With no diesel to be found anywhere on Andros until after the holidays, our plan to sail south for the Jimentos Cays and Ragged Islands was gone with the wind. We didn’t feel comfortable sailing into that remote area without a full tank of fuel, so decided to sail down the Tongue of the Ocean to the Decca Passage, which would take us across to Staniel Cay in the Exumas. It was a great sail down the Tongue, and late that night I was treated to another first: the sight of phosphorescence in the water. As Altona slashed through the chop, the wash from her bow glittered with brilliant flickers of light. At first I thought the stars had fallen into the ocean, except these light were even more brilliant than the canopy above us. They darted with delightful fluidity like bright fireflies of the sea, and I watched for ages, fascinated by their magical dance. Close to midnight, we were once again on the Bahama Banks and able to throw down the anchor for some sleep, and by mid afternoon the next day we were filled up and on the hook at Staniel Cay, ready for an ocean passage. Our newly revised plan was to head southeast for as long as the weather would permit, and hopefully make the Turks and Caicos before weather closed in.

At first light after a night passage down Exuma Sound, we could just see the low shape of Conception Island with the masts of a few sailboats anchored there. We had missed visiting the island on our first trip to the Bahamas, as the winds and weather were never favourable for an easterly sail to the largely unprotected anchorage. Even now we had planned to bypass the island in favour of making fast south easterly progress, but during the night the line to our roller furler mechanism had snapped loose. With 15 knot winds and chop bouncing Altona across the ocean swells, we needed a sheltered spot to anchor to take the furler apart. This turned out to be a happy accident, because our cruiser friends were right: Conception Island is not to be missed.
As part of the Bahamas National Trust, the island is intended to be kept in its unspoiled state for perpetuity. It boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in the Bahamas, a long crescent of pristine white sand curving gracefully along the edge of shallow West Bay, and turquoise water so clear it looked as though Altona and her dinghy were suspended in glowing air. Breakers crashed musically at one end of the beach, and at the other, razor sharp limestone rock sculpted into fantastic shapes curved protectively between the bay and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. Paradise could not have looked lovelier, especially after a long night at sea.

The roller furling mechanism repaired and back in place, we were free to explore the island and surrounding reefs. The colours of the reef at Conception Island weren’t as vibrant as other places we’ve snorkelled, nor were the fish as plentiful, but who can complain about an afternoon spent puttering from place to place peering through the clear bottomed ‘looky-bucket’ until you find a likely place to jump overboard and snorkel over a fantastic variety of coral? Walking along pure white sand where the only footprints were ours, Ralph proclaimed it the best beach of any he’s seen in the Bahamas.

At 4:00 it was time to join the other half dozen cruisers who were anchored at the island for “sundowners” (potluck snacks and drinks) on the beach. Meeting new people is one of the delights of cruising, and we shared stories of sailing, snorkelling, exploring the island’s inland creeks by dinghy, and sightings of sea turtles darting through the clear, quiet waters. We were only driven back to the boat at dusk by the hordes of hungry no-see-ums that appeared for their own pot-luck with us as the main course. Even Paradise has its downside, but despite the voracious insects, Conception Island is as beautiful and unspoiled as it gets.