Soldier Cay, Berry Islands to West End, Grand Bahama
We spent the
morning at anchor admiring the beauty of Soldier Cay and the surrounding
islands. These are very small and very
low lying islands with predominantly scrub vegetation and a few trees. The water is crystal clear. Grass blades growing in the white sandy
bottom appear as if they are only a foot below the surface even in 15 feet of
water. We watched a few fish swim by the
boat as if we were peering into the top of an aquarium. There was no wind to disturb the water’s
surface which enhanced the notion you were looking at the objects below as if
through a sheet of glass. No need for
snorkel gear here. Just look down from
the boat.
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| Soldier Cay - Berry Islands |
We departed at noon so as to arrive at West End
shortly after dawn. It takes about 20
hours to cover the 100 nautical miles between Soldier Cay and West End. We have to navigate through the Northwest
Providence Channel which is a major shipping route. The largest concentration of shipping is
found on the approaches to Freeport which serves as a primary distribution
point for goods coming into the Bahamas.
Cruise ships also travel these waters to gain access to their “private
island beaches” on the Stirrup Cays at the north end of the Berrys. While making our passage we saw one cruise
ship and had six cargo ships in sight at one time as we were nearing
Freeport. We saw no other sailboats or
private yachts during the night.
Conditions for our passage were excellent with the exception of the wind
being very light. We had a full moon and
very calm seas.
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