Tiloo Cay

5/13-14/2021

After departing the marina at Marsh Harbour we decided to anchor for a few days to wait for weather to cross the Northeast Providence Channel to Eleuthera and the Exumas.  The winds are predicted to be fairly strong from the north and east, and this spot should give good protection for most of those winds. 

Tiloo Cay, two photos of which are shown below, is largely a national park protecting the bird species in this area.  Fishing is allowed, and there are a few houses on the island.  At least one house is occupied as we heard a dog barking from a mile or more away at the south end of the island.

Some of the houses at the north end of the island are apparently not occupied.  We saw the unusual turret in the photo below, but it and the surrounding houses have not been repaired since the hurricane.  An adjacent island, Lubbers Quarters, is only about a mile away, and the houses there have been repaired already.

The seawater here is very clear, and we can easily see the vegetation, sand and rocks on the bottom.  We were starting to get low on water, so I put our watermaker in service.  This machine uses high pressure pumps to pressurize water to 800 psi, and then applies it to a permeable membrane.  Only fresh water can get through the membrane as the salt molecules are too large, and so we get fresh water from seawater.  I have a device that measures the total dissolved solids in the product water, and we are well within acceptable limits.  I also have some drinking water bacteria test kits, and these also pass without an issue.  So our fresh water supply is partially restored. 

After two days at anchor the forecast called for high winds for an extended period, effectively making the crossing impossible for at least a week.  With that prediction, and with the poor beaches for Sinbad near our anchorage, we decided to move to Hope Town, a small town on a nearby island.  As we moved there we passed Tiloo Cut, an ocean entrance accessible to smaller boats.  Just inside the cut is a popular beach, and we saw an enterprising local businessperson had built a small takeaway restaurant and bar on a pontoon boat and had moved it to this location.  Pretty clever idea, and one that gave me a laugh.