Bahamas Sailing Paradise – Grand Cay & Double Breasted

Nikki Wynn

Dec 11, 2016 — 6 min read

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.

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.

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.

Sailing Report

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

Anchorage: 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.

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