Seclusion in paradise!

Secluded, private and undisturbed...that is our island for the night! We cruised from Highborne Cay north through the shallows north of Ship Channel Cay through the Middle Grounds and decided that we would bypass Nassau. The anchorages in Nassau are marginal and the marinas expensive (in our opinion) so with the settled conditions, we thought we'd anchor off one of the smaller islands to the east, off Rose Island. The cruising guide noted that there are many good day anchorages on the north side "for boats that can pick their way through the coral reefs". We found paradise! (As opposed to Paradise Island.) Aside from a large steel fishing boat aground, perhaps washed ashore during a storm, and clearly abandoned, it looked like no one had ever been here. And...we reveled in it!

The abandoned trawler aground on the beach to the east

First order of business as always, was to dive on the anchor to make sure it was set. We were in a long sandy strip in about 25' of water, and the anchor was indeed set securely, although it looked as if the anchor dragged through some darker sand before setting. Upon inspection, it almost looked like burnt -- or shipwrecked and extremely waterlogged -- wood! Hmmm....perhaps we found an old sunken pirate ship? (Not telling you the coordinates, just in case!) We swam ashore from the boat, using our snorkels and fins, roving over reefs and coral heads, to land on our own piece of paradise: a long stretch of the most gorgeous sculpted white sand beach, abutted with layers of rocky shale, stones and sand sculptures that hung along and under the sheer cliffs of the rocky shoreline. I'm sorry I didn't bring my camera to capture its beauty....it was stunning. 


The sand was hard-packed but still soft beneath our feet as we walked the long length of the beach. Only huge rocks worn smooth from the waves, peppered with odd flotsam and jetsam washed up from the sea, were our company. Aside from assorted plastic bits (the sea glass of the 22^nd century, unfortunately), all we found were a few plastic water bottles to a pair of bleached out rubber soles from running shoes, to thick lengths of boat line of all sizes, there wasn’t much that noted human intervention here. There were far more shells and sea grass at the high tide water mark; I found only 4 pieces of sand-softened dark green sea glass.

Blazing sun...glorious!

The sun was white hot, the water crisp blue and temperate on our toes. We held hands as we walked down the beach, wondering who might have settled here, and for what purpose. Who might live here now? No one that we could see, as there weren't signs of anyone anywhere – seems like most folk were at New Providence, just one island to the west, with its big city of Nassau! The sun reflecting off the sand was so bright it hurt my eyes…with my mask and fins, I hadn't thought to bring my sunglasses. But how gorgeous it was to be there, our own island, and how I soaked it in...and what a treasure to share with Ron! Ah....need I say it? Love cruising!