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drone shots of sv curiosity

Bahamas Sailing Paradise – Grand Cay & Double Breasted

Now that we’ve cleared customs and are free to roam about, we’re anxious to start exploring. Our friends of S/V Latitude Adjustment already had the perfect spot in mind. They warned us it was a tricky entrance but at the same time assured us it would be worth the challenge. We pick up our anchors from our ‘rolly’ spot at at Felix Cay North and head south.

This is exactly what I imagined sailing life to look like.  Picture perfect tiny islands with sugary white sands and water so clear I want to stick a straw in it.

It looks like a movie scene out of a James Bond film and I find myself having a hard time believing its real.  I look around and blink hard, thinking that when I open my eyes it will be gone and I will be somewhere else.  Somewhere less exotic.

It’s these moments of sheer beauty overload that make me thankful we have a camera, because there is simply no way I could put what I see into words.

Double Breasted

Talk about setting the bar high. It’s only the beginning of our sailing adventures and it almost seems wrong to be rewarded with such a heavenly anchorage so soon. It’s so beautiful it’s ridiculous. The crazy thing is, Double Breasted isn’t some super secret spot, even though it totally feels like it. The anchroage is clearly marked on our charts and praised as a good place to drop the hook on Active Captain.

I am sure all the salty sailors were laughing at our newbie reactions to our first tricky anchorage. Each new experience, especially the ones that put our skills to the test, are the most exciting part about learning how to sail and live this lifestyle.

That said, it is a tricky anchorage and I’m not so sure we would have attempted to go all the way in if our friends hadn’t encouraged us to (thanks S/V Latitude!). It is a narrow anchorage and the currents are strong here. Our Mantus anchor held like a champ and we only let out 40ft of scope with a 5:1 ratio (there’s just not room for any more). Our friends on the other hand, had to use two anchors (Bahamian Moor) after nearly dragging onto the sand the first night (scary and thank goodness it was the sand on the outgoing tide and not the rocks on an incoming tide).  They were all good the second night with the two anchors.

drone shot s/v curiosity

Bahamas beach combing

cruising Abaco bahamas

sand bar at double breasted

love the sugar scoop on a sailboat

Bahamian sunsets

Bring Your Wet Suit

It’s hard to remember that it’s winter here in our tropical surroundings. The water is much colder than I anticipated. We were snorkeling for about 20 min before our lips were blue and teeth were chattering. In the late spring or summer when the outside temps are warmer, I am sure this isn’t an issue. But right now, the temps are in the 70’s so it takes a little while to warm up after being in the water, especially when the wind is whipping like it’s been the past few days.

jason wynn snorkeling bahamas

Grand Cay

This one mile long fishing community isn’t much of a tourist destination and won’t likely show up in any travel magazines. Which is probably why we liked it so much.

The streets aren’t lined with cafes or trinket shops and there is only restaurant/bar in town. I think that’s why we liked it so much. It felt real and the people were genuinely happy to have visitors. They encouraged us to walk around, chat with people and ask questions. They know their little town is a curiosity to visitors and some people are almost uncomfortably welcoming. It worked, we almost didn’t want to leave.

Just outside of Grand Cay there are plenty of little islands to explore and sandy beaches to lounge out on.  What is really unique is the decommissioned oil rig just outside of town (or at least that’s what it looks like).  It seems crazy to let this expensive piece of machinery sit there rusting to pieces.  It made for quite the little dinghy adventure.

marina at grand cay bahamas

conch shells grand cay bahamas

beautiful bahamas beach

old washed up wreck

sunset at anchor in bahamas

cruising the bahamas

Sailing Report

To see our full map with interactive pins, click here: gonewiththewynns.com/map

Bahamas sailing mapAnchorage: Double Breasted and Just outside of Grand Cay
Nautical Miles Sailed: 10
Date: November 6-9, 2016

Food, Supplies, Provisioning

When we asked about food at Rosie’s we were given two choices: Conch or Chicken. We split one order of conch, each had one beer and our total was $19 with tip.  The conch was well prepared and everything together was rich but tasty.

There were no fresh fruits or vegetables at the store. It was a limited supply and selection. We provisioned well in Ft. Lauderdale, and considering this is our first stop, we weren’t in need of anything yet.

Bar at Grand Cay Bahamas

rosies on grand cay

Wifi Woes

Many of you are like us and need connectivity for work. These wifi updates are for you and anyone else who needs to stay connected while sailing. We’d been warned by many cruisers that the Wifi in the Bahamas isn’t great and they are 100% correct. The local BTC service is much better but was cutting in and out for us here in Grand. At the BTC store they said its because of the hurricane damage to towers in Grand Bahama and hopefully will be repaired sometime soon. We did notice that our booster helped and gave our speeds a boost, especially when we were anchored further away.  See our booster here: gonewiththewynns.com/product/weboost-4g-booster-kit 

Gear You May Have Noticed

Cameras Used to Capture This Adventure:

Hello there! I honestly don’t know what to say, so I am going to tell you a bunch of random facts instead. I'm a fish eating vegetarian who hates spiders and loves snakes. I almost never took vacations growing up. I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking (still do). I misspell about every other word I write and still struggle with grammar. I love splurging on a good high tea (which is really hard to find these days). And whatever you do, don’t tell me I can’t do something, because then I'll HAVE to do it!

