Exploring Munjack Cay

Munjack Cay...Nunjack, Manjack? Yes there is a little controversy over what the real name of this Cay is. Depending on the guide or chart you are using one of the 3 names may be used. We think most of the locals call it Munjack, so thats what we will use.  Munjack Cay epitomizes everything we think of when we dream of escaping northern winters for warm tropical places. As we walked the beaches and our feet sunk well into the soft sand, we could not help but think back to the snow we were surely avoiding up north. Instead of walking a dog through icy snow covered sidewalks, we were being followed by Stingrays as we walked the foamy edge of where ocean meets the sand.
We had been on the move quite a bit, and wanted a place we could stay put and explore for a while. Munjack provided that space, and quickly became one of our favorite stops in the Abacos. With plenty of anchorages, room for lots of boats, and a ton of things to explore and do, this is a popular place.  It is just north of Green Turtle Cay, so when strong winds come out of the west or we needed to provision, its was a quick jaunt to GTC.  

Anchorages

There are three anchorages to choose from, and all have a lot of room, so running out of space is not a concern. The North Anchorage is probably the least used. Conditions on the ocean have to be favourable to make this a comfortable stop. The Western anchorages are a ctruisers best options.

Things To Do

There really is a lot to enjoy here, and most of which you will want to do more than once. Long walks on oceanside beaches that are miles long, hang with the stingrays and nurse sharks, kayak or dinghy through the mangrove creeks while spotting countless Sea Turtles, and diving the shallow wrecks that create a haven for some beautiful looking creatures.

Munjack has left the fondest of memories with us; The many conch blowing sunsets, the moonlit glowing beaches, the sharks and turtles swimming by the boat, the fresh ocean breezes, and the laughter of other cruisers in the anchorages enjoying themselves to the fullest. Munjack Cay is certainly a place to return. 

If you have any questions on the video or other things about Munjack Cay, or things we should have done and missed out on,  please feel free to comment on YouTube or in the comments below. If you have been to Munjack Cay, we would love to hear what your favourite adventure was there. We look forward hearing from all of you!

Allans-Pensacola Cay

If you are looking for something a little more remote than the southern part of the Abacos, then the islands to the north, including Allans-Pesacola Cay will give you that secluded feel.  This Cay has it all, a very protected anchorage, long secluded beaches, sea-life in abundance, and even some other small Cays close by to explore in the dinghy.  It is a great stop when traveling to and from Green Turtle Cay, or to just leave the Green Turtle area and go there and back for a few days. 

Anchorages

There is one main anchorage on the south west side of the Cay. Plenty of room so you don't need to worry about getting there and no space available. Here, and in the Bahamas in general, you should look for a sandy patch in the sea grass. Down here, these are called sandboxes. Your anchor will hold much better, not having to cut through the grass, and also will dig deep into the sand. Don't be afraid to back down on your anchor to make sure it is set. People dive on their anchor or break out the "looking bucket" as well to make sure it is buried. Stay to the end of the video above for a look through a looking bucket. Most of the time this main anchorage will be fine, but when the wind kicks up from the west then things can get a little rough in the bay. At that time it may be wise to head to Green Turtle Cay, or if there are not too many boats, head to the hurricane hole to the south east side of the island. We didn't use it but its good to know it is there. 

Things To Do

With its many surrounding islands and private beaches, there is a lot to do here, and one could stay here for a while and not run out of things. We even know people who spend the winter primarily at this Cay. You can fill your days with fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, shelling, snorkelling, and just general exploration.

We stopped at Allans-Pensacola twice on our trip through the Abacos. In our opinion it is mandatory anchoring for any Bahamas cruiser.

If you have any questions on the video or other things about Allans-Pensacola Cay, or things we should have done and we missed,  please feel free to comment on YouTube or in the comments below. If you have been to Allans-Pensacola Cay, we would love to hear what your favourite adventure was in there. We look forward hearing from all of you!  Cheers! 

Feeding the Abaco Swimming Pigs

The Abaco swimming pigs, the lesser known cousins of the Swimming Pigs of the Exumas. And these days a little less in the press due to the pig tragedy in the Exumas. More on that in a moment.

In the Abacos, you can feed, and swim (if you can get over the pig poo in the water), with the pigs of No Name Cay. This Cay is just south east of Green Turtle Cay. Tourists come from all over the Abacos to see them. It is touted as one of the top 10 things to do when you visit the Abacos. We agree, it should be on your list.

So how did the Pigs get there? Good question. As the story goes, there was a shipwreck and the pigs swam ashore. Really? We sort of find this hard to believe. We are kinda leaning toward someone putting them there on purpose for tourists. We don't know for sure, so we will go with the shipwreck story. 

We are extreme animal lovers. So much so that we are primarily vegans (4 years running now). So a chance to go and feed some wild animals running free on a small tropical island is kinda up our ally, especially for Cyndi. The pigs are friendly enough, though they can nip you, as Cyndi found out. When we visited, there were piglets as well, that was icing on the cake. 

