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LONELYWATERS

The Jumentos Are the Nicest Bahamian Islands Hardly Anyone Visits

Largely uninhabited, the cruising crowds around the Jumentos tend to look a lot like this. A travesty for such beautiful scenery.

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The Jumentos Are the Nicest Bahamian Islands Hardly Anyone Visits

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHYBY SHARON KIRCHNER The Jumentos is a

remote Bahamian island chainthat terminates at Ragged and Little Ragged islands less than 70 miles from the North Coast of Cuba. This 72 nm archipelago with just one settlement is perfect for cruisers wishing to get off the beaten track and experience some unspoiled scenery. But the view comes with a cost. The islands are prone to heavy seas in strong winds, even on the banks, and strong currents in the cuts make for tricky anchoring. Cruisers need to be aware of their surroundings and be able to move quickly to seek shelter from the variety of wind conditions. Because of this, the Jumentos and Ragged Islands harbor an old reputation of being only for the truly adventurous. However, as more and more cruisers poke their way down, the secret is spreading—this is a truly magical place.

We have been cruising the Bahamas during the winter months on our 34-foot American Tug since 2008, and have made the trip south to the Ragged Islands all but one season. The peace, quiet and beauty of these islands are the big draw for us. Our trips usually start from Georgetown, Exuma, one of the larger settlements in the Bahamas, and a winter gathering place for U.S. and Canadian cruisers. Georgetown is a great place to stock up on provisions before heading out; a necessary step because most of the Jumentos are uninhabited.

Depending on the draft of your boat, there are a couple routes. At a draft of 31/2 feet, our Tug lets us take advantage of the Hog Cay Cut, a narrow and very shallow passage between Little Exuma Island and Hog Cay, which saves us two to three hours. Even with the Tug’s shallow draft, we only make this passage during high tide, but that’s not to say that we don’t hold our breath in a couple spots. The other option is to follow the very good and trustworthy waypoints in the Explorer Chartbook. This route may prove to be

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too long for some boats to make in a single passage, and their crews may decide to spend the night in Salt Pond, Long Island, and then get an early start the next day.

SEA BEAN MOTHER LODE The Jumentos form an arc that begins about 15 miles south of Little Exuma Island, where the Exumas end. Although there are many small islands along the way, most Jumentos cruisers choose to spend their first night at either Water Cay or Flamingo Cay. Most of these islands do not offer much in the way of protection against the cold fronts that occur during the winter months, so the anchorages may be uncomfortable. With this in mind we usually choose to make a beeline down to Buena Vista Cay, where we find ample protection in most weather conditions. The additional distance can make for a very long day but it’s well worth the effort.

Smart visitors to the area keep a constant eye on the sky. Many are equipped with satellite phones or single-sideband radios to keep up with weather, but we find that internet reception using the local cellphone towers is getting much better these days. This year, there were only a few anchorages where we could not get reception. I guess this is good or bad, trying to “get away from it all” isn’t quite the same when you are sending and receiving emails while at anchor.

One of the draws for us is the fabulous beachcombing. At every anchorage, we try to find the paths to the ocean side of the islands. This is getting easier too, as many of the cruisers before us like to pick up debris from the beaches and mark the trails to the other side. Because these beaches are facing a wide-open Atlantic Ocean, tons of debris from who knows where land on the shores. When we first saw this, we were saddened, but as we

Top Row: Double Breasted Cay is a shallow but worthy anchorage. Many like the area for its ideal kitesurfing conditions.

Bottom Row: The untouched beaches are a blast to explore, and the beachcombing throughout the Jumentos is hard to beat.

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walked through the mess, we realized it added a fun treasure hunt element to our exploring. I am always looking for shells, seaglass, and the little round or heart-shaped beans called sea beans that wash onto shore from distant lowland forests. Sea beans come from pods on a vine, and are carried by currents from Africa, Central and South America, as well as other far-off places. They can be polished with sand paper, and many people use them in jewelry making. When we first started

cruising the Bahamas, we had heard about them, but never had come across any. The Jumentos have proven to be the hidden vault in the hunt for sea beans.

One of my favorite beachcombing finds was a message in a bottle with the author’s email. The bottle had been dropped into the ocean by the captain of a cargo ship heading from Greece to Boston two years before and traveled over 900 miles to the islands.

HIDDEN GEMSThe Waterway Guide lists nine anchorages between Buena Vista Cay and the Ragged Islands. One of our favorite stops is Double Breasted Cay, one of the best all-around anchorages

in the area. Double Breasted Cay is shallow, and to get the best protection you need to be able to squeeze in close to shore in bad weather. Although it can get rolly in a clocking front, we have found it to be one of the best all-around anchorages in the area. The bay is beautiful, and we found a great spot for kitesurfing just a short dingy ride away.

Another bonus to getting off the main cruising track, is the fantastic fishing. We speared hogfish and gathered conch during our cruise. Although conch is a little hard to clean, it makes a delicious salad, or pounded and fried, the traditional Bahamian dish known as cracked conch. Lobsters are also abundant, and can be caught from August through March.

You do have to deal with your garbage while in the Out Islands. Food scrapes can go overboard which makes the fish happy. We save our cans and bottles until we find a trash can, but the rest we usually take to the beach, dig a hole, and burn it.

The Hog Cay anchorage is by far the most popular. It is a wide-open bay, with quite a few anchoring spots. It is mostly protected from prevailing winds, but in strong winds from the south, or especially the west, it does get quite bumpy. We are always surprised by how so many boats decide to ride it out. Hog Cay has much to love, including a great variety of wonderful hikes.

PROOF OF LIFEDuncan Town is one of the few inhabited islands and the only settlement. Just a few miles from Hog Cay, here you can get grocery staples at the local store owned by Maxine, who will also help you find an open restaurant. Cruisers who stay here months at a time can also order supplies to be brought down by the mail/supply boat, which comes once a week.

Walking around town is a history lesson. Originally the settlement had a prosperous salt industry (at it’s peak in the 1930s). You can still see the salt ponds in the areas below the town. The population in 2000 was only 72 people, even fewer now. Due to the lack of adequate educational facilities, there has been a gradual emigration of people from here to the more populous islands, such as Nassau, Exumas and Eleuthera. Some days it almost feels like a ghost town. There is quite an assortment of interesting homes to see, some deserted. One home we found had goat skins hanging on every available railing, and another is now a glorified pigeon coop. Every Valentines Day, and what is now a tradition, Maxine has a huge beach party for the transient cruisers. She cooks a feast for everyone in the anchorage. Even many of the locals who have moved away from the area come back for this fantastic party. This past year Maxine cooked a wonderful meal of fresh turkey, ribs, goat stew, macaroni and cheese, and the national side dish, peas and rice.

After the meal, there is an auction, where the cruisers go through their boats and purge anything they don’t need or want. Some even bring things especially for this event. Proceeds from the auction, a large portion of which goes to the struggling school, benefit Duncan Town directly. Often, when a cruiser bids against a local and wins, the cruiser pays for the item and then gives it to the local.

And so, if you would like to experience a wonderful, yet not often visited, cruising ground, make the effort to get to the Jumentos and Ragged Islands. You will be rewarded with magical memories.

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