Exumas Finale

Exumas Finale

Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th April, 2025

We were fortunate to have light winds whilst we were at Warderick Wells, because it gave us snorkeling opportunities that might not have been possible under windier conditions. As we moved up to Hawksbill Cay and Shroud Cay, the weather changed and we had strong easterly winds for the following three days. We were perfectly comfortable moored (Hawksbill Cay) or anchored (Shroud Cay) on the west side, with very little chop or surge.

Both Islands are part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, and have beautiful sandy beaches on all sides. The islands themselves are low lying with hills comprised of ultra-sharp rocks, along with low lying tidal lagoons in the center. On Hawksbill Cay we hiked across the island to the Exuma Sound (east) coast, which looked amazing, but scary with the winds blowing onshore at 20-25 knots. At Shroud Cay we took the dinghy up a tidal creek, through the central lagoon and across the far side of the island. We had done a similar trip in 2018 whilst cruising with our friends Lyn and Lee, but on this occasion I think the light was better and the scenery seemed even more dramatic. We timed this trip to the top two hours of the tide, and even so had to be careful to pick our route through the deepest water.

We have had a fabulous time in the Exumas, but it’s time to move on. We are starting to get low on provisions and in any event we need to make tracks to get back to Rhode Island by early June. We had planned to go north to the Abacos and from there on to Florida, but persistent north-easterly winds along with residual swells from the past few days of strong winds, have made the first part of this route less than attractive. So we have made the decision to head north-west towards Nassau - the Berry Islands - West End (near Freeport) and then on to Florida.

It seems fitting after such a great time in the Exumas that we should finish up with a ‘green flash’ sunset. We had heard of this phenomena decades ago, but hadn’t seen it, and frankly were skeptical that it was real. However, in the last six months I think we have seen it 3 or 4 times. Below I show a couple of photos that I think prove that it is real. In fact when we worked at Framingham State University there was a poster on the wall explaining how it comes about. My understanding is that that as the sun drops below the horizon the light gets bent around the curve of the atmosphere of the earth. Different wavelengths get refracted to a different extent  (just like a rainbow) and what you see is the green part of the spectrum. Honestly, the size and intensity of the ‘flash’ is pretty small … but I do think it’s real !

Mike

Looking south along the 'banks' (west) side of Hawksbill Cay

A stunning beach on the Exuma Sound (east) side of Hawksbill Cay

A small nurse shark in the shallow lagoon inside Hawksbill Cay

Taking the dinghy up the creek and lagoon that crosses the middle of Shroud Cay

The water colors are amazing

At the first (of two stops) on the Exuma Bank side we were impressed by the surf rolling in

The second stop must be somewhat protected and it was "gobsmackingly" beautiful

Gloria is paradise

Another dinghy from a superyacht had dropped clients at this location and are about to head back across the creek and lagoon

Three sequential shots at sunset showing the evolution of the 'green flash'. Note: these photos were all taken with the same 340 mm lens and are exactly to scale - the flash is tiny relative to the size of the sun!

Here is the third shot again, cropped a little tighter, and shows the 'green flash' more convincingly (perhaps!)