Comments (23)

  • As always – great video. While it may be contrary to our high tech morals, or maybe we just forget there are other options. Couldn’t you just burn the video to DVD and snail mail it to someone stateside to upload? Might not be quite a timely, but sure would save you a lot of time, cost, and frustration. Can’t imagine internet access is going to get better as you continue travelling to other more remote parts of the world. Then save your WIFI data for the short replies, facebook updates, and researching your next adventures. Just a Thought.

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  • Richard M Shannon

    Nikki, you look absolutely beautiful under water in that red suit.
    Jason, you look to be…a lucky man ;-).

    Now to my real question, do you worry about modern day pirates or thiefs? Out in the middle of nowhere being invaded, there’s not many places to hide. Is this something that concerns you? Ps: My wife and I once met you 2 at the Pasadena motor home show maybe 3 years or more back.we’re finally getting ready to pull the trigger on a Allegro open road 31sa. We (w 3 kids & a 93 yo dad) obviously don’t move as fast as you do. Thanks for listening, hopefully you’ll have a chance to reply on the subject of security.

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  • For you next Q&A: Jason, as a video producer, do you have any difficulty editing your own videos? It would seem to me that I would fight a sense of vanity while editing my own episodes. Just wondering. You do a fine job. Your show is interesting. It is the only thing I support on Patreon, if that is an indication as to what I think of your work.

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  • Chris

    Hey, my Barber never kisses me!

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  • Jan

    How long are you planning to sail the Caribbean seas?
    I’m glad you are having fun times!
    We plan on being in your neck of the woods in March.

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  • Luc

    You should have tried that italian liquor. It is sambuca. It is anis-flavoured and tastes like licorice. You usually take it in a shooter glass with three coffee beans. And the you ignite the whole thing to toast the coffee beans just before drinking. Be careful, your glass can still be hot. Tchin!

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  • Manson & Cindy - Cat's Meow

    Great shots from the drone!

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  • Nancy Fernandez

    Thanks for the tour. Scary currents but Beautiful waters.

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  • Mark Beresford

    I frankly prefer the sound of a winter in the Bahamas to one here in Britain…but hey ho …What are you plans for Christmas???

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  • Suzie Towns

    oh, I get it now!! THIS video showed clearly why you are doing what you are doing!! Breathless!!

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  • Jonathan Davis

    So how do we apply to be first mates on the boat for a week?

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  • Aurora

    As always great video.now that I’ve seen Jason’s haircut, how about you show us how you do yours!

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  • Deborah Kerr

    Nikki is a good driver of RV’s and sailboats too!! That was a pretty neat visit to that little island. Thank you for sharing info, like their grocery supplies, prices, friendly people, etc. I feel like I was there too, without the sun, of course, it’s SNOWING in Ohio. So your turquoise water, blue sky adventure is AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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  • Pam McClure

    I never have much new to say but I love watching and reading about your adventures. I was watching a show on PBS about Tahiti and other islands and thought of you all. I hope you make it there at some point. Thanks for all you do! Pam

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  • Selena and JR

    You both are an inspiration to us. Hubby is retired navy special forces and has seen the world, dived many exotic places and now wants to travel the US by RV. We started with your RV adventures and enjoy your current sailing experiences. You are great friends with a wanderlust heart. We applaud your sense of adventure and continue to follow with great enthusiasm.

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  • Michael

    You wrote “40ft of scope with a 5:1 ratio”. Did you mean 40ft of rode and a scope ratio of 5:1? I’m trying to learn this stuff and something doesn’t sound right. Its probably just me. 😉

    Anyway, that sleepy Grand Cay looked like a place to be really lazy and enjoy the sun. Thanks for that.

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  • Jeffrey Auch

    Great pictures. Stay safe and keep sending those beautiful pictures. Happy Holidays to you both and the kitties.

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  • Harold "George" hofmann Jr

    Thank you for an update. I’m certain I’m not the only one enthusiastic about following your travels. Good job.

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  • Connie

    Having some trouble posting on Patron, just wanted you to know I’m still here watching your every move and hair cut ?❤ I’ll figure it out….do I say Keys or cay anyways the water/sunset are sooooo amazing, mouth wide open….sailing life yes yes yes, it really suits you both, no kidding, I’m super excited when I see the P pop up?…interesting to see what’s going on, even the oh no close my eyes moment…I want to say thanks again for going the distance, no pun intended ? to get the videos up…..Hope you have a great week!!

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  • Rob

    Re: Sat Com. & uploads
    Did you look into the Iridium Go Marine Package with unlimited data for $125/month, or would you not utilize a package of that size?

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  • Brian

    Looks like Paradise !!

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  • Jon

    Would Google’s Project Fi not be suitable for you? Using their SIM card, data in pretty much any country is $10 per gb. Would save having to find (or top up) different SIM cards as you travel.

    I don’t think there is a limit on international roaming, I don’t know the exact t&c though as its only my US colleagues that have it. You intially have to get it with a particular handset, but then can get a data sim for any device.

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  • Your videos are nice. I like seeing all the places you go.

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