Black Point, Exumas

My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.    - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We left Staniel Cay ready for some more beautiful exuma adventures at the Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay.

 Southern Boating describes the area this way:  

"Great Guana Cay is centrally located in the Exuma island chain, just south of the busy hub at Staniel Cay. But it’s a world apart from Staniel in character and represents a true slice of life in the Out Islands. The small town at Black Point Settlement sits on a wide bight facing west over the vast banks stretching to the Tongue of the Ocean.  The residents of Black Point are among the friendliest you’ll encounter, and the community is heavily geared toward serving the needs of visiting cruisers."
Our first adventure ashore was from the government docks which gave us a great view of Journey from the shore.  We checked out the signs and began walking passing the school and the library.  Of course the educator in me had to check these out.  We decided to stop at Emerald Sunset View for our first beer.   We met the owner, Pappy and had a beer with an. Awesome view.  

Next up was a visit to the blowhole which is a short walk from the anchorage:  Again Southern Boating website provides a great directions and descriptions of this short adventure from the anchorage.

"A short fifteen-minute walk northeast from the government dock will take you to a beautiful ocean beach across the island. Turn left at the dock, then right on the dirt and gravel road that leads across the island. At the top of the hill on the left is a natural blowhole. Big swells that run on Exuma Sound vent spectacularly through the hole. A little further up the road, you’ll drop down onto the beach. It’s a nice spot to catch some sun and do a little beachcombing."
Now it is time for Allie’s Big Adventure.  We set out on what I believed to be a short hike to White Horse Cliffs.  Up the hill around the anchorage we took some great shots of Journey.  My adventure lead to trails that ended.  Cliffs to traverse down and up.  Across water in which we were thankful for low tide to reach the top of the cliffs near the Dotham Cut.  The view was spectacular……  While observing from the cliffs we found what we believed and was a quicker way back to the anchorage by way of  a road, but we still had to wade through knee deep water and my entire adventure took 5 hours.  Opps!  But we did discover two blue holes but we never made it back because the terrain was just too rugged for a do over.

Another special thing about Black Point were the sea turtles that fed on the grassy bottom in the anchorage.  They never seemed to stay around when I went snorkeling off the boat.  But enjoyed having their picture taken while we viewed them from the boat.  When we took Shelby in we usually spotted more visitors in the water like this stingray and nurse shark stalking the docks for food.  The sunsets were spectacular as we had a perfect view to the west each evening.
Our final adventure is to to explore the southern part of the Black Point on Great Guana Cay.  We believed we could make a circle but for sure wanted to see the white castle along the southern shores of Black Point and visible from the waters known as Little Bay. We set off down the paved road passed the turn for the airport and through a neighborhood almost to the other side of the cay.  As we were walking along a pick up stopped and asked where we were headed.  His bed was full but he said hop in and I will take you part of the way.  We learned their was a wedding on the sands off Little Bay and he was carrying table and chairs out to the beach. Also, a yacht was anchored in Little Bay.  He dropped us at a crossroads and we were off to the castle.  After viewing the castle which had signs posted not to trespass.  We later learned the bartender at Scorpios lived there.  Scoprios host a cruisers Happy Hour three times a week.  He mixed a mean rum punch.  we laughed about me being a  trespasser earlier on his property.  I didn’t read anywhere not to venture out to the castle so I am now telling others who want see this that they prefer you not visit the castle.  Our suggestion is to take your dinghy around the island on a windless day and see her from the water.  As we followed the trail we felt would make a circle we ventured down and found a quiet beach areas to swim and explore.  Saving starfish maybe saving starfish not sure why they were out of the water on the sand.  Then finding another trail we made it back to Emerald Sunset View for stop and some much needed caffeine.
The absolute best part was meeting Mama.  We were told to buy her coconut bread and after the first loaf we wanted more.  It was the best we had in the Bahamas by far.  She was a super friendly lady who invited us into her home.  Showed us her kitchen and her bread pans.  This is a must stop if you get anywhere near Black Point buy the Bread!!!
The sun is setting on our Black Point adventure.  We are sad to leave but it is time to swim with the mermaid at Rudder Cut Cay.








Spend time in Black Point and you’ll easily make friends, and it’s a sure thing that you’ll be invited to attend Sunday church services. Many cruisers stay here for weeks and come back again and again.