An eight-hour sail from Nassau to the northernmost islands of the Exumas, we left just after sunrise on New Year’s Eve and arrived at Allan’s Cay in the late afternoon. It was another beautiful sail with fair winds. We anchored in a protected spot just east of little Leaf Cay and settled in for the night. I had brought along Chinese lanterns with the thought of sending them off with wishes for a happy and prosperous 2024. The instructions were clear: release the lantern in calm air. The wind was a gentle 7 knots so we figured, “calm enough!” We lit the lantern and sent it soaring — only it didn’t, and our lovely glowing white paper balloon gently landed on the water and extinguished itself. We’ll try again another day and trust that the lesson for 2024 is about persistence and not giving up in the face of disappointment. Sending love out into the world may seem to fall flat but it is always worth repeating the effort.
Small luxury to welcome the new year. Eggs Bagatelle?
We woke on New Year’s Day to a glorious sunrise and balmy weather. After a breakfast of Eggs Benedict with Lox and Capers (a bit challenging to make in our tiny galley but well worth the effort) we took the dinghy ashore to enjoy our first beach walk of the Bahamas. We were greeted there by dozens of the famed Allan Cay Rock Iguanas looking for the usual tourist handouts of lettuce. We had brought none but these prehistoric-looking creatures were clearly comfortable with our presence so it was fairly easy to get close enough to capture their beautiful textures and colors on camera. We later learned that this rare iguana is found naturally on only three islands worldwide, all in the Bahamas, and has only two known breeding populations. Walking back to our dinghy, we met the only other people on the island who had also come ashore to enjoy the iguanas: a couple from the States with whom we became cruising friends as we hopped along the Exumas. Meredith and Stuart aboard Simpatico. This was the beginning of what has become a wonderful sailing network that has been growing steadily as we make our way south.
Allan’s Cay Rock Iguana