episode 8: off to the exumas and first lionfish!

We spend our last couple of days at the Palm Cay Marina in Nassau tackling a few boat chores and stocking up on provisions before heading to the beautiful Exuma Cays. The Exumas are often described as one of the most stunning, special places in The Bahamas. All of the cruisers we’ve met so far absolutely love the area, so we’ve been anxious to experience it for ourselves for the first time. From the east side of New Providence Island (Nassau), we travel 29 nautical miles in the incredibly clear blue, and at some points, shallow water to reach one of the first stops in the northern Exumas. We dropped anchor in Allan’s Cay, a very small island with nothing but rock and reef (there’s prehistoric iguanas on SW Allan’s, but we didn’t make it over there). While snorkeling the area, we spot 2 lionfish, which are incredibly invasive and dangerous to reefs. They have invaded The Bahamas and much of the Caribbean, have no predators, and each fish releases over 2 million eggs per year. (You can read more about lionfish here: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish-facts.html) Keegan has been eager and excited to start spearfishing, we just haven’t seen many fish up until this point. So with his Hawaiian Sling, dives down for his first catch! We’ve known about lionfish and their threat to the reefs for years, we’ve just never had the opportunity to remove any - so this was an exciting moment. After a few days in Allan’s Cay, we head a bit south to our next destination - Norman’s Cay, another favored stop for cruisers. The anchorage here is beautiful, well protected, and even has a sunken plane for snorkeling. ::FOLLOW US:: Instagram: @sailingsummerfriday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailingsummerfriday/ Website: https://sailingsummerfriday.com ::SAILING SUMMER FRIDAY SWAG:: https://sailingsummerfriday.com/shop-sailing-summer-friday/ Are you down to summer friday? Check out our store and get your very own summer friday swag. ::MUSIC:: Song: MBB - Beach Music promoted by Vlog No Copyright Music Video Link: https://youtu.be/bfjxyOtpvlA Song: NOWË- Heart Of Gold Music Promoted by Chill Royalty Free Music https://goo.gl/5NfMV4 Artist SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/nowemusic Video Link: https://youtu.be/vxiFStxvE0s Song: Jarico - Island Music promoted by Vlog No Copyright Music Video Link: https://youtu.be/gZlDn4EmTvo Song: Chaël - Sparks Promoted by Chill Royalty Free Music https://goo.gl/5NfMV4 Artist SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/chael_music Video Link: https://youtu.be/IhdDkbGaPwc License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/