13-23 May 2015... Up Long Island and Over to Conception Island

Thompson Bay is a big cruiser hangout 'in season' but since this wasn't, it wasn't. A handful of boats anchored out. With a long to-do list, we just wanted to run through chores. We met some folks who clued us in on the essentials, like which grocery store was still open, where to get Internet, where to dispose of trash, etc. Biggest disappointment was that there was nowhere in town to do laundry -- good thing bathing suits was the prevailing wardrobe choice for the month in the Raggeds. Re-stocked and re-fueled, we were ready to launch to the next uninhabited place -- Conception Island. We left Thompson Bay and sailed up the west side of Long Island on the banks to Simms, about halfway to the northern tip. Waited for a good sailing day to go east. For those of you familiar with the Bahamas banks, you will recognize these clouds. Everything reflects the blue-green waters, and from miles away, you can see these green clouds and know that shallow waters are close by.

After one false start, we finally got a good sailing day to Conception. A Bahamas National Park and Nature Preserve, it is yet another absolutely stunning place.

After almost anchoring on top of a huge stingray, the next thing we noticed was that the tropicbirds were abundant here, and they were out all day. We finally saw where they went when not flying. They nest in the rocks on the beach, disappearing inside the smallest crevices.

We spent a day kayaking down the island and into the interior lagoons and mangrove creeks, seeing a few turtles, sharks, very noisy oystercatchers, and a whole posse of baby barracuda. One day we snorkeled the reef at the north end of the anchorage and around the corner on the ocean side. (Good exercise, that, swimming against the current.) While the coral was somewhat broken and overgrown with algae, there were fish to follow. Lots of the fish were big, including at least one massive white margate. Also got up close and personal with smaller margates.

Patti saw a huge, maybe 2 foot Nassau Grouper, that was pretty skittish and wouldn't pose for a photo, but John captured other inhabitants, including a gorgeous parrotfish that was shy but curious. Enjoy the photos!

Thompson Bay, Long Island: 23d21.472'N 75d08.432'W
Simms, Long Island: 23d28.788'N 75d14.610'W
Conception Island: 23d50.994'N 75d07.216'W