Bottom Harbour Rose Island Bahamas

For the best part of a week, the forecast had consistently shown strong winds for Wed 3 April.  Not wanting to be crossing the shallow Yellow Bank in those conditions, we had decided to head north from the Exumas back to Bottom Harbour on Rose Island on Tue 2 April and spend the Wed lazing around there before moving back to Nassau on 4 April.  Inevitably, therefore, our return passage across the shallows was all conducted under engine as, yet again, there was insufficient wind for us to sail until the final half hour or so of the trip.

View across the anchorage at Bottom Harbour towards Rose Island and the Sandy Toes club

The anchor was dropped at 1430 on Tue 2 April and we spent the remainder of that day and all of the next, gently lazing in the turquoise seas and enjoying the changing scenery as the sand bars covered and uncovered with the tide.

Nici in paradise (spot the dinghy, tied to a wreck, a long way behind her)

We dinghied across to the island that provides southeasterly protection for the anchorage, discovering in the process just how gently shelving the beach is in this area.  With the tide going out, and not wishing to end up carrying the dinghy for miles, we ended up tying the dinghy to a wreck a goodly distance from the shore, and then wading in from there.  We would have anchored the dinghy but we realised too late that we had forgotten to put it in before we left BV……

It was a very pleasant walk along the shoreline of the island, and looking out on the other side we agreed that it did, indeed, provide the anchorage with a decent lee from the swell offshore.

Distant rays.  Unfortunately, when we got back to the dinghy, we couldn’t track them down again

Looking back towards BV we also spotted rays working their way inshore towards the island from the anchorage but, disappointingly, didn’t see them again once we had returned to the dinghy.

We returned to BV via a snorkelling trip over some of the reef areas to the north of the island.  We found a good number of fish and some reasonable coral but the area was surprisingly shallow – just as well that we weren’t there at low tide!  

Unexpectedly, we found the snorkelling to be better, albeit the water was not as clear, close in under the rock face below the Sandy Toes beach club.  Here we saw a wide variety of fish, and a lot of them, as well as a couple of large lobster and, to Strev’s great delight, a turtle.

Bottom Harbour, Rose Island, Bahamas