2023 Bahamas: Nov 23rd Mermaid Reef Great Abacos to Snake Cay

 I looked in the book and decided Snake Cay was worth a visit. Not only was it marked as having good snorkeling, the cruising guide also had a special insert map noting a dinghy tour that would be worth doing at mid to high tide. Along the way was Witch Point, which was also designated as a place that had potentially good snorkeling. None of this was mentioned during the chart briefing, and I was starting to form a poor opinion of the briefing staff at Navigare yacthing.

We first attempted to sail for 2 hours, going along at around 2-5 knots. As we headed south the wind was so light that we couldn't come about, so we dropped the sails and turne don the engines. Motoring down along the coast was straightforward, but unlike nearly anywhere else in the Caribbean I've sailed, there were lots of markings on the chart about shallow sands, shifting sands and other no-go zones. Unique amongst the places I'd visited, the cruising guide provided waypoints and markers and photos of harbor entrances so you would get grounded. Under motor this is no big deal, but under sail you would be constantly changing tack.

At  witch point, we dropped anchor. It took us two tries before the anchor caught. Arturo and I did the dive check and discovered that the anchor wasn't dug into the ground, but had caught against a vegetation root instead. It was holding, but no way would I consider it acceptable for an overnight stay. Out of an abundance of caution we decided that either Arturo or I could snorkel but not both --- one of us had to be on the boat at all times in case the anchor gave way and the boat started drifting. We told everyone to be on alert --- if the engine turned on and revved 3 times that means it was time to come back as quickly as possible. We'd turn the engine off immediately and let the anchor reset itself.

Arturo went first to scout the reef. He came back and reported that the snorkeling was disappointing but the folks had spotted turtles. We went, but didn't go very far before the kids complained about being cold. Fortunately, the anchor held throughout our short stay. Once everyone came back aboard we motor'd on to Snake Cay.

Snake Cay looked far more interesting --- at the anchorage there was no one else there, but we could see that there was some sort of ruined piers that were previously there. The anchor easily hooked the bottom at the designated spot, and after the anchor check Arturo and I went to scout the snorkeling along the pier. These were metal pillars that had holes in them that looked like they could give you tetanus. There were no less than 6 lion fish, and plenty to look at. But after we went around the corner in the narrow channel between Snake Cay and Deep Sea Cay, we found no less than 4 cars in the water that had so much fish using them as homes that we immediately knew we had to go back and fetch everyone else.

We would much later discover that even though it looked like a military base of some sort, this used to be the headquarters of a logging operation. Having ran out of wood, the base became abandoned, but we never found anything about why there were cars in the water. Past the cars, the current became strong, so we returned to the boat to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, with a vegetarian turkey which this time had a snorkel but no mask. Arturo grilled chicken as well as some pasta. It was a huge feast but we did a good job of eating most of it. As the primary fridge freed up we would move food from the bad fridge into it.

At stargazing time, I saw two shooting stars. Bowen read that there were supposed to be meteor showers 2 nights from now. We made a note to be in a dark place that night.