We were torn through. We don't approve of using animals for our amusement, like in zoos or the circus, and this seemed like it was borderline. We wouldn't mind so much if we knew everyone would treat these pigs with respect, but we know that doesn't happen in the real world. This leads us to the Exuma pigs. During this time, there was a lot of coverage of the deaths of seven of the swimming pigs of the Exumas. It was later reported that the pigs died from possible alcohol poisoning due to people feeding them booze. If this is actually the case, its not funny at all, it is down right cruel. If you are that sort of person that would do that to an animal, then please cross visiting the pigs off of your Bahamas bucket list. Seriously, pigs are very intelligent, sentient animals, feeling pain not unlike we do. No doubt these pigs suffered before they died. All for a few laughs of a group of people having nothing better to do than to get some pigs drunk. 

Anyway, back to some fun. If you are the type of animal loving person that has respect for these animals, can bring some decent food for them, and be gentle, please go and visit the Abaco Swimming Pigs on No Name Cay. You will have fun, we certainly did, as you can see in this YouTube episode.

Green Turtle Cay

Green Turtle Cay, when the name rings in your ears, you immediately want to go there to explore its wonderful hidden treasures, and that warm fuzzy feeling you have for the name, is solidified when you step on its shores. It is a tourist village, but not a tourist trap. The places, and of course the people are authentic, there is no put-on or showiness for the tourists. The people are also the laid-back, kind, and lovable bohemian types. This makes Green Turtle Cay one of the top destinations in the Abacos for cruisers. 

Green Turtle Cay from a boaters perspective is split into two areas, Black Sound and White Sound. Black Sound is south and is closer to the lovely town of New Plymouth.  White Sound is north and is closer to the resorts. Both nice places to have your boat. There are marinas in both Sounds, with moorings available as well. 

Anchorages

If you want to forego the dockage or moorings at a marina, there are still plenty of places to anchor. The worst one being Black Sound; There really is no room in Black Sound to anchor, we have seen a boat or two anchored in the south end of the bay, but the room is not really there to be confident if the weather should turn sour. The saving grace is just outside of Black Sound, directly in front of New Plymouth, is a great anchorage for a ton of boats if the wind is out of the east to south. White Sound has room just east of the moorings for 4-5 boats with decent swing room. We rode out one or two moderate blows in White Sound.  There is also a number of what looks like decent anchorages to the north of Green Turtle Cay, we did not try them as we wanted closer access to town, but if the other anchorages were full, we wouldn’t of hesitated to set our hook in their sandy bottoms. 

Things To Do

The Abacos is protected by a great barrier reef to the north and east. These are shallow water reefs that are fairly easy to access. We say fairly easy because we never did get to dive the outer reefs. The winter winds kept the Atlantic Ocean crashing on the reefs most of the time we were there. If you don't want to attempt diving these yourself, Brendal's Dive Centre in Green Turtle can take you out there to enjoy the reef safely. We did find a small reef off a beach on the east side of Green Turtle Cay that was easily accessable from the beach or with a dingy. It had some protection from an outcrop of rocks so snorkelling here is possible even if there are fairly strong North Easterly winds. 

If you have been following us for any length of time on Instagram and Facebook, you will know that Cyndi loves shelling. Its a treasure hunt for her and a day is not complete unless we hit a beach to look for the gems on its shores. Green Turtle has a few places to do this, so you can check out the shells daily that have come ashore in the waves and tide cycles.

For eating out and socializing there are no shortage of great establishments in Green Turtle Cay. While in Black Sound you can take in the many restaurants and watering holes in New Plymouth, with the special place for us being Pineapples, just next to The Other Shore Club and Marina. In Black Sound, Green Turtle Club and The Bluff House are the happening places. Don't be surprised if you happen to be in either Pineapples, Green Turtle Club, or The Bluff House, and you hear The Gully Roosters and/or Kevin McIntosh playing live bohemian music for all to enjoy. If you do see Kevin, make sure to say hi to him and tell him, the crew of the C-Shel and Living on the Edge sent you.

Green Turtle Cay not only is a destination in its own right, but what makes it a great place to explore is the fact that just north of it is an amazing island of Manjack Cay (aka Nun Jack Cay), and to the south is No Name Cay, where the Abaco Pigs are located. In the next episode of Searching for C-Shels, we will be feeding the pigs on No Name Cay.

If you have any questions on the video or other things about Green Turtle Cay, or things we should have done and we missed,  please feel free to comment on YouTube or in the comments below. If you have been to Green Turtle Cay, we would love to hear what your favourite adventure was in there. We look forward hearing from all of you!  Cheers! 

Bahamas Bound - The Crossing

Excited was an understatement. We were elated, euphoric, ecstatic? Maybe words cannot describe how we felt to be crossing the Gulf Stream into the Bahamas to begin our winter in paradise. 

After an unexpected breezy night at anchor just south of our departure point, Lake Worth Inlet, we had some doubts if we should leave. We were not sure if the Gulf Stream would die down in that wind. However, almost everyone who was heading to the Bahamas, left that morning. Even some well respected weather services said this was the day to go. So we did. 

Our route was to take us out of Lake Worth Inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. Hit the Gulf Stream about 10 miles offshore which would push at our starboard beam with a 4 knot current. We set our compass for the West End of the Bahamas, so the current wouldn't carry us north of Memory Rock. We wanted to cross the Bahama Bank south of Memory Rock and then keep on to anchor at Mangrove Cay.

Our planned route across the Gulf Stream and into the Bahamas

Watch the video below for an explanation of our weather window, and what happens when we make the attempt to cross to the Bahamas.