef, there is some protection from the easterly swells.  The necklace of islands offer beautiful unspoiled beaches and stretches of rocky shore.  The vegetation is not much more than wind-scrubbed brush, patches of buttonwood and a few short palms.

 We  enjoy walking the stretches of windward beaches strewn with flotsam and jetsam. (mostly plastic, lots of shoes, bottles, driftwood, and the occasional treasure)

You will not find civilization here, although there is one settlement at the southern end with less than 80 people, total population.  Thus the cruiser must arrive well prepared to fend for himself, arriving with stores of food, medicine and first aid kits, water and fuel.

Dinghy approach to Duncantown, the only settlement

Two younger residents of Duncantown

 Of course, Independence was named specifically to reflect this kind of preparation and ability to self-sustain for long periods of time.  After a number of years exploring the Bahamas, we are finally exploring this corner of the  country of scattered islands. 

Happily, our concerns of surgy anchorages, causing a trawler like ours to roll, are not a deal-killer.  We are learning to use a stern anchor or an interesting anchor technique, in which you pull a snubber from the anchor rode to a side or aft cleat to turn the boat bow to the swell.

Coral heads offer up some of the most beautiful corals, and array of fish in the Bahamas.  Although we have virtually no data connection (I hope to post this when I get to Duncantown), we still have our satellite phone, which is intermittently reliable.

Yes, it is nice to be almost completely cut off from busy civilization, and so very tuned in to the tides, sunrises and sunsets, wind and water conditions.