Fayaway left you last time from the point of our recent arrival at Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas. We endured a sporty passage after month-long frolicking at one of our most favorite cruising destinations: The Ragged Islands.

Five years prior prior we dropped our hook briefly overnight at Clarence Town (briefly, obtaining fuel during Covid), and anchored again in 2023 on the western side of Long Island at Thompson Bay, when we initially enjoyed touring with cruising friends Mike and Mary (SV Dreamweaver).

Long Island seems to be our place to join with friends, as now we began another two-island odyssey with more cruising friends Bob and Linda of Tiger Lily. Being literally extensive, at more than 80 miles long, with each visit we discover new curiosities and pile on more lasting memories.

Over a rum cocktail that evening we concluded that tomorrow would an ideal opportunity for sailing north “up” to Conception Island. So in darkness we hauled the outboard onto the stern pushpit and lashed Korykory to the foredeck in preparation for another passage.

What’s the difference between an island and a Cay (“key”)?  A cay was formed from coral and shell deposits, and sand, and only found in tropical waters. An island is formed from geological movement, comprised of rocks and earthen materials. Sometimes a combination of these is called a key, such as the Florida Keys. 

Conception Island

We anchored here in 2020 pandemic-time only to quickly rest overnight and continue traversing northwestward toward the US. The Bahamas government was officially turning away cruisers, forbidding us to set foot on land without a cruising permit. Now it’s a much different story…

Making up for that 2020 deficiency, we were now determined to sample the delights of this protected natural island. And what better way than to enjoy with cruising friends! Upon afternoon arrival we set about planning (with sundowners) aboard Tiger Lily.

In the island’s center, are expanses of mangroves with meandering shallow passages between, perfect for exploring by dinghy.

We awoke before sunrise (very unusual). Thinking ahead, we pre-prepped Korykory the previous evening with a full tank of fuel, water bottles, snorkel gear, etc. Now, we just needed to coffee-up and wait for Bob and Lynda. Off we went, with the rising sun to our backsides, around to the southwest for entry into a series of mangroves via a narrow passage only navigable with a higher tide level. Our timing was early to catch this optimal time for higher water.

We slowly motored through the pass, and putted around the mangroves, spying turtles, and a graceful pair of spotted eagle rays. Wow!

After lunch we went past the anchored boats to a northern-most beachy area, for a walk to the east-facing side of the island. As usual, plastic trash, oriented neatly, marked the trail. In awe of the tranquil surroundings of turquoise and white, against the deep blue sky and puffy clouds, we walked barefoot toward a limestone hill, with a breathtaking view of the breaking surf.

Kelly spotted more of those weird little prehistoric creatures in the tidepools – chitons.

From that point, we walked back to the dinghy landing. Kelly and I decided to go back and get our snorkel gear to find a few of those bommies that we had passed over earlier that day on our way back from the mangroves. We were not disappointed, and found an abundant array of colorful tropical fish in and around the coral caves.

Eventually, it was time to pack it up for the day, and we hauled the outboard onto the pushpit, and then Korykory by the spinnaker halyard onto the foredeck. Once all was neat and orderly, we settled for happy hour and a game of cribbage while we watched the setting sun. Tomorrow we head back around the northern end of Long Island, to anchor overnight in Calabash Bay, and eventually find ourselves back in Thompson Bay, near the mid-coast. Thompson Bay is where we arranged to pick up our “land friends” Tom and Sue in a couple days.

Unrelated Random Moments aboard:

“How does this happen!?” Kelly says with frustration. 

“What are you talking about?” I respond with mild concern.

“That the sun is always in my face - whatever way I turn.”

(Prior to answering I recollect youthful days past when sitting by a campfire, announcing a similar comment about the smoke being always in my face.)

“Blame it on the wind,” I say, in both cases. Instead of steering the smoke, the breeze now steers Fayaway’s bow. 

---

Back to Long Island, Take 3

Land-based friends Tom and Suzanne arrived via taxi on a breezy late-morning flight. I arrived early to the fisherman’s dock, making more of my time: A chance to make more friendly acquaintances with other cruisers, and watching several large nurse sharks and rays gobbling fish carcasses, as overseen from above in the dock. So easy to see them in the crystalline water!

Back to Dean’s Blue Hole.

Gordon’s Beach.

Lastly: Shrimp Cave

After our day of gallivanting we settled in for happy hour, a spiny lobster dinner, and some homemade ukulele music. We knew tomorrow a strong westerly wind would steal any plans for comfortable snorkeling. So, we spent our last day tucked in, reading and chatting of times past, present and future, watching the chop on a gorgeous turquoise bay.

Before we knew it, our friends were ready to depart.

The next window for heading west toward Georgetown, Exumas left us one quiet day to kill. The next morning we dinghied across the bay for lunch at Tiny’s. However, Tiny’s cook was “out to lunch” that day. So we simply enjoyed a frosty beverage and chatted with a couple vacationing from New York.

According to the No Foreign Land app, we found a cave, just a short walk away…

One more quiet evening and then off to the hustle and bustle of cruising Mecca of Georgetown.