On Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:59:08 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

My 28' sailboat is out of the water near Freeport till October while I
wait for slightly cooler weather. I did not get to the Abacos. Now,
I am wondering where to cruise to next. I'd sort of like to slowly
wander down the islands toward Turks and Caicos with no time in mind.
I'd really like to see some islands with some vertical relief. I have
read of caves (my other obsession) in the Abacos so that is a
possibility. OTOH, I'd like to head down the Berry Is toward Naussau
as well and then onward. With prevailing winds from SE, sailign
anywhere except back to Fl or back to West End and then up around to
the Abacos is difficult but I would like to do SOME sailing. I will
prob keep my boat in the Bahamas for a year or more.
Any ideas on where to go? I've found I have a lot more fun talking to
odd people I meet than sailing.

By all means do the Abacos first. Start at the top with Walkers Cay,
Grand Cay, Double Breasted Cay and keeping working south to Marsh
Harbour, Hopetown and Little Harbor. It's a great trip and will keep
you busy for a while.

After that, head for Spanish Wells, Nassau and the Exumas. That's
another big adventure with a *lot* to see along the way.

Next stop should be Eleuthera and Cat Island, followed by George Town,
Long Island, the Raggeds and Jumentos. We just came up through the
Raggeds and Jumentos. They are beautiful, remote and almost totally
deserted.

If you want vertical structure on any kind of large scale, you have to
go all the way south to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, USVI,
BVI, etc. We're on our way back from all of that and it is
spectacular but also challenging for a number of different reasons.