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The
boundaries of the 2000 acre Pelican Cay Land and Sea Park are from Pelican Point
on Great Abaco to the north end of Lynyard Cay, then north outside all of the
Pelican Cays, except North Pelican Cay, but inside the high North Pelican Cay
nearly to its northwest end, then on a line to the southeast end of Channel Cay,
then encircling Gorling Cay, and
returning east of Cornish Cay to Pelican Point on Great Abaco. Note: North
Pelican Cay is not part of the Park.
This is a National Park
which we thoroughly enjoyed. Within
these boundaries, you aren't allowed to spear fish at all, by any method. You
can't take out fan coral, nor destroy or remove any coral, plant life, bird
life, or eggs. It is also forbidden
to dump litter or garbage. Conviction
brings heavy fines. Sandy
Cay and The Pelican Cays are the heart of this wild area.
Pelican
Cays Land and Sea Park is protected and maintained by the Bahamas National
Trust, which was granted a 99-year lease by the Bahamas Government.
Their stated purpose is to help to perpetuate conversation, science and
education, aesthetic values, and a first rate recreational area.
Enjoy it but help them achieve this noble objective by respecting it, so
that others may also enjoy it. Mr. Dixon Downey, of Cornish Cay (p. 131), was
instrumental in the establishment of Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park.
Sandy
Cay
Sandy
Cay is nearly cut in two, about amidships.
High tide covers the low narrow beach, making two islands.
There are some permanent moorings placed along the eastern shore of this
beautiful island. These are
intended for the typical day rental boat, not your chartered sailboat! If the
surge permits, you could anchor outside the reef and dink into the permanent
moorings. I have rarely found the
surge suitable for this technique! You're
best bet is to anchor on the west side of the island, and then depending upon
conditions, dink back around to the reef, or walk across the island and swim out
to the reef. The anchorage indicated on our chart is intended for a day stop
only. The holding ground is poor
(rocky), and the surge can be bad even though you're in the lee of the island!
If you have an extra crewman, it wouldn't hurt to leave someone on the
big boat for anchor watch. Rotate
the duty. There will be other great diving opportunities, where conditions
aren't quite so adverse.
The
snorkeling is interesting all along this reef, but it is absolutely sensational
north of the little rocky island, about halfway up the east shore of Sandy Cay. If you walk across the island, you'll have to clamber over
some coral to get there, but you can minimize this by following a path along the
narrow beach between the coral and the dunes.
The farther out you snorkel, the more spectacular it becomes.
Even when it's breaking, you can enjoy fine snorkeling inside this reef.
A famous French undersea explorer has extolled this reef as one of the
most beautiful in North America.
Pelican
Cays
Surf
frequently breaks all over the outer bars north of Channel Cay and the surge
will usually follow you all of the way north inside the Pelican Cays.
The northernmost cay will offer some degree of protection, but I can't
recommend any of these for an overnight stop.
In the best of conditions, these cays offer an uncomfortable daytime
stop. The beautiful deserted beaches here make the anchorage worth the trouble
with the surge and the roll.
The
southernmost of the Pelican Cays has a newly refurbished thatched hut, built for
public use. It seems that it gets
very little use as a picnic shelter, but it makes a great landmark! The thatch
survived the near-miss of Hurricane Andrew without damage.
The locals say that the thatch just lets the wind blow through!
The
beach here is different from most in that it has a convex curve to it, rather
than the more customary concave, or horseshoe-like curve.
It turns a corner, extending east of the shoal, shown on our chart, and
well south of the shoal. This beach is great for beachcombing, shelling,
swimming, or just sunning. You'll
usually have it all to yourself!
The
best anchorage, such as it is, will be found just north and west of the shoal,
in close to the beach. Make sure
that you are well north of the shoal before proceeding east.
Then go in close to the beach for the "best" protection. Leave
someone on the big boat to stand anchor watch.
Remember that I said you would get a chance to rotate this duty.
Certainly don't consider this as an overnight anchorage.
The bottom is rocky in places, and even if you find good holding sand,
there can be a lot of current and surge through here!
The
other Pelican Cays offer similar nice beaches, none better!
None offer any real good anchorages, for the surge will follow you all of
the way in. The Northernmost of the
Pelican Cays has some interesting ruins if you're really into exploring.
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