Hi Wayne,
We made a few trips to the Exumas from our home base in Islamorada, about 40
miles up the Keys from Marathon. We sometimes left from Alligator Creek, and on
one occasion from 5 mile bridge at the south end of Marathon. Our draft was only
about 4 feet. Your best bet is to get a copy of the Bahamas Guide, which lays out
all the routes and is almost a necessity for cruising those waters. The most comfortable
crossing would be to go for Gun Cay or Bimini. If you have never crossed the Gulf Stream,
be sure to do so on a SE, S, or SW wind. Since the winds
clock around clockwise rather quickly, the window is usually just a couple of days, or
less. If you try for Andros, you will be fighting the current. From Gun Cay you set a
course for the south side of the Berries and from there to Nassau. From Nassau, you
will have to cross the Yellow Bank, which is deep enough except for coral heads that
can be only 3 1/2 feet deep. It is not dangerous if you cross with a high sun where you
can spot the heads in enough time to avoid them. You may also want to cross at high
tide to give you an extra bit of protection. That will take you to the northern part of the
Exumas and you can work your way down the chain. The west end is deep ocean but
there are numerous cuts to get to anchorage's. These can be hard to find and navigate,
so put your GPS to good use. I did my cruising without a GPS and on one occasion
could not find the harbor at Hawksbill and rode out an uncomfortable night on the banks.
The Exumas are a great place for cruising but bring plenty of supplies and water, as they
are only found at selected places like Staniel Cay and Georgetown.

Sherwin D.

"Wayne.B" wrote:

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:33:09 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Then you could sail down the Tongue of
the Ocean safely at night.

Yes, that would remove a lot of uncertainty but be quite a bit longer.
Where did you exit Tongue of the Ocean?

We did it at Russel Beacon, an easy target.