great harbour cay, the berry islands

​On the way to Great Harbour Cay, we put out the handlines and the fishing began!  Our first fish was our biggest – a  fairly large king mackerel.  The next fish we caught were a cero mackerel (released), a big barracuda (fortunately it threw the hook once we gave it line before we had to reach into its mouth), an Atlantic bonito (kept), and another, smaller barracuda (also threw the hook while trying to figure out how to release it without getting bitten).  After the second barracuda and 3 gallon bags of fillets, we didn’t want to catch another one, so we brought in the lines.  The rest of the trip was uneventful other than the local fishing boat playing chicken with us and not responding to our calls on the VHF.  By late afternoon, we were tied up at Great Harbour Cay Marina.

Sunrise over the Great Bahama Bank as we begin our trip across to the Berry Islands

During our three days on Great Harbour Cay, we met fellow cruisers and traded boat cards, participated in social events sponsored by the marina, enjoyed a few beach excursions, cleaned the deck, got the water out of the bilges (figured out one source, and are still troubleshooting the other(s), topped off the diesel tanks, were visited by Georgie, one of the resident manatees (we got a good look because it took her about 15 minutes to pass by our boat), and took our dinghy through a mangrove-lined creek across the cay to a beach known for its shells. By this time, we’d learned that the Bahamians are known for their delicious fresh-baked bread so when a marina employee came to us with a bread sign-up sheet, we were ready!  We ordered three loaves: wheat, coconut, and banana.  When delivered, they did not disappoint...and they did not last long.

Before-school beach visit. In the background are Petit Cay and Hawksnest Cay

Beach on Great Harbour Cay

Leaving Great Harbour Cay