Jumentos - Duncan Town

The Ragged Islands are simply out of this world.

From Water Cay we stopped at Flamingo Cay, Nurse Cay (what can I say), Bona Vista Cay, Hog Cay and Ragged Island's Duncan Town. 

This place is spectacular! We met up with our friends on Panache, Ryana and Island Explorer but most of the time we were alone at an anchorage or the bay was so big we felt alone despite having friends nearby. stunning.

Photo credit Ursula Du Toit; Island Explorer.

 In Water Cay we went out in the dinghy to snorkel and had the weirdest sensation. The water was like glass and gin clear. The sky and sea blended into each other on the horizon making it difficult to see where one ended and the other started. As the dinghy got onto the plane we got the peculiar sensation like we were airborn. Freaky funny out of control feeling as we sped along to the dive site.

Water Cay has two 'Blue holes' a few miles off the anchorage and the stunning Triggerfish reef. The reef and the shallower blue hole Andre and I free dived. The reef lived up to its name with hundreds of Triggerfish swimming around. We learned how aggressive they can be on a feed. Not toward us but the prey. André shot a fish that got off the spear and the Triggerfish went after it with a vengeance. 

Nurse Cay was another favorite. A tiny little bay with 2 meters of water virtually to the shore. We tucked in let out just enough chain to allow us to swing without touching sides for if the wind changed and went ashore. Walking the beach looking for shells, snorkeling and lazing in the shallow water. Heaven!

The boats all met up again in Hog Cay. It was a beach for 'Talking heads' and we took advantage. Our friends on Purrfect arrived from Cuba and we all got together for a braai on the beach. The local's have built a Boma or what they call a Tikki Bar for the cruisers to use and we took advantage. 

Duncan town is about a half hour dinghy ride down a channel in the mangroves. This is the only settlement in the Ragged islands. In its time a thriving Salt industry keep it busy but since the decline of the salt industry the few families who stayed support themselves from the sea. 

Well known in town is Maxine and her husband who own the small store which is restocked from Nassau, brought in by the mail boat. The main problem is Maxine never knows how many people / cruisers will be in town so she can't order ahead. But she is very willing to place and order for you that will arrive in a week.

We also met Cephas who owns the Ponderosa Bar. Although the it was Mail boat day and everyone was unpacking supplies, Cephas opened the bar for us to sit in the cool, use their free wifi, drink beer and chat to locals.

We met the infamous Edward who lives on Bona Vista and was visiting his children in town. What a character he had us laughing at his stories and antics. His curly blonde hair and huge smile are not forgettable. We promised to visit him on Bona Vista.

I was wondering around town and noticed a man staring at me curiously. I waved and said hi and he was astonished. With my tan he thought I was a Bahamian woman and he couldn't figure out who I was. In the tiny town of 40 or so residents he was trying to work out who the new woman town was. Lewis and I got chatting. He is a fisherman and lived on the island all his life. He and his friends were fascinated that we sailed all the way from Africa. Later that day on his way out to check his traps he stopped by to see Rat Catcher to see what boat would sail all that way. He had found some mollusk he didn't use in his traps and kindly allowed me to choose some beautiful shells. Thank you Lewis.

We sat out some weather in South Side anchorage off Duncan town and then upped anchor and headed North.