Shroud Cay, Exuma, Bahamas

After spending several days in Normay Cay in the Northern Exumas, we were ready to move on to something new.

We overheard some fellow cruisers on the VHF talking about Shroud Cay, just one island hop over from our anchorage at Norman. The guy said to the other on the VHF, “It is the most beautiful place in the world, you gotta make the stop at the nature reserve. You dinghy through a mangrove creek, then round the edge to the most gorgeous beach. Definitely worth the time to check it out!”

Although we were technically eavesdropping on this guy’s conversation, we accepted his advice and decided to hit up Shroud Cay to see the nature reserve. We pulled up anchor early in the morning and made the quick island hop to Shroud Cay, jumped in the dinghy, and headed for the mangrove creek.

It was a windy day, which is why we chose it for sailing, but good for sailing is not always good for dinghy rides! With the wind beating at us, and the waves splashing in our faces, we found the entrance to the mangrove creek and slowly motored inside, where the wind ceased and the water immediately calmed. We relaxed and relished the calmness of the creek.

Our dinghy motored down the shallow creek slowly, with Ruca riding on the bow. We all three searched for critters, and saw many schools of fish and sea turtles. I trailed my foot in the water and imagined I was on a Missouri float trip. I just needed a beer coozie hung around my neck and some country music in the background.

After 20 minutes, we could hear the crash of big white-capped ocean side waves. We rounded the last point of the mangrove creek, and white sand and electric blue open ocean water came into view. We had picturesque white beaches on each side, dotted with grey volcanic boulders. There was not a footprint to be seen in the sand, indicating nobody had seen this place in a while. I fumbled to get a picture of the perfect beach before we reached it, but Ruca had already jumped prematurely from the bow of the dinghy in excitement, plowing through the postcard picture.

We raced each other around on the widespread shorelines, swam out into the bright blue water, and let the creek’s current carry us back to the dinghy in a loop, like a lazy river water ride. We climbed the sandy cliff face to get a better vantage point, and our boxer dog turned into a mountain climbing Billy-goat when she spotted a lizard to chase. This, from a dog who whines for help from dad when she can’t jump 2 feet from the beach into the dinghy.

Since words can’t describe the beauty of the Shroud Cay Reserve, we’ll just leave this gallery here for you to enjoy!

Quinn SV Wanderlust Sailing Blogger

Shroud Cay Exumas

Quinn S V Wanderlust Sailing Blogger

Sailing with Dogs SV Wanderlust

Shroud Cay Exumas Land and Sea Park

Shroud Cay SV Wanderlust Sailing Blog

Shroud Cay Beach Rocks SV Wanderlust Sailing Blog

Shroud Cay Beach SV Wanderlust

SV Wanderlust sailing blog footprint in the sand

After half a day of exploring this gorgeous spot, we jumped back in the dinghy and made our way back down the creek to Wanderlust. We picked up anchor, glad to have made time for this once-in-a-lifetime beach.

Thanks for reading!

Ben, Quinn and Ruca

#destinations #Bahamas