Traveling the Great Loop

This page covers two destinations:

March 26, 2024; Green Turtle Cay to Great Sale Cay: Today’s run: 67 miles; (indicated on the chart below by the red line).

Great Sale Cay was a stopover anchorage to help breakup the next day’s 71- mile trip to West End, the staging point for the Bahamas -to-Florida crossing.

The predominate winds in the Bahamas are northeast trade-winds, but the islands have been dominated this year by south and southeast winds, even when the wind was not predicted as such. Last night was no exception. When the anchor went down, winds blew from the east, and the anchorage should have been a protected one. But around 3am, the wind swung south, leaving us open to wind and swell. That is the way it has been in the islands this year while at anchor: noisy (wave slap against the hull), and bouncy.

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West End, ‘Settlement Point’; Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Club Harbour, Grand Bahama Island, Abaco

March 27, 2024, Great Sale Cay to West End; Today’s run: 71 miles

Overall, we experienced a good ride to West End even though several miles were dominated by south winds causing bounce and mild corkscrewing. As we neared Settlement Point at West End, we had a choice to make: take 1- Indian Cay Channel, (shorter route), or 2-the route through Memory Rock, ( not an inspiring name). We chose Memory Rock because we had heard of possible dangers in Indian Cay, and because the note below, was printed on the navigation chart.

We learned later, that every other boater that day, had taken Indian Cay Channel. Sure, they had to proceed slowly while eyeballing their way around bommies, (coral), and they reported seeing depths of 6 feet/2m, but after arriving , they gleefully remarked that it wasn’t so bad. I wanted to slap them for their smugness; I was going to need about three naps to recover from our passage!

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The marina has a sort of back-in-time feel. We noticed it as soon as we arrived inside the breakwater.

The resort has a history:

Previously known as Jack Tar Village Resort, the original property offered a 27- hole golf course, several tennis courts, a 400-room hotel, an airfield, and the largest saltwater swimming pool in the western hemisphere. The resort closed in 1988.

West End Resorts purchased the property, developed a 72-slip marina and constructed guest suites and condos. Within the same year, (2004), the development, which included several canal neighborhoods, (below), took two direct hits from hurricanes Francis & Jeanne. 

  A year later, Hurricane Wilma swept the area.

We borrowed 2 resort bicycles to tour the island.

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In preparation for entering the United States, we submitted the required information document via CBP mobile; (ROAM). Questions included what food was being brought into the country; meat, dairy products etc.  

We emptied our freezers of meat and fish, gathered up all our produce, and collected other foods such as seeds and nuts and then gave them to the man who worked on the docks helping boaters tie up when they arrived. U.S. Immigration/Customs requirements state that you do not enter the country with the above foods including dairy etc. We’re probably one of the few boats that honour those restrictions but as Canadians, we have more to lose than U.S. boat owners. The dock worker thanked us profusely for the food; for one thing we had saved him money he said, but in addition, he confessed the quality of food was above what he was use to. It was nice to hear his appreciation, and after visiting his village, (above), we understood the meaning of his words.